THE NEEDS OF LIVING THINGS

AND THEIR OFFSPRING

Living things (plants and animals, including humans) depend on their surroundings to get what they need, including food, water, shelter, and a favorable temperature. Plants and animals have external features that allow them to survive in a variety of environments. Young plants and animals are similar but not exactly like their parents. In many kinds of animals, parents and offspring engage in behaviors that help the offspring to survive.

1. Basic Needs & Surroundings

These activities help students identify what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive: food, water, shelter, and a favorable temperature.

Ogden Nature Center +2

Plastic Bag Greenhouse: Place a damp paper towel and bean seeds in a clear Ziploc bag and tape it to a sunny window. Students observe how the plant uses water, light, and air to grow its roots and stem.
"Need vs. Want" Sort: Use activity sheets or physical objects to help students distinguish between essential survival needs (air, water, food, shelter) and non-essential "wants" (toys, electronics).
Habitat Dioramas: Students build a model of a specific habitat (e.g., a forest or pond) and must include sources for all four basic needs for a specific animal

2. External Features & Biomimicry

Students explore how external body parts (ears, fins, roots, stems) help organisms survive and how humans can "mimic" these designs.

Finalsite +1

Adaptation Stations: Set up stations where students try different "animal tools," such as using tweezers to mimic a bird’s beak or wearing heavy gloves to understand how thick fur protects against cold.
Create a hoop glider
Oscillating Woodpecker activity
"Copy Cat" STEM Challenge: Inspired by the book Mimic Makers, students design an invention to solve a human problem using ideas from nature, such as creating a strong umbrella based on a broad leaf.

3. Parents and Offspring

These activities highlight that young plants and animals are similar but not identical to their parents and that behaviors help them survive.

Finalsite +1

"Where's My Mom?" Matching: Using pictures of adult animals and their young, students identify similarities (patterns, limb shapes) and differences (size, color).
Parent-Offspring Behavior Roleplay: Students act out or watch videos of animal behaviors that ensure survival, such as a bird feeding its chicks or a bear teaching its cub to fish.
Read aloud Stellaluna by Janell Cannon. They then create a model of a parent and offspring animal duo using craft materials.