Basic Needs

Imagine that you have been chosen to lead a mission into space.

You are going to be all alone for two weeks, while you rocket towards the Moon.

What do you need to take with you to keep yourself happy and healthy?

Think of three things that you would like to take.

But do you need these things to stay alive?

Humans and other animals need 3 things to survive:

Caring for Animals

Animals in nature have a habitat. This habitat provides them with everything they need.

This squirrel lives in a hole in an oak tree.

The oak tree gives it shelter.

The squirrel eats the acorns from the oak tree.

It drinks water from ponds and puddles.

The squirrel takes care of itself because the habitat provides everything that it needs.

When animals are cared for by humans: as a pet, on a farm or in a zoo, they are no longer in their natural habitat.

We are responsible for looking after the animals in our care, as they cannot look

after themselves.

Not only do we need to meet their basic needs, we also need to make sure that they have shelter and special care, so that they are happy and healthy.

Make a Pet

Now make your own pet: decorate a pebble, a pine cone, a toilet roll tube or a little pot. Can you make a little habitat for it, either in the house or in the garden? What will you need to give it to satisfy its basic needs? Will it need anything else to be happy and healthy?