Natural Resources
Background Information & Activities

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Natural resources are something of value people get from the environment, such as air, water, plants, animals, rocks, and minerals. We depend on natural resources to survive and nearly everything we use involves natural resources in some way. Help your children understand how people's need for natural resources and their activities impact the environment. Encourage your children to practice ecologically conscious habits that help conserve natural resources.

Remind your children that air, water, and sunlight are natural resources that nearly all living things need to survive. Brainstorm different natural resources together, such as soil, land, plants, and animals. Some resources are renewable, which means they can be replaced or grown back. For example, many crops are renewable natural resources. After they are harvested, more seeds can be planted and grown. Other resources, however, are non-renewable. They cannot be replaced or take a very, very long time to be replaced or grow back. Fossil fuels such as oil and coal are non-renewable natural resources. Explain to your children that fossil fuels are formed in the earth from the remains of plants and animals. It takes millions and millions of years for fossil fuels to form, so they are non-renewable natural resources.

Brainstorm different ways people use natural resources with your children. We use plants for food and many other uses. We use trees to make paper products, but we also harvest wood for building materials and to make furniture. We use animals like cattle for food and dairy products, but we also rely on them for leather. We use rocks and minerals to make a variety of materials, including glass, metal, and ceramics. We convert fossil fuels into energy to power and heat our homes and fuel modes of transportation, including planes, buses, boats, and cars. We also use petroleum, a fossil fuel, to make a variety of materials, including plastics.

Help your children understand that people are using up natural resources faster than they can be replaced. For example, forests are being cut down in order to supply our demand for wood and land. Our dependence on natural resources is creating many problems in the environment, including loss of habitat for plants and animals and pollution. Collecting and burning fossil fuels for energy can damage the environment, polluting air, water, and land.

Natural resources take time to replace, so it is important that we use them wisely. Brainstorm different ways people can conserve natural resources. We can conserve water by taking shorter showers, turning off faucets when we do not need running water, and fixing leaky pipes. We can recycle glass, metal, paper, and plastic to conserve and protect out natural resources. We can reduce the amount of fossil fuels we use by turning off lights and appliances when we do not need them, using public transportation and carpooling, and riding bikes instead of driving to cut down on emissions and save fossil fuels. Encourage your children to come up with more ways to conserve our natural resources. We recommend watching the Reduce, Reuse, Recycle movie to reinforce ideas and concepts.

Teach your children about ways people use alternative sources of energy. Solar power and wind energy come from sustainable, renewable natural resources. Many homes, buildings, and even appliances use solar energy. Some vehicles run on biodiesel, a fuel that is made from plants. These alternative sources can create less pollution than burning fossil fuels. Together research other renewable sources of energy.

We depend on natural resources to live, and it's important that we conserve them. Help build your children's awareness of how their actions and choices affect the environment. Instill ecologically conscious habits and encourage them to find new ways to help protect natural resources.

Natural Resources Teacher Activities – Click Here!

Natural Resources Family Activities – Click Here!

Natural Resources Teacher Activities

© 1999-2010 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.

R, R, R

Find ways in the classroom to reduce, reuse, and recycle. Brainstorm different ideas together and have students take notes or guidebooks to distribute to fellow students and family members. You can find ways to reduce waste and reuse materials to conserve natural resources. If possible, start a recycling drive and challenge students to see how much they can recycle. Nearly everything we use can be reduce, reused, or recycled!

What Comes from Trees?

Challenge your students to figure out what comes from trees. The answers will startle them! Encourage them to do research on the Internet or at the library to learn different ways we use trees, an important natural resource. Trees provide us with many things, including fresh air, so it's important to conserve them. If possible, plant trees in your school campus or in the community.

Natural Resources Family Activities

© 1999-2010 BrainPOP. All rights reserved.

Energy Saver

Remind your child that people convert fossil fuels into electricity or natural gas to power and heat homes. Fossil fuels, however, are non-renewable resources so it's important to conserve them as much as possible. Find ways to cut down on your energy use. Together unplug appliances that you do not use often. Unplugged appliances still use energy! If possible ride a bike or take public transportation instead of driving. Even cutting down one car trip will conserve fossil fuels and save money.

One Hundred Ways

Cut down on waste using reusable item. Together find an item in your home that you can reuse instead of throwing it away. Then brainstorm ways you can reuse the items. For example, a chipped cup can be used as a container for pens and pencils, a flower pot, a mixing receptacle for paint, a rain gauge, etc. Encourage your child to be creative!