Natural Resources for Kids: Renewable or Nonrenewable? (Grade 4 and Grade 5 Science)

Hi, I'm Luna from DoodleBeez. Look around you. Your desk, your water and even the electricity in your home all come from nature. Today we are learning about natural resources, and which ones can run out.

A natural resource is anything from nature that people use. Water, air, soil, sunlight, trees, rocks and minerals are all natural resources. We use them for food, homes, clothes and energy.

Some resources are renewable. Nature replaces them quickly, or they never run out. Sunlight and wind keep coming every day. Trees can be replanted, and water is recycled by the water cycle.

Other resources are nonrenewable. They take millions of years to form, so once we use them up, they are gone. Coal, oil and natural gas are fossil fuels, made from plants and tiny sea creatures that lived long ago.

Around the world, much of our electricity still comes from burning fossil fuels. Burning them pollutes the air and adds gases that warm our planet. Mining and drilling can also harm land and water where animals live.

Renewable energy is cleaner. Solar panels turn sunlight into electricity, wind turbines catch the wind, and dams use flowing water. We can also save resources by switching off lights, reusing things and recycling.

Now it's your turn. Is coal renewable or nonrenewable? What about wind? Pause and try. Coal is nonrenewable, because it takes millions of years to form. Wind is renewable, because it never runs out.

Great job! Remember, natural resources come from nature. Renewable ones, like sunlight, wind and water, are replaced by nature. Nonrenewable ones, like coal, oil and gas, run out. Practice natural resources in the Science Lab at doodlebeez.com. See you next time!