Where does the paper from your books come from? What about the food you ate for breakfast, or the clothes you are wearing? Where does the electricity for the lights in your classroom come from? Everything that people use in their daily lives comes from Earth. We call these things natural resources because they come from nature. Some resources help us to stay alive. Others help us to live more enjoyable lives. Some are sources of energy.

Natural resources can be living or non-living. Living things get energy from their environment to do things such as grow, move, and reproduce. A tree is a living thing. It uses water and sunlight to make energy so it can grow. A rock is a non-living thing. It does not use energy, and it does not grow or move on its own.

Fish are a very important living natural resource. Fish are a source of food for people. Water is a very important non-living natural resource. We use water for drinking, cooking, and washing. We also use water to make electricity. We use the electricity for energy to make many things work, such as the lights in our homes and schools.

Non-renewable resources cannot be replaced. They are non-renewable because they take a very long time to form. Fossil fuels and minerals are non-renewable resources. Oil is a fossil fuel. The oil we use today was formed millions of years ago. People use fossil fuels to produce energy. Oil can be made into gasoline to make cars and buses run.

Natural resources can also be renewable or non-renewable. Some renewable resources can be replaced or grown again. Trees are one example. Trees can reproduce themselves through seeds. Trees that are cut down can be replaced with seedlings. Seedlings are very young trees grown from seeds. Other renewable resources are always here for people to use. Wind is one example. Wind power is used to produce electricity.