Living and Non-Living Things – Revision Worksheet for Grade 2 Science Students

This Science worksheet will provide valuable revision practice for Grade 2 students on living and non-living things.

1. Identify living and non-living things in the worksheet below. Write ‘living thing’ or ‘non-living thing’ in the spaces given below each picture.

Wayne is a student of Grade 2. As part of his science project, Wayne classified some items according to their characteristics.

2. In which group should coffee beans belong to?
a) Non-living things – once alive
b) Living things
c) Non-living things – never alive
d) None of the above

3. In which group should a stapler belong to?
a) Non-living things – once alive
b) Living things
c) Non-living things – never alive
d) None of the above

4. In which group should a fried egg belong to?
a) Non-living things – once alive
b) Living things
c) Non-living things – never alive
d) None of the above

5. The most common characteristics of living things are given in the box below. In the table below the box are given certain situations involving some things. For each situation, state whether the thing is living or non-living, by stating the relevant characteristic given in the box. Write it down.

Living things move Living things grow Living things reproduce Living things respond to changes Living things need air to breathe.

Caley picked up a snail from the soil. It recoiled into its shell.
Neil’s dog was 50 cm tall last month. It was only 10 cm tall six months ago.
Penelope’s cat gave birth to four kittens.
John kept a plant in a bottle containing some soil. He watered it and closed the bottle with its lid. Two days later the plant died.
Grass seedlings were grown on a tray by Philip.

6. Do you think plants can move in response to changes in their environment? Explain your answer with examples.

7. How can you make sure that a stone is not a living thing?

8. John’s friend said that water is a living thing because it can move from place to place. He also said that water responds to changes in the environment because if you heat water, it will turn to water vapor or steam. How can John prove that water is a non-living thing?

Answer Key and Explanations

1.

2. b) coffee beans are the seeds of the coffee plant and seeds are living things.

3. c) A stapler is made from metal. Metal is not a living thing and has never been alive.

4. a) fried egg us made from egg. Egg is a living thing.

5.

Caley picked up a snail from the soil. It recoiled into its shell.	Living things respond to changes around them. A snail is a living thing.
Neil’s dog was 50 cm tall last month. It was only 10 cm tall six months ago.	Neil’s dog grew 40 cm tall in a span of five months. Living things grow. Neil’s dog is a living thing.
Penelope’s cat gave birth to four kittens.	Living things reproduce. Penelope’s cat is a living thing.
John kept a plant in a bottle containing some soil. He watered it and closed the bottle with its lid. Two days later the plant died.	Living things need air to breathe. John closed the bottle in which he kept the plant. The plant did not get any air. So, it died. This shows that the plant is a living thing.
Grass seedlings were grown on a tray by Philip.	Grass seedlings grow. All living things grow. So, grass seedlings are living things.

6. Plants do move in response to changes in their environment. For example, sunflowers turn to the direction of the sun. Another example is the mimosa plant that folds its leaves when touched. Venus fly trap closes its trap when its sensitive hairs sense something on them; it traps insects this way.

7. Place the stone in a pot and water it every day. You can observe that no change is happening to it. This can tell us that a stone is not a living thing.

8. John can prove that water is a non-living thing by showing that water does not grow or reproduce. No matter what you do, water cannot grow into a bigger volume of water or make more water. Furthermore, water does not need air to breathe or to exist.