Living things

I wiggle in the dirt as a little worm. I stretch my leaves to the sun as a tall tree. I wag my tail when you come home, just like a happy puppy. I even live inside your tummy, helping you feel strong and ready to play! A rock just sits there, but I can grow and change. A toy car needs you to push it, but I can move all by myself. I am in every plant, every animal, and even you. Can you guess who I am? I am all the Living Things.

Long, long ago, people looked all around them and saw a world full of wonder. They saw some things, like rivers and mountains, that stayed mostly the same. But they saw other things that were very, very different! They watched tiny seeds sprout from the soft ground and become big, shady trees. They saw little eggs hatch into chirping baby birds that learned to fly high in the sky. They noticed that kittens grew into cats and that they needed food, water, and air to stay healthy and playful, just like people do. They realized that all of me—all the living things—have something special in common. We grow, we eat, we breathe, and we can make new life, like when a mommy bird has baby birds.

I am the buzzy bee that helps pretty flowers grow and the juicy red apple you eat for a snack. I am the fish swimming in the sparkly sea and the bird singing a happy song in the sky. You are one of me, too! Being a living thing means you get to play, learn, and grow bigger every single day. When you are kind to all the plants and animals, you are taking care of our big, wonderful family of living things.