Unit 2

Life Around Us

About the Unit

Nature is home to a variety of plants, This unit highlights the connection
animals, birds and insects, each between nature and culture,
playing an important role in our world. showing how traditional practices
Through observation and hands-on are associated with different aspects
activities, students will explore the of nature. From studying plants and
unique features of different plants animals to discovering tribal art,
and animals, understand their and medicinal plants, students will
interdependence, and develop a deep engage in meaningful experiences that
appreciation for the environment. promote conservation and sustainable
Through observation and experience, living. Interactive activities, including
students will imbibe the spirit of festivals and games, will help students
‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ — the recognise the harmony in nature and
world as one family. their role in protecting it.

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Note to the Teacher
This unit consists of Chapter 3 — Nature Trail
and Chapter 4 — Growing up with Nature. The
key concepts covered in these chapters are
listed below.

Chapter 3 Teacher to Facilitate

• ‘Nature Trail’ guides students to explore • Teacher and students will
the variety of plants and animals around collect various samples
from nature, such as
them, and study their unique features.
leaves, seeds, flowers, etc.,
It shows how all animals and plants are and may use in various
deeply connected to each other. Students activities.
will observe the birds, leaves and animals,
• Arrange nature walks,
and play the ‘web of life’ game to understand role-plays and ‘web of
the interdependence in nature and society. life’ games, and prepare
A variety of engaging activities and safety observation sheets
lessons help them appreciate, and care for for students to record
the natural world. footprints, movements of
birds and plant details.
Chapter 4: • Provide materials for leaf
tracing, natural dye making
• ‘Growing up with Nature’ portrays how and traditional house
nature and culture are deeply connected models, and guide students
in our daily lives — from the food we eat in food-picking activities
to the traditions we follow. Students will and nature-inspired crafts.
discover some unique features of trees, • Organise visits to nature
flowers, tribal art and medicinal plants, parks, farms or plant
while learning about the ways and means nurseries, or invite experts
of sustainable living. They will also learn from community or farmers
to interact with students
the medicinal values of different plants about nature conservation
through some engaging activities and safety and traditional practices.
lessons that will help them appreciate, and
protect their environment.

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3 Nature Trail

Have you ever seen a banyan tree with its hanging

roots touching the ground?
A coloured bird diving into the water?
A spider weaving its web?
Butterflies flying around a flower?

Nature is full of amazing animals and plants. Let

us explore more about them!

The Adventure Begins

The students along with their teacher got ready for
a nature trail at Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh.

Note to the Teacher

Encourage students to locate Madhya Pradesh on the Map of
India.

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As they reached the forest entrance, the students
got excited to see a lot of tall trees and chirping birds.
Abha : Welcome to Pachmarhi!
Teacher : This is Abha Didi, a nature scientist
who studies plants and animals. She
will guide us in exploring the forest.
Students: Abha Didi, will we see monkeys, deer,
snakes, eagles and tigers on the way?
Abha : That is what we have to find out! We must
also make sure that we do not harm the
plants and animals in the forest.

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1. Can you think of rules that should be followed while
you are in a zoo or a forest?
For example,
(a) We should not feed birds.
(b) ………………………………
(c) ………………………………
(d) ………………………………

Now, look at the safety rules given below and

match them with your list. Have you missed out any
of the rules given?

Safety Rules

DOs and DON’Ts

1. Please be careful in a new place.

2. Please do not tease animals.
3. Please do not feed animals.
4. Please do not damage trees, and flowers.
5. Please do not bring pets, firearms, or any kind of weapons.
6. Please do not bring polythene bags.
7. Please do not damage public utilities.
8. Please do not throw any garbage in the forest.

Why are these rules important to be followed?

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The students hopped onto the jeeps. As they
entered the forest, they saw a variety of plants and
animals.

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1
Animals in the Forest
• Look closely at the picture and identify the animals.
You may take help from your teacher.
• Divide them into two categories:
1. Animals on land:

2. Birds in the sky:

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Name some animals including the birds that you have seen.
Write any one feature of each of them.

Name of the
Feature
animal
Elephant Long trunk to take food and water
Sparrow Short and strong beak to crack seeds

Indian Giant Squirrel is a big, red-coloured

squirrel found in Pachmarhi and some other places.

Compare its features with the squirrels you see in your area.
________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________

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Do you know?
The Spectacled Monkey is the
state animal of Tripura. The
white patches around its eyes
make it look like it is wearing
spectacles.

The next stop for the jeeps was near a pond where
students were excited to see more animals.

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Look at the bisons! They look like buffaloes, but
they are stronger with shorter horns.
Arya : I wonder which other animals come here
to drink water. Look at these footprints in
the mud. Which animal might had left
these marks?
Sarthak : Hmm… maybe
a deer or a tiger?
Or, a rabbit? I
see one rabbit
munching on
grass over there!

Note to the Teacher

Discuss with students the difference between animals which look
similar, like pigeon and dove, crocodile and alligator, and others.

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2
1. Look at the footprints and guess the name of the
animals that you think must have come to the pond
to drink water.

2. Observe and draw the footprint of any animal in the

space given here.

Sarthak wanted to know about a bird. It had a

long tail and a large curved beak, sitting on a tree
nearby.
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Abha : That is a hornbill. It has a headgear growing
out of its forehead like a horn, hence it is
called hornbill. Some birds, like peacock, are
colourful; while others like owls have sharp
eyesight that helps them to see at night.

