Science Curiosity Notes Class 6 English Medium 2026-27

Science Curiosity Chapter 10. Living Creatures: Exploring their Characteristics

CBSE Notes New Syllabus: Class 6

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Chapter 10. Living Creatures: Exploring their Characteristics

Living organisms perform different life processes that help them survive, grow, and reproduce. These characteristics help us distinguish living things from non-living things.

CBSE Full Notes

Living and Non-living Things

Living Things: Living things perform life processes such as growth, respiration, reproduction, and excretion.

Non-living Things: Non-living things do not perform any life processes.

Characteristics of Living Organisms

Characteristics of Living Organisms: Living organisms show certain features that make them different from non-living things.

Main Characteristics

(i) Need food.

(ii) Grow and develop.

(iii) Respire.

(iv) Remove waste materials.

(v) Respond to stimuli.

(vi) Reproduce.

(vii) Show movement.

(viii) Have a life cycle.

Nutrition

Nutrition: Nutrition is the process by which living organisms obtain food for energy and growth.

Importance of Nutrition

(i) Provides energy.

(ii) Helps in growth.

(iii) Repairs body tissues.

(iv) Keeps the body healthy.

Examples

(i) Green plants prepare food by photosynthesis.

(ii) Animals depend on plants or other animals for food.

Growth

Growth: Growth is the permanent increase in the size and development of a living organism.

Examples

(i) A seed grows into a plant.

(ii) A baby grows into an adult.

Key Points

(i) Growth occurs naturally in living organisms.

(ii) Non-living things do not grow naturally.

Respiration

Respiration: Respiration is the process of releasing energy from food.

Respiratory Structures

Key Points

(i) Respiration provides energy.

(ii) Plants also respire.

Excretion

Excretion: Excretion is the process of removing waste materials from the body.

Examples

(i) Humans remove wastes through urine and sweat.

(ii) Plants remove excess water by transpiration.

Key Points

(i) Removes harmful waste materials.

(ii) Helps keep the body healthy.

Movement

Movement: Movement is the ability of living organisms to change their position or the position of their body parts.

Examples

(i) Birds fly in the sky.

(ii) Fish swim in water.

(iii) Sunflower turns towards sunlight.

(iv) Touch-me-not folds its leaves when touched.

Key Points

(i) Animals move from one place to another.

(ii) Plants also show movement.

Response to Stimuli

Response to Stimuli: Living organisms respond to changes in their surroundings called stimuli.

Key Points

(i) Stimuli are changes in the surroundings.

(ii) Response helps organisms survive.

Reproduction

Reproduction: Reproduction is the process by which living organisms produce young ones of their own kind.

Examples

(i) Plants produce seeds.

(ii) Birds lay eggs.

(iii) Mammals give birth to young ones.

Importance of Reproduction

(i) Ensures continuity of species.

(ii) Increases the population of organisms.

Seed Germination

Seed Germination: Seed germination is the process by which a seed grows into a young plant.

Conditions Required

Remember

(i) Sunlight is generally not needed for seed germination.

Life Cycle of a Flowering Plant

Life Cycle of a Flowering Plant: A flowering plant passes through different stages during its life.

Stages of the Life Cycle

(i) Seed

(ii) Germination

(iii) Seedling

(iv) Mature Plant

(v) Flower

(vi) Fruit

(vii) Seed

Key Points

(i) Every flowering plant starts from a seed.

(ii) The cycle repeats with the formation of new seeds.

Life Cycle of a Frog

Life Cycle of a Frog: A frog passes through different stages before becoming an adult.

Stages of the Life Cycle

(i) Egg

(ii) Tadpole

(iii) Froglet

(iv) Adult Frog

Key Points

(i) Tadpoles live in water.

(ii) Adult frogs can live on land and in water.

Life Cycle of a Mosquito

Life Cycle of a Mosquito: A mosquito undergoes complete metamorphosis during its life cycle.

Stages of the Life Cycle

(i) Egg

(ii) Larva

(iii) Pupa

(iv) Adult Mosquito

Key Points

(i) Each stage has a different body structure.

(ii) The adult mosquito develops after the pupa stage.

Importance of Studying Life Cycles

Importance of Life Cycles: Studying life cycles helps us understand the growth and development of living organisms.

Importance

(i) Helps improve crop production.

(ii) Helps control mosquito-borne diseases.

(iii) Protects biodiversity.

(iv) Supports environmental conservation.

Applications in Daily Life

Applications: The concepts of this chapter are useful in our daily life.

Examples

(i) Identifying living and non-living things.

(ii) Growing healthy plants from seeds.

(iii) Storing seeds properly.

(iv) Protecting plants and animals.

(v) Understanding the life cycles of different organisms.

Quick Revision

(i) Living organisms perform life processes.

(ii) Nutrition provides energy for growth.

(iii) Respiration releases energy from food.

(iv) Excretion removes waste materials.

(v) Living organisms respond to stimuli.

(vi) Reproduction ensures the continuity of species.

(vii) Water, air, and suitable temperature are needed for seed germination.

(viii) Plants also respire and show movement.

(ix) Every living organism has a life cycle.

(x) Frog and mosquito pass through different stages of development.

Keywords

Nutrition: Process of obtaining food.

Growth: Permanent increase in size.

Respiration: Process of releasing energy from food.

Excretion: Removal of waste materials.

Stimulus: A change in the surroundings.

Response: Reaction to a stimulus.

Reproduction: Production of young ones.

Germination: Growth of a seed into a seedling.

Life Cycle: Different stages in the life of an organism.

Metamorphosis: A major change in body form during development.