The Story of Amrita
Class 4 · Environmental Studies
4 ideas in Class 4 Environmental Studies, explained in plain words, with games and quizzes to practise.
The Khejadi Tree in a Dry Region
Part of: Trees and their surroundings
The Khejadi tree is common in the dry area around Amrita's village. It can grow with little water. People use its beans as food and its bark in medicines; its wood is not easily affected by insects. Animals eat its leaves, and children enjoy its shade.
Why it matters. A tree can support people and animals in several ways. Looking at one local tree helps children connect a plant's surroundings with its uses and the life around it.
Try it in two minutes
- Name the dry setting where the Khejadi tree grows.
- Ask what people use from the tree and what animals eat.
- Discuss why a tree that needs little water can suit a desert area.
- List which parts offer food, shade or another use.
Try at home. Choose a tree near home and make a small chart of its leaves, fruit, shade and the animals that use it.
People Depend on Plants and Animals
Part of: Trees and their surroundings
The elders in Amrita's village teach that people depend on plants and animals to live. Trees give food, shade and useful materials, while animals are part of the living world around the village. People can care for these living things, but they cannot replace all that nature provides.
Why it matters. Children can see that people are part of nature, not separate from it. Understanding this connection helps them think carefully about how choices affect plants, animals and people.
Try it in two minutes
- Name one thing a plant gives people and one thing it gives animals.
- Ask what people might miss if those plants were gone.
- Discuss how animals are part of the village's living environment.
- Think of one way a community can care for both plants and animals.
Try at home. Make a simple map showing how one tree connects people, animals and the place where they live.
Community Protection of Plants and Animals
Part of: Protecting living things
People in Amrita's village cared about trees and animals. After learning about this respect, the king ordered that trees should not be cut and animals should not be harmed in the area. The community called Bishnois continues to protect plants and animals, and wildlife can roam there without fear.
Why it matters. A community can make shared choices that help living things remain safe. Children can learn that rules and everyday care work together to protect a place.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask what the king's order protected in the village area.
- Name one way people can show care for a tree and one for an animal.
- Discuss what wildlife might do when it is not afraid of people.
- Make one simple class rule for caring for living things.
Try at home. Notice a place where people look after trees or animals and describe what they do.
Wildlife Rules and Changing Numbers
Part of: Protecting living things
The chapter describes fewer sparrows and mynahs being seen now than in a grandparent's childhood. This is an observation about changing numbers; finding the reason needs more information. It also explains that some animals have protection from hunting and that people can be punished for breaking those rules.
Why it matters. Children can learn to separate what someone noticed from a guess about why it happened. This helps them investigate changes in wildlife carefully and understand why protection rules matter.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask an older family member which birds they remember seeing often.
- Compare that memory with what children notice now.
- List possible changes to an animal's surroundings without choosing one too quickly.
- Discuss how rules against hunting can protect some animals.
Try at home. Observe birds in the same place on several days and record what you see without guessing the cause.
What your child will practise
- Community Protection of Plants and Animals: Candy Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
- People Depend on Plants and Animals: Desert Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
- People Depend on Plants and Animals: Ocean Puzzle (Clue Puzzle)
- The Khejadi Tree in a Dry Region: Garden Quest (Collect the Answer)
- Wildlife Rules and Changing Numbers: Animal Parade Quest (Collect the Answer)
- Quiz: Community Protection of Plants and Animals (8 questions)
- Quiz: People Depend on Plants and Animals (8 questions)
- Quiz: The Khejadi Tree in a Dry Region (8 questions)
- Quiz: Wildlife Rules and Changing Numbers (8 questions)