Living things have certain characteristics that non-living things do not have:

• Living things need food – Plants make their own food using sunlight, water, and air. Animals get food from plants or other animals.
• Living things breathe – They take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide.
• Living things move – Animals move from place to place. Plants move slowly, like when a sunflower turns toward the sun.
• Living things grow – Both animals and plants increase in size over time.
• Living things respond to their surroundings – For example, a dog barks when it hears a loud sound. A plant's roots grow toward water in the soil.
• Living things reproduce – They produce new babies or new plants.
• Living things get rid of waste – Animals sweat or urinate. Plants release water vapour through their leaves.

Look around your classroom or home. Point out things that are living and things that are non-living.

Examples from our environment:

All living things are either plants or animals. Non-living things have no life at all.

A simple way to remember: If it can grow, move, breathe, and needs food to survive, it is a living thing.

When you go to the market in Morogoro or Dar es Salaam with your family, you can practice identifying living and non-living things. The fruits and vegetables sold at the market are living things because they came from plants. The plastic bags, baskets, and scales used by vendors are non-living things. This helps you understand that living things provide us with food, while non-living things help us in our daily activities.