Page 1
Work with
Life Forms
Part 1
Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 1 Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 1 18-03-2025 4.16.03 PM 18-03-2025 4.16.03 PM
Page 2
Work with
Life Forms
Part 1
Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 1 Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 1 18-03-2025 4.16.03 PM 18-03-2025 4.16.03 PM
2 Kaushal Bodh— Grade 7
‘Life forms’ include all living things on earth.
They include human beings, mammals,
birds, fish, plants, insects, reptiles and even
bacteria and viruses. Projects on Work with
Life Forms will help you work with living
things in different ways. You can take up
projects related to growing plants in various
ways, recording the biodiversity around
you, surveying medicinal plants, learning to
care for domestic animals, and maintaining
a nature journal. It is up to you to imagine
all that you can do in the activities with your
peers.
Two examples of projects are given in this
section, which are Plant Nursery and School
Habitat Garden. You must take up only one
project. You can either choose one of these
projects or you can design a project of your
own choice with the help of your teacher.
Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 2 Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 2 18-03-2025 4.16.03 PM 18-03-2025 4.16.03 PM
Page 3
Work with
Life Forms
Part 1
Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 1 Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 1 18-03-2025 4.16.03 PM 18-03-2025 4.16.03 PM
2 Kaushal Bodh— Grade 7
‘Life forms’ include all living things on earth.
They include human beings, mammals,
birds, fish, plants, insects, reptiles and even
bacteria and viruses. Projects on Work with
Life Forms will help you work with living
things in different ways. You can take up
projects related to growing plants in various
ways, recording the biodiversity around
you, surveying medicinal plants, learning to
care for domestic animals, and maintaining
a nature journal. It is up to you to imagine
all that you can do in the activities with your
peers.
Two examples of projects are given in this
section, which are Plant Nursery and School
Habitat Garden. You must take up only one
project. You can either choose one of these
projects or you can design a project of your
own choice with the help of your teacher.
Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 2 Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 2 18-03-2025 4.16.03 PM 18-03-2025 4.16.03 PM
School Kitchen Garden
Project 1:
Project 1
Plant Nursery
This project will help you learn how to provide conditions suitable
for the growth of plants, and the different methods of plant
propagation. You will do this while developing a plant nursery in
your school.
As part of the project, you will be able to:
Identify
conditions
necessary for
growth of plants
Design a plant
nursery
Use different
methods of plant
propagation
Observe plant
growth
Figure 1.1: Developing a plant nursery in the school
Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 3 Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 3 18-03-2025 4.16.04 PM 18-03-2025 4.16.04 PM
Page 4
Work with
Life Forms
Part 1
Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 1 Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 1 18-03-2025 4.16.03 PM 18-03-2025 4.16.03 PM
2 Kaushal Bodh— Grade 7
‘Life forms’ include all living things on earth.
They include human beings, mammals,
birds, fish, plants, insects, reptiles and even
bacteria and viruses. Projects on Work with
Life Forms will help you work with living
things in different ways. You can take up
projects related to growing plants in various
ways, recording the biodiversity around
you, surveying medicinal plants, learning to
care for domestic animals, and maintaining
a nature journal. It is up to you to imagine
all that you can do in the activities with your
peers.
Two examples of projects are given in this
section, which are Plant Nursery and School
Habitat Garden. You must take up only one
project. You can either choose one of these
projects or you can design a project of your
own choice with the help of your teacher.
Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 2 Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 2 18-03-2025 4.16.03 PM 18-03-2025 4.16.03 PM
School Kitchen Garden
Project 1:
Project 1
Plant Nursery
This project will help you learn how to provide conditions suitable
for the growth of plants, and the different methods of plant
propagation. You will do this while developing a plant nursery in
your school.
As part of the project, you will be able to:
Identify
conditions
necessary for
growth of plants
Design a plant
nursery
Use different
methods of plant
propagation
Observe plant
growth
Figure 1.1: Developing a plant nursery in the school
Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 3 Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 3 18-03-2025 4.16.04 PM 18-03-2025 4.16.04 PM
4 Kaushal Bodh— Grade 7
Plants propagate, that is, they reproduce themselves, through
various methods. Tiny seeds germinate and grow into a huge tree
or a small flowering plant. However, some plants can be grown
directly from the branches of the mother plant or tubers (e.g.
potatoes).
Like humans, plants require a suitable environment to
survive and grow. In science, you have learned that plants need
air, sunlight, nutrients, and water for their growth. These factors
are essential, but beyond them, plants also need a favourable
environment to thrive, just like we do.
Let us understand this with an example. Do you live in a
warm and humid region, a cold and dry region, or a place that
experiences different seasons? If you reside in a cold and dry
area, you might have heard people say, “It is so dry”, the dryness
can cause itchy skin and burning sensation in the nostrils. That is
why, when using a heater or bukhari, people often place a bowl of
water in the room to add moisture to the air.
But what causes humidity or dryness? As you have studied,
air contains various components, including water vapour. When
there is a high amount of water vapour in the air, the weather
feels humid, whereas a lower amount makes the air dry.
