Life and living things worksheets
What do fossils tell us about the past?
A fossil is the remains or the impression of a prehistoric animal which has been left embedded in rock. Fossils can tell us lots of things about the past. Have a look at this image and see if you can answer the following questions.
Vertebrate or invertebrate?
Can you identify which of these are vertebrate and which are invertebrates?
Understanding puberty
In order to be able to have children, our bodies need to go through changes. Puberty is a big change that occurs in girls and boys roughly between the ages of 11 and 14. Read this text a few times. Now cover it over and see if you can remember four changes for girls and four changes for boys
Thinking about seed dispersal
When a plant drops seeds, the seeds need to be spread as widely as possible, so that each one has a good chance of growing into a new plant. Look at each of these plants. How are their seeds dispersed?
The life cycle of an owl
Can you cut out these cards and arrange them in the correct order on the life cycles frame?
The life cycle of a sunflower
Can you cut out these cards and arrange them in the correct order on the life cycles frame?
The life cycle of a bee
Can you cut out these cards and arrange them in the correct order on the life cycles frame on the next page?
The human life cycle
Can you cut out these cards and arrange them in the correct order on the life cycles frame?
The effects of exercise on the body
Can you sort these statements about the effects of exercise into the ‘True’ and ‘False’ columns below?
The effects of a healthy diet
Eating a balanced diet is important for maintaining good health. This food pyramid shows us how much we should have of each food group every day. Why do you think we need these different food groups? Can you do some research into the nutrients each group gives us.
The dangers of cigarettes and alcohol
Smoking and drinking alcohol are not illegal, but cigarettes and too much alcohol are very bad for your health. Can you match these smoking-related words to their definitions below?
Similarities in families
When we have children, we pass on our genes to them. This is why you may look like your mum or dad, or you may be good at something (or not good at something!), just like them. Draw portraits of yourself, your mum and your dad. Do you share any physical characteristics? Can you give examples of how you are similar to your parents in behaviour or ability?
Researching vertebrates
Vertebrates can be divided into five groups. Can you research each group and give examples of animals in that group?
Researching life cycles
Think of an animal or plant you are particularly interested in. Can you research their life cycle? Draw or print out some pictures to make your life cycle clearer.
Researching invertebrates
All of these animals are invertebrates (they have no backbone). Can you do some research on them to find out how their bodies are structured, what they eat and what habitat they live in?
Research the life of Jane Goodall
Jane Goodall is a world-famous primatologist who has made lots of important scientific discoveries about chimpanzees and how they behave. Can you do some research and find the answers to these questions about her life?
Research Mary Anning
Mary Anning was born in 1799. She is famous because of her fossil discoveries and the important contribution they made to the scientific study of prehistoric life. See if you can find the answers to these questions by researching her life on the internet or in your library.
Prehistory timeline
Did you know that dinosaurs lived on Earth for roughly 200 million years, whereas we humans have only existed for 200,000 years?! Look at this timeline. Can you do some research on the kinds of dinosaurs that were around during the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods? Find out what our planet was like then and what other animals were around.
Pregnancy in humans
This table shows what happens in the different stages of pregnancy. Some of the boxes are blank. Can you fill in what happens at these stages by researching it in library books or on the internet?
Ordering months and talking about seasons
Can you order the months of the year? Cut out all the months and stick them on a piece of paper in order. Now, see if you can put them into the right seasons.