Watch Living Things Grow and Change!

How Plants Grow

Most plants start as a seed. When a seed gets water and light, it begins to grow. This is called a sprout.

The sprout grows roots, a stem, and leaves. Then it becomes a full-grown plant!

Apple Trees and Pumpkins

An apple tree starts as a tiny seed in the soil. It grows into a big tree with branches and fruit. This shows how living things start small and change as they grow.

Pumpkins start as small yellow flowers on a vine. After the flower is pollinated, it grows into a big pumpkin. Plants change from one stage to another!

Tulip Bulbs

A tulip starts as a bulb in the ground. The bulb is like a baby tulip waiting to grow. Roots form first, then stems and leaves appear, and finally the colorful flower blooms.

The Butterfly Life Cycle

A butterfly starts its life as a tiny egg. The mother butterfly lays eggs on leaves. When the egg hatches, a caterpillar comes out and eats leaves.

The caterpillar wraps itself in a chrysalis. Inside the chrysalis, its body changes completely. Then it comes out as a beautiful butterfly with wings!

The Chicken Life Cycle

A chicken begins its life inside an egg. When the egg hatches, a baby called a chick comes out. The chick grows into an adult chicken called a hen or a rooster.

The Dragonfly Life Cycle

A dragonfly starts as a tiny egg laid near water. When the egg hatches, it becomes a nymph that lives in water. Later, the nymph grows wings and becomes an adult dragonfly.

The Ladybug Life Cycle

A ladybug starts as an egg too. When the egg hatches, a larva comes out. The larva grows and changes until it becomes an adult ladybug with spots.

Turtles Grow Too!

Baby turtles hatch from eggs and grow bigger over time. Their shells get harder and they get stronger. All living things grow and change as they get older.

Plants and animals both grow and change. Plants start as seeds and grow taller with more leaves. Animals like baby birds grow bigger and develop feathers.

Both plants and animals change in size and appearance during their life cycles. You can see these patterns all around you!

Life Cycle: A life cycle is all the stages a living thing goes through as it grows. You go through a life cycle too, from a baby to a child to an adult!

Seed: A seed is the tiny part of a plant that can grow into a new plant. You plant a seed in soil and give it water and light.

Sprout: A sprout is a tiny new plant that just started growing out of a seed. When you water a seed, it sprouts!

Bulb: A bulb is a round part that grows underground and can grow into a flower. A tulip grows from a bulb.

Egg: An egg is where many baby animals begin their life. Butterflies, chickens, dragonflies, ladybugs, and turtles all start as eggs.

Caterpillar: A caterpillar is a young butterfly that hatches from an egg. It looks like a fuzzy worm and eats lots of leaves.

Chrysalis: A chrysalis is a hard covering that a caterpillar wraps itself in. Inside the chrysalis, the caterpillar changes into a butterfly.

Chick: A chick is a baby chicken that just hatched from an egg. The chick grows into an adult chicken.

Hen: A hen is a female adult chicken. A chick grows into a hen if it is a girl chicken.

Rooster: A rooster is a male adult chicken. A chick grows into a rooster if it is a boy chicken.

Nymph: A nymph is a young dragonfly that lives in water. It grows wings and becomes an adult dragonfly.

Larva: A larva is a young insect that just hatched from an egg. A ladybug larva grows into an adult ladybug.

You can watch a plant grow by planting a bean seed in a cup of soil. Give it water and sunlight every day. Watch it sprout and grow!

You can draw the stages of a butterfly life cycle. Draw an egg, a caterpillar, a chrysalis, and a butterfly. Put arrows between each stage.

You can look for living things outside. Can you spot a seed, a sprout, or an insect? Think about what stage of its life cycle it is in.

You already know that plants and animals are living things. You know that living things need water, food, and sunlight to grow. This helps you understand life cycles!

As you learn more about life cycles, you will see how every living thing grows and changes in its own special way.

This topic is all about how living things grow and change. As you keep learning science, you will discover even more amazing things about the world around you.

You will learn more about plants, animals, and how they live in different places. Every topic you learn helps you understand nature better!