Just like too much or too little humidity affects us, it also
impacts plants, especially during their growth stages. Similarly,
extreme temperatures can be uncomfortable for humans, and
plants also require an “optimal temperature” to grow. However,
the ideal temperature varies among plants, which is why some
plants flourish only in specific seasons.
Have you observed that more plants grow near a water
stream, on the edges of ponds or near water sources (e.g., wells,
water-tap) than in dry places? This is because they get optimum
temperature, humidity, and moisture in the soil.
In the plant nursery (Figure 1.1) you will need to create these
conditions for optimum survival and growth of plants.
Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 4 Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 4 18-03-2025 4.16.04 PM 18-03-2025 4.16.04 PM
Page 5
Work with
Life Forms
Part 1
Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 1 Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 1 18-03-2025 4.16.03 PM 18-03-2025 4.16.03 PM
2 Kaushal Bodh— Grade 7
‘Life forms’ include all living things on earth.
They include human beings, mammals,
birds, fish, plants, insects, reptiles and even
bacteria and viruses. Projects on Work with
Life Forms will help you work with living
things in different ways. You can take up
projects related to growing plants in various
ways, recording the biodiversity around
you, surveying medicinal plants, learning to
care for domestic animals, and maintaining
a nature journal. It is up to you to imagine
all that you can do in the activities with your
peers.
Two examples of projects are given in this
section, which are Plant Nursery and School
Habitat Garden. You must take up only one
project. You can either choose one of these
projects or you can design a project of your
own choice with the help of your teacher.
Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 2 Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 2 18-03-2025 4.16.03 PM 18-03-2025 4.16.03 PM
School Kitchen Garden
Project 1:
Project 1
Plant Nursery
This project will help you learn how to provide conditions suitable
for the growth of plants, and the different methods of plant
propagation. You will do this while developing a plant nursery in
your school.
As part of the project, you will be able to:
Identify
conditions
necessary for
growth of plants
Design a plant
nursery
Use different
methods of plant
propagation
Observe plant
growth
Figure 1.1: Developing a plant nursery in the school
Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 3 Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 3 18-03-2025 4.16.04 PM 18-03-2025 4.16.04 PM
4 Kaushal Bodh— Grade 7
Plants propagate, that is, they reproduce themselves, through
various methods. Tiny seeds germinate and grow into a huge tree
or a small flowering plant. However, some plants can be grown
directly from the branches of the mother plant or tubers (e.g.
potatoes).
Like humans, plants require a suitable environment to
survive and grow. In science, you have learned that plants need
air, sunlight, nutrients, and water for their growth. These factors
are essential, but beyond them, plants also need a favourable
environment to thrive, just like we do.
Let us understand this with an example. Do you live in a
warm and humid region, a cold and dry region, or a place that
experiences different seasons? If you reside in a cold and dry
area, you might have heard people say, “It is so dry”, the dryness
can cause itchy skin and burning sensation in the nostrils. That is
why, when using a heater or bukhari, people often place a bowl of
water in the room to add moisture to the air.
But what causes humidity or dryness? As you have studied,
air contains various components, including water vapour. When
there is a high amount of water vapour in the air, the weather
feels humid, whereas a lower amount makes the air dry.
Just like too much or too little humidity affects us, it also
impacts plants, especially during their growth stages. Similarly,
extreme temperatures can be uncomfortable for humans, and
plants also require an “optimal temperature” to grow. However,
the ideal temperature varies among plants, which is why some
plants flourish only in specific seasons.
Have you observed that more plants grow near a water
stream, on the edges of ponds or near water sources (e.g., wells,
water-tap) than in dry places? This is because they get optimum
temperature, humidity, and moisture in the soil.
In the plant nursery (Figure 1.1) you will need to create these
conditions for optimum survival and growth of plants.
Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 4 Ch-1 Plant Nursery.indd 4 18-03-2025 4.16.04 PM 18-03-2025 4.16.04 PM
5 Plant Nursery
Plant nurseries are important for various reasons, e.g.,
preserving original plant species, and creating new varieties of
plants, and producing plants on a very large scale. Since nurseries
are developed in a smaller space compared to farms, it is easier to
prevent pests and provide protection from unsuitable conditions
like heavy rain or severe heat.
Since conditions for healthy growth of plants can be created
in plant nurseries, plants can be grown whenever required and
not only during the seasons that are generally suitable for them.
People visit plant nurseries to buy plants for their homes, gardens
and agriculture field.
What will I be able to do?
At the end of project, you will be able to:
1. Describe the needs of germinating seeds and young plants.
2. Cultivate new plants using different plant propagation
methods.
3. Provide suitable conditions for initial growth of plants.
4. Develop a plant nursery in the school.
Did you know?
Thimmamma Marimanu, a banyan tree located in Ananthapuramu
district of Andhra Pradesh, is spread over 5 acres. This is the size of a
small village.
Imagine! A tree spread so
far that it could house an entire
village under its branches. Isn’t
it fascinating that a single seed
has grown into such a big tree?
The banyan tree provides shade,
oxygen and shelter to birds,
animals and humans. It teaches
us to care for nature and plants.
Figure 1.2: Banyan tree in
Ananthapuramu district, Andhra Pradesh
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