NLVIGI 

HNISGT
LIVING THINGS
How is a living thing different from a non-living thing?
Living things are differentiated based on the following 7
functions:
■ M: Movement
MRS GREN
■ R: Reproduction
■ S: Sensitivity 
■ G: Growth
■ R: Respiration
■ E: Excretion
■ N: Nutrition
Movement
■ All living things exhibit self-
powered movement, be it a part
or the entire organism.
■ Plants are rooted to one spot but
their parts move towards the
light, their petals open and close,
their roots spread out. 

■ Animals move their entire

bodies. Some move fast, some
move slow. Examples?
■ They move to obtain food, to
escape from danger etc. Why do
you move?
■ Sloths move so slow they have
algae, fungi, moss, insects
growing on them!
Reproduction

■ It is the ability to produce off-

springs of your own
kind. Reproduction is the
process by which organisms
make more organisms like
themselves. 
■ Plants reproduce by seeds. 
■ Animals have babies
■ This is essential to carry the
generation forward. A hen lays
300 eggs a year!
Sensitivity
■ Living things sense the changes
around them and respond to
those changes.
■ What changes do you notice in
your environment? E.g a loud
sound, how do you react to
them? Squid release ink when
they feel threatened
■ How do you notice these
changes? Using our sensor
organs which trigger a response
in our brain on how to react!
■ Plants also respond
■  to change in the environment
such as light, gravity etc.
Growth
■ All living things grow and
develop. 
■ They go through different stages
of growth before reaching
adulthood.
■ Some organisms have a drastic
change in their appearance as
they grow like caterpillars and
tadpoles. 
■ In some cases, the changes are
gradual and slow.
■ Plants grow from seeds into
seedlings and then an adult plant.
Has anyone planted something?
Respiration

We need oxygen to stay alive. Plants and animals use oxygen in the air to turn the food they
eat into energy.
■ Animals take in oxygen by inhaling and take out carbon dioxide by exhaling. Plants
cannot breathe like animals but the same exchange of gases takes place through their
leaves. This is called respiration.
Excretion
■ The process through which
plants and animals remove the
waste material from their
bodies is called excretion. 
■ If allowed to build up, this
waste is harmful for us.
■ Animals excrete out waste by
using our skin, lungs, and
kidneys. 
■ Plants have tiny pores on the
surface of their leaves to help
in releasing waste gases. 
Nutrition

It is the process by which living

things get or make food. While
plants make their own food,
animals get it by feeding on plants
or other animals.
Plants use energy from the sun to
convert carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere into sugars and their
roots absorb water and nutrients
from the soil.
This function is essential for all
other functions!