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Key Point: One rotation of Earth = 1 day = 24 hours (causes day and night).
Earth is the planet where we live. It looks like a round ball called a sphere. We call it our home — it has land, water, air and living things.
Parts of Earth:
How Earth moves:
Things we see on Earth: mountains, hills, plains, forests, farms, cities, rivers, and seas. People, animals and plants all live on Earth and need clean air, water and soil to stay healthy.
We must take care of Earth by keeping it clean, saving water, planting trees and not wasting resources so it stays a good home for everyone.
Key Point: Earth = Land + Water + Air
Our Earth is made up of three main parts: land, water and air. These parts help plants, animals and people to live and grow.
1. Land: Land is the dry part of Earth where we live and grow food. Land includes mountains, hills, plains, forests and fields. Soil on the land gives nutrients to plants.
2. Water: Water covers a large part of Earth. Big bodies of water are oceans and seas. Smaller ones are rivers, lakes and ponds. Water is used for drinking, cooking, bathing, farming and for animals to live.
3. Air: Air (the atmosphere) surrounds the Earth. We cannot see air but we feel it as wind. Air gives us oxygen to breathe and helps clouds bring rain.
Why these parts are important:
Simple activity for class 2: Take a round balloon or ball and colour about 70% blue for water and 30% green/brown for land. Point out land, water and talk about air around the ball. This helps children visualise the parts of Earth.
Key words: land, water, air, ocean, river, mountain, plain, soil, wind, clouds, breathe.
Key Point: No complex formulas are needed to learn landforms, but simple measurement ideas can help:
What are landforms?
Landforms are the natural shapes and features of Earth’s surface. They include high places like mountains and hills, flat areas like plains and plateaus, and places surrounded by water like islands and peninsulas.
Types of landforms (simple descriptions):
How landforms are made (easy words): Wind, water and moving Earth (earthquakes) change the shape of land. Water can wear away rock (erosion) and also leave soil in new places (deposition). Mountains can rise when the Earth’s surface pushes up.
Why landforms are important: They determine where people build homes, farm, and travel. Mountains can give us rivers, plains give good soil for crops, and islands are homes to special plants and animals.
Key Point: Area of a rectangular pond = length × width (use meters) — gives surface area in square meters (m²).
Water bodies are places where large amounts of water collect on Earth. They can be either moving or still and can contain fresh water or salty water. Water bodies give us water to drink, help plants grow, provide homes for animals and fish, and are used for travel and fun.
Common types:
Important facts (child-friendly): Oceans cover about 71% of Earth’s surface. Most of that water is salty; only a small part of Earth’s water is fresh and easy to drink. Water bodies are home to many plants and animals and are very important for people for drinking, farming, travel and fun.
Simple safety note: Always go near rivers, lakes or the sea with an adult and follow safety rules.
Key Point: Soil = Broken rocks + Decayed plants and leaves (humus) + Water + Air
Soil is the loose top layer on the ground where plants grow. It is made when rocks break into tiny pieces and when leaves and plants rot. Soil holds water and air which help plants to live.
Rocks are hard materials that make up the crust of the Earth. Rocks can be big like a mountain or small like a pebble. Some rocks are soft and break easily, others are hard and used for building.
(Language and ideas are kept simple for Class 2 understanding.)
Key Point: Habitat = Food + Water + Shelter + Space
What is a habitat? A habitat is the place where a plant or an animal lives. It gives living things the food, water, shelter and space they need to grow and stay safe.
Types of habitats
What a habitat provides
Adaptations — Plants and animals have special features (called adaptations) that help them live in their habitats. For example, cactus store water to live in deserts; fish have gills to breathe in water.
Why habitats are important — Habitats keep plants and animals safe and help them survive. When habitats are damaged by pollution, cutting trees or filling ponds, animals and plants can lose their homes.
How we can help — Plant trees, save water, not litter, protect ponds and beaches, and learn about local animals and plants.
Key Point: If we think of Earth's surface as 100 parts: Water ≈ 71 parts, Land ≈ 29 parts (simple fact for understanding).
Earth gives us many things we need to live. It provides food, water, air, and places to live. Plants grow in the soil and give us fruits, vegetables, grains, wood and materials for clothes. Rivers, lakes and seas give us water and fish. The land gives us materials like stones, clay and minerals used to build houses, make roads and make tools. Animals live on Earth and give us milk, eggs and wool. Earth also gives places to play, grow trees and keep animals.
Simple ways children can help: plant a sapling, save and not waste water, use a dustbin, and learn where food and clothing come from.
Key Point: 3R = Reduce + Reuse + Recycle
Our Earth gives us air, water, plants, animals and a place to live. Caring for the Earth means keeping it clean and healthy so everyone — people, animals and plants — can live happily. Even small children can do many things to help the Earth.
Ways to care for the Earth:
When we care for the Earth, we protect the air we breathe, the water we drink and the homes of many living things. Small daily actions by children and families add up to make a big, positive change.
Key Point: Simple scale idea: Map distance × Scale factor = Real distance. Example: if 1 cm on map = 100 km in real life, then 2 cm on map = 200 km.
What is a Globe?
A globe is a small round model of the Earth. It looks like a ball and shows how the Earth really is — round. A globe has lines called the equator (which divides Earth into two halves), and the North Pole and South Pole (the top and bottom). It also shows continents, oceans and countries in their right shapes and positions.
What is a Map?
A map is a flat picture of part or all of the Earth. Maps can show countries, roads, parks, or even just a classroom. Because a map is flat, it is easy to carry and use. Maps use symbols and colours to show things and have a legend (or key) to explain the symbols.
Why use a Globe or a Map?
- Use a globe to see how Earth is round and how continents and oceans are placed.
- Use a map when you need a flat picture to carry, draw, or quickly find places, like going to school or a nearby park.
Important Words
- Equator: an imaginary line around the middle of the Earth.
- Poles: North Pole and South Pole at the top and bottom.
- Compass directions: North (N), South (S), East (E), West (W).
- Legend: explains map symbols.
- Scale: tells how much smaller the map is than the real place (for older children, this can be a short introduction).
How to read a simple map
1. Look at the legend to understand symbols (tree, house, road).
2. Find the compass rose to know directions.
3. Use the scale to know distances (for simple practice: count blocks or steps on a small map).
Key Point: One rotation of Earth ≈ 24 hours (one day = day + night).
The Sun is a big, hot star at the center of our solar system. It gives us light and heat. Because of the Sun we can see things during the day and plants can grow.
Day and night happen because Earth spins like a top. This spinning is called rotation. When a place on Earth faces the Sun, it is daytime there. When the place turns away from the Sun, it becomes night. The Earth takes one full spin (one rotation) in about 24 hours, so day and night together make one day.
Light from the Sun travels in straight lines. When objects block sunlight, they make shadows. Shadows are long in the morning and evening and shortest at noon when the Sun is high in the sky.
We use sunlight for many things: drying clothes, helping plants make food, warming our homes, and producing solar energy. At night, because the Sun is not lighting our part of Earth, we use lamps, torches and street lights to see.
Simple safety rule: Never look directly at the Sun. It can hurt your eyes.