We share our surroundings and homes with various living beings, including animals, birds, insects, and plants. Some of these are invited, while others are uninvited guests.
We bring some animals and plants into our homes intentionally and care for them by providing food, water, and shelter. However, some animals and insects visit our homes uninvited.
Through the story of Shambhu and his father, we learn how plants and animals support each other's survival.
While sitting under a huge mango tree, Shambhu observes a monkey eating a mango and throwing away the seed. His father explains that a new plant will emerge from this seed, demonstrating how animals help plants reproduce and spread.
Plants are essential to life on Earth. Some of the key Uses of Plants include:
All living things—humans, animals, and plants—are interconnected and rely on one another to survive and maintain balance in nature.
Thousands of trees are accidentally planted by squirrels because they bury nuts and forget where they hid them!
Practical activities to help students observe and build empathy towards animals and plants in their environment.
Students choose a local animal or bird (like a cow, dog, cat, crow, or sparrow) and observe its movements, sounds, eating habits, and social interactions.
An experiment to observe ant behavior by placing three types of food in a line:
Students predict and observe which food items the ants prefer and how they interact with them.
An exercise in developing empathy where children are encouraged to make friends with a tree or plant, sharing their feelings (happiness, sadness, or anger) with it.
Review questions and classification exercises to consolidate learning.
Students classify animals, birds, and insects based on their physical structure:
A heartwarming real-life example of human-animal harmony from Tamil Nadu.
In the small town of Valparai in Tamil Nadu, children and teachers participate in welcoming migratory birds called Grey Wagtails (locally known as Vaalatti kuruvi in Tamil).
These birds travel all the way from the cold mountains to the warmer parts of India during the winter months. To celebrate their arrival, the local school children put up welcome posters and distribute sweets to everyone in the town.