Name the birds shown below.

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3

Take different food items like

grains, berries, fruits, nuts, etc.,
in a plate. Try to pick these food
items using a spoon, a toothpick
or a pair of sticks. Fill the table
below with appropriate tool(s)
for picking each of these food
items.

Food item Appropriate tool(s)

Grains
Berries

Nuts

Pieces of fruits

It is interesting to know that birds have beaks

and claws which help them in eating and other
activities. An eagle has a sharp, curved beak and
sharp claws to catch its prey; while a sunbird has
a long beak to drink nectar from flowers. We can
guess the eating habits of a bird by observing its
beak and claws.

Note to the Teacher

You can use locally available food items and tools to relate the
shapes of different types of beaks of the birds, for example tongs
or pliers resemble beak of sparrow.

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Different birds have different beaks, claws, and
varying food habits.

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4
1. Bird Diary

(a) Go near a tree.

(b) Close your eyes and listen to the sounds of different
birds.
(c) Now open your eyes and focus on one bird at a time.
(d) Observe how it moves, what it eats, and where it
sits.
(e) Write your observations in a Bird Diary!

For each bird, note the following:

Name Date

My Bird Diary
Appearance
Head colour:_________________________

Back colour: _________________________

Wing colours:_________________________
Interesting Facts
Beak shape:___________________________

Throat colour:_______________________

Colour of legs:_______________________

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2. List the animals which live in and around water bodies.
Fill in the table given below.

Name of the animal Movements

Fish Swims
Crab Walks

Frog Jumps

Turtle

Crocodile

Snakes

Animals which live in water have special features

to help them survive. Fish have fins to swim. The
gharial, a type of crocodile, has a long, narrow, and
pointed snout to catch fish. Turtles have strong
shells to keep them safe and webbed feet to help
them swim easily. Frogs can live both on land and
in water.

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Tiny Animals
A grasshopper suddenly hopped out from the grass.
Everyone was amused.
Arya : This is an insect. It has three pairs of legs, one
pair of antennae to sense its surroundings.
Insects also sometimes have two pairs of
wings, as in the case of flies, grasshoppers,
etc.
Abha : Like the grasshopper, you will find many
insects in the forest such as ants, beetles,
bees, flies, praying mantises, butterflies, etc.

1. What are the insects that you find at your home and in
your surroundings?

2. Name the insects shown below.

a c
b d

e f g

(a) (b) (c) (d)

(e) (f ) (g)

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There is a wonderful diversity of animals in the
forest, each one having its unique features.

5
1. During the visit to the nature trail, students
collected leaves from different plants. Help them
identify the plants based on the pictures of the
leaves given below.

(a) (b) (c) (d)

(e) (f ) (g)

2. Observe the leaves of different plants in your

neighbourhood and fill the table.
Draw and Any other
Colour Shape Texture
name the leaf observation
Green Oval Smooth Strong smell

Lemon
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Draw and Any other
Colour Shape Texture
name the leaf observation

Apart from different colours, textures, and

shapes, did you observe that the leaves also have
different types of lines on them? These lines are
called veins. The images given below show two
different types of arrangement of veins.

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6
Leaf Autograph
Place a leaf on a notebook with the
rough, vein-side facing up. Cover it
with a plain sheet of paper. Rub a
crayon over the paper, and watch the
leaf’s shape appear like magic! Try
this with different leaves and see how
each one has its own unique pattern.
Name the plant or tree to which the
leaf belongs.

Let us Play the Game ‘Web of Life’

Have you ever wondered how all living beings are
connected? Let us find out by playing a game! You
just have to imagine you are a part of nature — maybe
a tree, a bird, or even the Sun.

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Note to the Teacher
Help the students understand and discuss the role they play in the
game, and help them find the connections and interdependence
with each other in nature.

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How to play?
1. Each player gets a card with the name of a plant,
animal, or natural element.
2. One player starts by holding a ball of yarn and think
about their connection to other player with similar
cards.
3. For example, a tree provides food for a bird or a river
supports a fish, the yarn is passed to that player
while the first player still holds onto its thread.
4. The web keeps growing as more connections are
made.
5. Now, what if one part of the web disappears? Try
removing a player, like a missing deer for a tiger or
plants for animals.
6. Watch how the web weakens or collapses. It shows
how everything in nature is connected!

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1. Which animal would you love to be? What special
abilities would it give you?

2. How do you think different plants and animals are

dependent on each other?

3. What is the role of a nature scientist?

4. Solve the puzzle.

Find the treasures of the forest.

T I G E R U W E B H F
Q S P A R R O W S O O
E G R E T Q W A B R O
J A B A N Y A N I N T
E L E P H A N T S B P
D E E R P G W E O I R
P E Z P A L N C N L I
U S N A K E O T R L N
S Q U I R R E L Z A T
K I N G F I S H E R B

5. Take on the challenge

Plan a nature walk with your family or friends in a nearby
park. To prepare yourself as a guide, identify few plants
and animals, and study their features and interesting facts
which you can explain during the walk.

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6. Do an activity
Role-play: Create a scene of a forest in your classroom
where students can perform roles of plants and animals,
and of visitors. While enacting the play, focus on our role to
protect animals and plants.
7. Let us make a paper turtle! Try using an old newspaper
or used paper.

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

8. Find out
Write the name of your state animal, bird, and plant.

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