Characteristics of living things (MRS NERG) micro-lesson

Sian Hobson

Animals Including Humans Micro-Course for Kids

Science

Do you struggle with balancing your kids’ screen time with their education? Say hello to 1Question, the app that solves this problem with a fun twist! Our app lets your child earn screen time minutes in their favourite apps by watching educational videos and correctly answering quiz questions. And the best part? You get to decide which apps to lock behind learning using 1Question.

Learning time

Kids learn by watching short, engaging video lessons.

Did you know that living things are called organisms? There's a special way that we can remember the characteristics of living things, a special pneumonic called MRS NERG. M stands for movement. All living things move. Animals and humans move their bodies to get from place to place, whereas plants grow and move towards the light. R stands for respiration. All of living things respire using the oxygen in the air to turn the food that they eat into energy. S stands for sensitivity. All living things can detect changes to their environment. N stands for nutrition. All living things need nutrition. They need to take energy from the food that they eat and green plants get that energy making food using the sunlight. E stands for excretion. All waster products need to be removed from the body. Plants and animals need to get rid of excess gas and water. R stands for reproduction. All living things reproduce. Animals have young and produce their babies, whereas plants produce seeds, which in turn make other plants. G, finally, stands for growth. All living things grow. Animals turn from babies to adults, whereas plants again reproduce and grow throughout their life cycle. Now you know the characteristics of living things, see if you can use Mrs Nerg to help you remember them.

Answer time

Kids earn more screen time by answering fun educational questions.

Here are some example of questions about this video that kids may be asked in the 1Question app to earn screen time.

What does the 'E' in MRS NERG stand for?

1) Excretion - Waste products must be removed.

2) Exercise - All living things need exercise.

3) Eating - All living things need to eat.

4) Energy- All living things need energy to do things.
What is the name given to living things?

1) Organisms

2) Humans

3) Animals

4) Beings
What does the 'M' in MRS NERG stand for ?

1) Movement - All living things move.

2) Muscles - All living things must have muscles.

3) Meat - All living things must eat meat.

4) Making energy - All living things must be able to make their own energy.
What does the 'N' in MRS NERG stand for?

1) Nutrition - All living things need nutrition

2) Nuts - All living things must eat nuts.

3) Neck - All living things must have a neck.

4) Neutrons - All living things must be made up of Neutrons.
What does the 'S' in MRS NERG stand for ?

1) Sensitivity - All living things are sensitive to changes in their environment.

2) Sun - All living things must have access to sun.

3) Sight - All living things must have a good sense of sight.

4) Seeds - All living things grow from seeds.