3rd Class

Living and Non-living Things    

Things around us can be divided into two categories man- made things Natural things

 

The things which are made by man are called man-made things. Television, chair aeroplane, etc., examples of man-made things.

 

The things which occur in the nature ar natural things. Trees, sun, animals rocks, etc., are examples of natural things.

 

Natural things are again divided into two categories: living things and non-living things.

 

The things which have life in them are called living things. Animals, people, trees are living things.

 

The things which do not have life in them are called non-living things. Rocks, clouds water, etc., are some examples of non-livings things.

 

Feature of livings things:

  (a) Living things move: Animals move from one place to another. more...

Animals and Plants    

Both plants and animals are living things. But they are different from each other in many ways.

 

The following are the differences between plants and animals.

  (a)        Movement Animals move from one place to another. Human beings move from one place to another, birds fly and fish swim. But plants are fixed to the ground. Plants cannot move from one place to another place like animals. However, plants show movements.   (b)        Food Habits Animals have different food habits. Some animals depend completely on plants and eat them. Such animals are called herbivores or plant-eating animals, e.g., Goat, Cow. Some animals like tiger and lion eat other animals. They are called carnivores or animals that feed on other animals.   Some animals eat both plants and other more...

Animals (Their Food and Home)    

Animals are living things. They need food to grow and to build their bodies.

 

Plants make their own food but animals cannot make their own food. Some animals like cows, horses, goats and sheep eat grass and other plants. They are called herbivores.

 

Some animals like frogs, dogs, cats, lions and tigers eat the flesh of those animals which eat plants. Such animals are called carnivores.

 

Some animals like bear and human beings eat both plants and other animals. Such animals are called omnivores.

 

Food chains are diagrams showing the eating habits of various animals. Food chains always start with plants since they are the producers of food.

In the above food chain grass produces food. It more...

Birds      

Birds are the most beautiful animals on earth. Most of them can fly.

 

The body of a bird is made of a strong framework of bones. These bones are hollow and filled with air. Its body is light but strong. It is boat-shaped and so it is able to fly in the air easily.

 

A bird has wings in place of arms. These wings have feathers which help it to fly.

 

Birds have strong muscles which move the wings up and down. These muscles attach the wings to the breast bone and are called flight muscles.

 

A bird's body is covered with feathers. Some of the feathers cover the body and keep it warm. These feathers are called down feathers.

more...

Beaks and Claws of Birds      

Birds have no teeth but they all have beaks and claws. Different kinds of birds have diffeffent kinds of beaks and claws. Beaks and claws tell us a lot about birds.

 

Beaks help the birds to pick up their food and also to protect themselves from the enemies. Claws help in catching, holding and eating food. They protect the birds from their enemies. They help the birds in walking, in swimming, in climbing and perching.

 

Short, hard and horny beaks can be found in sparrows, pigeons, peacocks and finches which eat nuts, grains and seeds. They break their food into small pieces with their beaks and they also use them to drive away other birds.

 

Parrots have hooked beaks. more...

Birds and Their Nests    

Many birds build nests. Different birds build different types of nests in different places with different types of materials.

 

In our India, birds mostly build their nests in the months of February and March before the summer and rains.

 

Birds build nests to lay, Tiatch eggs and reproduce young ones. They build nests to protect the young babies from heat, light, cold and rain.

 

Birds usually build their nests where enemies cannot harm them and where they can easily get their food.

 

Most birds build their nests on trees, in broken walls, old buildings, ventilators, etc.

 

Birds use grass, feathers, twigs, paper, old clothes, grass, cotton, wool, small leaves, etc., to build their nests.

 

Sparrow and pigeon make their nests on branches of trees, more...

Plant Life    

Plants are living things. They need air, water, minerals and light to prepare food and grow.

 

A plant consists of two main parts: root system and shoot system.

 

The part of the plant which remains under the ground is called root and the part which remains above the ground is called shoot.

 

Usually roots are of two types: fibrous roots and tap roots.

 

When a number of roots grow from the end of the stem, it is called fibrous root. Plants like onion, grass, wheat and rice have fibrous roots.

 

When a long main root grows from the end of the stem and many small side roots grow from the main root, it is called a tap root, e.g., bean, balsam, more...

Soil    

Soil is formed by the breaking up of rocks. By the action of sun, wind and rains rocks are broken down into small pieces. The acids produced by the roots of plants also help to break down the rocks. These pieces of rocks are carried to other places by running water and strong winds.

 

Different places have different types of soil. The type of soil depends upon the kind of rock from which it is formed. Soils differ in the size of the grains and different constituents present in it.

 

Most of the soils contain coarse particles of gravel, small pieces of stones, sand particles clay, moisture and humus. Humus is made up of rotten leaves and decayed bodies of plants and animals. Humus is more...

Air and Water  

Air and water are necessary for our living. Without them all plants and animals would die.

 

Our earth is surrounded by a layer of air called atmosphere. Atmosphere contains oxygen. Oxygen helps to burn the food in our body and give energy.

 

As we go higher from the earth, air decreases. On the mountains, the air is thinner.

 

We all need water. We use water for drinking, bathing, cooking, washing our clothes, etc. Plants and animals too need water. Without water all the living things would die.

 

The water we see is in liquid form. It can be poured into a vessel. Water takes the shape of the vessel it is in. It has no fixed shape.

 

We cannot see or feel the water in the air more...

Weather  

Weather changes all the time, from day to day and from month to month. Weather depends upon the Sun, clouds, wind and rain.

 

The Sun gives us heat and light which make our days warm. Sun is very hot in the afternoon because the rays fall directly on us. In the mornings and evenings it is not very warm because we get slanting rays from the sun. In the nights, no heat or light comes from the sun. Therefore, days are hot and nights are cool. And also days are hotter in summer but cooler in winter.

 

Cloudy days are cooler than sunny days because clouds obstruct the Sun's rays. Cloudy nights are warmer than the clear nights because clouds do not allow the heat of the Earth to escape.

 

Clouds more...