Alive
Contents
Key Stage 1
Meaning
Living things are things that are alive.
About Living Things
Living things can all grow, take in food and water, move, sense changes to the world around them, get rid of waste and make new living things.
Examples
Trees are living things. | Flies a living things. | Mushrooms are living things. |
Be Careful!
- Fire is not a living thing. You can start a fire without another fire but living things always need other living things to make them. Also fires can spread and they can go out, but they do not grow.
- Plants can move. For example their flowers and leaves can turn to face The Sun.
Key Stage 2
Meaning
Anything which can move, respond, sense, grow, reproduce, excrete and get nutrition (food) is considered to be a living creature.
- Adjective: Alive
MRS GREN
If something is Alive is must be able to:
- Move - To change direction.
- Respire - Get energy from food.
- Sense - To be able to respond to changes in the environment.
- Grow - To get bigger.
- Reproduce - To make copies of itself.
- Excrete - To get rid of waste products.
- Nutrition - To take in new materials for growth and repair.
Key Stage 3
Meaning
Something is considered to be alive if it follows all 7 criteria for living creatures: MRS GREN.
About being Alive
- All living creatures are made of tiny parts called cells.
- These cells follow the criteria of MRS GREN.
MRS GREN
- MRS GREN stands for:
- Movement - All living creatures can change direction when moving.
- Respiration - All living creatures can get energy from food.
- Sensitivity - All living creatures can respond to changes in the environment.
- Growth - All living creatures can get bigger by taking on new material.
- Reproduction - All living creatures can make copies of themselves.
- Excretion - All living creatures can get rid of waste materials.
- Nutrition - All living creatures can take on new materials for movement, growth and repair.