Life Cycles and Growing Things: Year 2 Study Guide
Living things grow, change and make new living things like themselves.
All living things go through a life cycle. They are born (or begin as a seed or egg), grow, reproduce and eventually die. Different living things have different life cycles. A kangaroo is born as a tiny joey and grows in its mother's pouch. A frog starts as an egg, becomes a tadpole and then an adult. A gum tree begins as a seed, grows into a sapling and then a tree that makes new seeds.
Offspring look similar to their parents but not exactly the same. Living things need food, water, air and a safe place to live in order to grow.
Some Australian life cycles
| Living thing | Stages | Where it lives |
|---|---|---|
| Frog | Egg → tadpole → froglet → adult | Ponds and creeks |
| Butterfly | Egg → caterpillar → chrysalis → adult | Gardens |
| Kangaroo | Joey in pouch → young kangaroo → adult | Grasslands and bush |
| Gum tree | Seed → seedling → sapling → tree | Forests |
Observing growth
Grow a bean in a clear bag with damp cotton wool and record its growth every day with a drawing and a measurement in centimetres. Look for the stages: swelling, root, shoot and leaves. Compare two beans, one in light and one in the dark, to see what plants need.
Seed in damp cotton wool.
Draw and measure.
Light vs dark.
What did the plant need?
Similar but different
Puppies look like dogs, not cats, but each puppy in a litter can look a little different, with different spots or sizes. Plants too: seeds from the same tree can grow into slightly different trees. Scientists call these inherited features and small differences.
Worked examples and common mistakes
Example: Which comes first in a frog's life: tadpole or adult? Tadpole. Example: Why do we say a life cycle 'goes around'? The adult makes eggs and the cycle starts again. Common mistakes: thinking a caterpillar and a butterfly are different animals, and thinking animals can grow without food or water. Show the real stages in pictures.
Check your understanding: model answers
1. Egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, adult butterfly. 2. Water, light, air and space. 3. It grows in its mother's pouch, drinking milk, until it is big enough to leave.
✨ Key Takeaways
- Living things have life cycles.
- Offspring are like their parents but not the same.
- Living things need food, water and air to grow.
- Observe and record growth over time.
💬 Questions for Discussion & Reflection
- Order the stages of a butterfly's life.
- What do plants need to grow?
- How does a joey grow?
Print a science observation log →