Thursday | October 04, 2007

Animals Move

Animals can only move in many different ways. They may waddle, swim, swoop or hop. Some slither, others walk or run. A clam has only one foot for digging into mud or sand. A pinguin walks on two legs. A dog walk on four legs. Ladybirds walk on six legs. Spiders walk on eight legs. Centipeds may have a hundred pairs of legs to walk on, and some millipedes walk on more legs than that! Snakes and worm slither around on no legs at all. Bats and most kinds of birds and insects fly. And a fish swim. Some animals move only when they are very young. Barnacles, sponges, and baby oysters swim trough the water until they find a good place to stay. Then they fasten themselves down and never move again. Animals can move without help. If a living thing moves by itself, it's an animal.
Posted by Nitya at 14:27:23 | Permanent Link | Comments (33) |

Sunday | September 30, 2007

Animals Eat

All plants and all animals need food. Most plants make their own food from light, water, and substances in the groung and air. But animals cannot make their own food. They must eat plants or other animals to live. Different kind of animals eat in different kinds of ways. A chameleon flips out its sticky tongue and catches insects. A lammergeier, a type of vulture, uses its sharp claws and hooked beak to tear its food. A butterfly has a part of its mouth like a built-in straw. It's called a proboscis. The butterfly keeps it proboscis rolled up until it gets hungry. Then it unrolls its proboscis, puts into a flower, and sucks up sweet nectar. A ground squirrel has a strong teeth for craking nuts and seeds. It carries food home in its cheeks and " squirrels " it way. A baleen whale fills its mouth with seawater. The water is full of tiny plants and animals. The whale lets the water run out of its mouth. Then it swallows the plants and animals that remain.

Posted by Nitya at 10:29:19 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

What is a Living Thing?

Do you know the difference between a living thing and non living thing? You are a living thing. And so are birds, trees, and flowers. Tables, rocks, and shoes, and basket balls are non living things. How do you tell living things from non living things? All living things has certain futures in common. Almost  all living things must have food, water, and air. And they are made of tiny units called cells. Living things also reproduce, which means they can make new living things just like themselves. The many, many types of living things are also different from one another in important ways. Scientists separate all living things into large groups called kingdoms. Each kingdom is made up of living things that are similar to one another. Each kingdom is different from the other kingdom. Most scientists say there are five main kingdoms. Animals make up one of the kingdoms. Most animals move around and get their food by eating other living things. Plants make up another kingdom. The plant kingdom is important to other kingdoms because plants create food that most other living things need.

 

                                 

 

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What is a plant?

If some one asked you to name a plant, you might say, “ a tree “ .

 

You’d probably think of many other green and leafy ling things, too. But not all plants are green and leafy. Most are, but not all. So what makes a plant a plant? Plants usually spend their whole lives rooted to one place. They can’t move around like animals. Most plants reproduce seeds to make new plants. Plants also have special kinds of cells. Plant cells have tough, thick walls made of cellulose. And most plants contain a special substance called chlorophyll. Plants use chlorophyll to make their own food with help of water, air, and sunlight. Animals have no chlorophyll.  

 

Posted by Nitya at 10:03:43 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |

Kinds of Plants

 

Plants are divided into groups. Almost all plants belongs to the group called seed plants. They’re called seed plants because they make seeds that grow into new plants. Most seed plants are flowering plants. Flowering plants male their seeds inside flowers. By far, most plants in the world are flowering plants. Other seed plants make their seeds inside their cones. Cone-bearing plants are called conifers. This plants include such as pines, spruces, and firs. Plants called cycads and ginkgoes ( also called maidenhair trees ) also are cone-bearing plants. These types  of plants have been around for million years. Other plant group use tiny cells called spores, not seeds, to make new plants. Spore-making plants include ferns, horsetails, and mosses. Ferns have feathery leaves called fronds. Their spores form on the undersides of the fronds. Horsetails have tall, green stems with a cap on top. They have long, thin leaves. Moss grows Like a soft,  green fury coat on a tree trunk or a rock. Moss is made up of thousands of tiny plants growing very close together.

 

Posted by Nitya at 09:53:32 | Permanent Link | Comments (0) |