Plants and Animals Live Together worksheet

Plants and Animals: A Grade 3 Adventure

Join this exciting journey for third graders! Learn how plants and animals live together, from bugs hiding in soil to birds singing in trees. This page has fun activities and a worksheet to help you explore.

Why Animals Love Plants

Have you seen animals near plants? We’ll look at creatures like frogs on leaves, birds singing, elephants eating grass, squirrels in tree holes, ants making leaf nests, caterpillars munching leaves, butterflies on flowers, woodpeckers on trunks, moths on leaves, barbets in tree holes, colorful bugs on leaves, and worms in soil.

Which ones have you seen in your garden or park? Some, like worms, live under the ground.

Checking Out Soil

Go outside and look at the soil near a plant. Take off your shoes if you can. What color is the soil? Pick up a little with your hands: Is it dry, wet, rough, smooth, hard, or grainy? Are there leaves or bugs in it? Smell it and remember.

Try again after rain, in the same spot. Does it look, feel, or smell different? Compare it with soil from a place with no plants. How are they different?

Look closely: What tiny things do you see? Soil is made of broken rocks, old leaves, roots, stems, and living or dead bugs.

In rainy months, you see more plants and animals. They were hiding in the soil, waiting for water.

Fun Activities for Young Explorers

Soil Search

Go outside and collect soil near plants and in open areas (before and after rain if possible). Use cups to hold it. Write down its color, feel, smell, and any bugs or leaves you find. Mix with water to make nature art. Talk about why soil near plants is different (roots make it wetter).

Animal-Plant Matching Game

Make cards with animals (like frogs on leaves, squirrels in holes, caterpillars on leaves) and plant parts (leaves, fruits, holes). Match them and say why (for food or shelter). Play with a friend.

Bird Sound Circle

Sit in a circle outside. Close your eyes, listen to bird sounds, and try to copy them (like “coo” for pigeons). Cup your ears to hear better. Draw the birds and name their sounds. Talk about when you hear more birds (morning or evening) and why.

Plant Friend Journal

Choose a plant to watch. Over a week, note animals, new leaves in rainy months, and draw changes (like a caterpillar’s story). Share to make a class nature poster.

Caterpillar to Butterfly Play

Act out a caterpillar’s life with props (green paper for leaves, cloth for cocoon). Put the steps in order and explain. Make paper butterflies and talk about plants’ role.

Group Talks

In small groups, discuss how animals use plants (for food, homes). Choose favorites and draw them. Share to practice speaking.

Worksheet: Learn and Explore

Answer these based on what you see, read, or talk about. Draw where asked. Use your own ideas!

Part 1: Animals with Plants

1. Which animals from the pictures do you know? (Examples: frog, tailorbird, elephants, squirrels, ants, caterpillar, butterfly, woodpecker, moth, barbet, stink bug, earthworms)
   Example Answer: I know the frog, butterfly, ants, and earthworms.
2. Which have you seen before?
   Example Answer: I’ve seen ants, butterflies, and earthworms.
3. Which live under the ground?
   Example Answer: Earthworms live under the ground.
4. Which animals from the pictures have you seen? Where and how? Show their size with your hands.
   Example Answer: I saw ants on the ground near a tree in my garden. They’re tiny – like my fingertip. I saw a butterfly on a flower; it was as big as my hand.
5. What color is the soil under your feet?
   Example Answer: The soil is brown.
6. How does it look and feel? Is it dry, wet, rough, smooth, hard, or grainy?
   Example Answer: It looks brown and feels wet and grainy.
7. Any leaves or bugs in the soil?
   Example Answer: Yes, small leaves and ants.
8. Why do animals stay near plants?
   Example Answer: For food (like leaves or fruits), shelter (like tree holes), and to hide.

Part 2: Soil and Rainy Days

9. Check soil after rain in the same spot. Any changes in look, feel, or smell?
   Example Answer: After rain, it’s darker, wetter, softer, and smells fresh like wet earth.
10. Get soil from a place with no plants. How is it different?
    Example Answer: It’s drier, harder, with fewer bugs or leaves. It feels rougher and smells less fresh.
11. Look closely at soil. What small things do you see?
    Example Answer: Tiny stones, roots, ants, and dead leaves.
12. In rainy months, you see more plants and animals. Where did they come from? Why hidden before?
    Example Answer: Plants come from seeds in soil that grow with rain. Animals come out from soil because it’s wet. They were hidden because it was dry.
13. Near your plant friend, count animals. Describe in a table.
    Example Answer: I saw 5.
    

    Action	Place	Description
    Jumping	Grass	Small hopper (grasshopper, green, tiny)
    Still	Nearby plant	Thin vine (green, long)
    Flying	Leaves	Blue flier (dragonfly, blue, medium)
    Crawling	Leaves	Ants (black, tiny)
    Resting	Rock	Lizard (brown, small)

Part 3: Bird Sounds and Animals

14. Hear any bird sounds? Which birds make them?
    Example Answer: Yes, chirping. I saw a pigeon making “coo” sounds.
15. Cup your ears toward the sound. Is it clearer?
    Example Answer: Yes, it’s louder and clearer.
16. How many listed animals have you seen? Watch for them!
    Example Answer: I saw caterpillars, not bats or leopards.
17. Recall bird sounds, copy them, and list in a table.
    Example Answer:
    

    Sound	Bird
    Coo	Pigeon
    Chirp chirp	Sparrow
    Caw caw	Crow

18. No bird sounds? Why?
    Example Answer: Maybe it’s afternoon when birds rest, or no trees nearby.
19. More bird sounds in morning, afternoon, or evening?
    Example Answer: More in morning and evening because birds are active. Less in afternoon.

Part 4: Reflect

A. Discuss

20. What were the color and texture of your two soil samples? When did you collect them? Any smell difference?
    Example Answer: Near plants: Brown, grainy; June. Earthy smell. After rain: Dark brown, damp; July. Fresh wet smell.
21. When did new leaves appear on your plant?
    Example Answer: In rainy months, like July.
22. Which animals, birds, and bugs did you see near plants?
    Example Answer: Ants, butterflies, pigeons, caterpillars, earthworms.
23. How do animals use plants? What’s your favorite example?
    Example Answer: For food (caterpillars eat leaves), shelter (squirrels in holes), nesting (tailorbirds use leaves). I like butterflies on flowers because they’re colorful.
24. What is soil made of?
    Example Answer: Broken rocks, old leaves, roots, stems, living and dead bugs.

B. Write

List two animals seen near plants: Names / Shape, size, color / Why near plants / Other notes.

Example Answer:

Name	Shape, Size, Color	Why Near	Other Notes
Ant	Tiny, black, long body	For food, nesting	Work together
Butterfly	Medium, colorful wings (yellow/blue)	Drinks nectar	Flies gently

C. Draw

Draw your plant friend. Use colored dots to show where you saw animals, birds, or bugs.

(Imagine a plant with leaves/stem; red dots for ants, blue for butterfly, green for caterpillar.)

D. Order the Story

Put these caterpillar steps in order.

• It became a butterfly.
• It made a cocoon.
• It flew away.
• It stopped eating.
• It came out of the cocoon