Have you ever stopped to think how similar you are to a plant or a flower?
Now, that may sound a funny question, but plants, just like people, are living things and, in many ways, all living things are alike.
The trouble is when you think about plants doing the things that living things are meant to do, it all seems a bit odd - like plants having babies, or eating, or even moving.
I mean, they look pretty rooted to me.
When we say plants are "living things", what do we mean?
To find out, I'm visiting one of the greatest collections of plants in the world, all gathered in the Palm House at Kew Gardens.
The Palm House is like a massive greenhouse.
It's bathed in sunlight and it's just full of exotic plants, all growing close together.
Actually the fact that plants grow is pretty important.
Because if something grows, it shows that you're dealing with a living thing and for things that grow, you can't do better than these - tropical bamboos.
They're really tough, so tough that in some parts of the world they use them to build with.
But what's really amazing about these bamboos is how fast they can grow - sometimes as much as a metre every single day.
The next thing I wanted to find out was how a plant moves.
Because moving, like growing, is something done by ALL living things.
It didn't take long to find what I was looking for. This plant moves by closing its leaves when you touch it.
In fact, although plants are rooted to the ground they're moving all the time.
It just takes a special camera to see it.
Alright, so that's growing and moving.
Next on my list, reproduction – In other words the way living things have babies or young of some kind.
Come and take a look at this!
This is a cocoa plant.
Can you see that orange pod hanging off the trunk?
It's packed with seeds.
When it splits open, new cocoa plants will be created.
You can see on the trunk.
These tiny little white bits, these are new seed pods springing into life.
Actually, as far as I am concerned the more cocoa plants there are in the world the better - because cocoa is what chocolate's made from.
Video summary
Plants are alive. They grow, eat, move and reproduce.
We visit Kew Gardens to examine the evidence that plants are living things.
This short film comes from the BBC series, KS1 Science Clips.
Teacher Notes
- This clip could be used to explore the concept that plants are living things.
- Ask the children to explain in their own words how they know that they themselves are living things. Suggestions might be eating, breathing, growing and moving.-Before watching the clip, ask the question 'do you think plants are living things? Can they write a list of examples to support their thinking?
- The clip highlights growing, moving and reproducing. Ask the children to look back at their list of life processes and highlight any not mentioned in the clip; for example, do they think plants breathe?
This short film is relevant for teaching Science at KS1 in England and Wales, Foundation and KS1 in Northern Ireland and Early level and first level in Scotland.
What do plants need to grow? video
An animation showing the conditions a plant needs for growth.
The life cycle of a plant. video
An animation illustrating the different stages in plant development.
The life cycle and inhabitants of an oak tree. video
Watch the oak tree change through the seasons. Acorns falling from the oak tree are often eaten by squirrels or buried to eat over the winter.
The life cycle of a dandelion. video
A look at the life cycle of a dandelion including wind-aided seed dispersal.
