Living and inanimate nature
The ability to distinguish between living and non-living nature is consideredthe most difficult in the course of natural history in junior classes. Indeed, it is difficult for a child to understand why an object that does not move and does not breathe must be attributed to nature. To explain this is unlikely to help a dry definition from the textbook, so teachers need to resort to other methods and give examples of these concepts from life.
What is nature?
To begin with, children in grade 2 need to be explained,what is nature in principle. According to the definition, these are all objects and living beings of the surrounding world that were not created by the hands of man. Here you can include animals, insects, and even sand on the beach and the air around us.
But objects of living nature can not existwithout inanimate. In fact, for them, this is the habitat. For example, fish (live) live in water (inanimate). If there was no pond, the fish would not be able to exist.
The main differences between animate and inanimate nature with examples
It may be difficult for students to understand how to distinguishthese objects, so it's better to tell them by what signs they can be recognized. But it is better not to go into a detailed description of biology or physics. Limit yourself as simple as possible descriptions and examples.
Objects of living nature are like people. They breathe, grow, develop and die. These include: animals, birds, fish, insects, bacteria and plants. They all go through certain stages of development and die at the end of the life cycle.
Inanimate nature does not change, or changes, butso slowly that it is not noticeable to the eye. This includes mountains, soil, stones, air, water and even the Sun and the Moon in the sky. They absolutely do not need any additional conditions for existence. An example of this can serve as uninhabited islands, on which there is nothing but stones and water. A person in such conditions would be very difficult to survive, but they can exist without the intervention of people or other living beings.
Another important difference is the complexitydevice. Plants and animals breathe, move, multiply and die. Here the child can face some difficulties. For example, if you push an animal or a person, it will run away or attack. If this is done with a stone it will simply move due to the force of the push. But you can push and plant, which also will not resist the movement. Therefore, considering an object to live or inanimate nature, it is necessary to take into account all factors.
Assertions of the concept of nature
To help children understand this complex topic, invite them to look at different pictures. Try to see that there were both natural objects and objects created by human hands.
To begin with, ask the children to groupimages on the principle of origin. So, you have two columns with pictures. Some are objects created by a person (a bicycle, a plate, a house, clothes, etc.). The second - nature (wood, cat, sun, cloud, lake, grasshopper, mountain).
Now invite the children to divide them into twogroups: a living and inanimate nature. If this causes difficulties, remind them of the signs that these objects are different from. And remember, classes with children of primary school age should always take place in a game form. So the information is better absorbed and remembered for a long time.
