Living vs.

Nonliving Activity (exploring

distinguishing characteristics; lesson plan)
By: Amanda Noble-Gresty

This activity is ideal for young children (4 to 6 years old) in

Kindergarten as it can be linked to, The Kindergarten
Program, 2016 (in Ontario). This activity aims to introduce
two concepts, “living” and “nonliving”, in an age-appropriate
way, using an inquiry-based approach. This activity should
help the educator/educators understand a child or children’s
prior knowledge. It also facilitates the co-creation of an
anchor chart that can be displayed in the classroom for
children to reference (highlighting the distinguishing
characteristics of living things and nonliving things).
According to The Kindergarten Program (2016), “Children are
competent and capable, and their learning is enhanced when
their voice is included and when they are engaged with
educators in co-constructing their learning environment (see
above)” (p. 33).

Materials:
- 2 hula hoops
- teddy bear
- picture of a living bear
- note cards
- writing materials

Steps:
1. Ask students to sit in a circle (on the carpet).
2. Lay the hula hoops down in the middle of the circle
(make a Venn Diagram).
3. Place the teddy bear above one hula hoop and the
picture of the living bear above the other hula hoop.
4. Ask students to consider both the teddy bear and the
living bear and to come up with similarities and
differences between the two. (Pass the teddy bear
around so that students can touch it, etc. You should
 also find out who has seen a living bear before. This
activity will be difficult for children who have no prior
knowledge of living bears, in which case you may want
to have a short video ready, if possible.)
5. Write down children’s responses on note cards and
place them appropriately within the Venn Diagram.
6. If students are not responding with distinguishing
characteristics of living things ask open-ended
questions, for example, “Why does the bear in the
picture have claws?” (Some distinguishing
characteristics of living things are; movement,
respiration, reproduction, excretion, nutrition, etc.)
7. You may ask students (at a later time) to draw pictures
to go with their responses.

Extensions:
- Take two baskets outdoors (label one “living” and the
other “nonliving”). Have children search for items that
are living and nonliving to put in the baskets.
Afterwards, discuss each item and ask children why
they put the item in the basket they did. (This is an
opportunity to highlight the distinguishing
characteristics of the living things by asking specific
questions, for example, “Does this item move?”
- If children in your class have shown interest in another
animal then use that animal instead of a teddy
bear/living bear.
- If children in your class have shown interest in bears
then an extension of this activity could be to introduce
them to Coola and Grinder, two grizzly bears who live in
a wilderness sanctuary (Grouse Mountain, Vancouver,
British Columbia). There are web cams that stream live
videos of Coola and Grinder all year round. Students
can watch the videos and draw their observations.
(https://www.grousemountain.com/wildlife-refuge)