What Are Natural Resources?
Natural resources are any and all raw materials we take from nature to make things that we need. In fact, you probably use more things created from natural resources than you realize! Air, water, plants, and animals are all examples of natural resources. We can't make natural resources ourselves, but we can control how they are used. We want to do this so we don't use them up too fast. Let's learn more about natural resources by looking at some examples.
Air
Air is a natural resource. You need air to breathe. You also need it to do fun things, like fly kites and sail a boat. What else do we do with air? We use it to fill our car and bike tires, basketballs and balloons. We can even use air to make electricity through the use of wind turbines. That is pretty cool. |
We use air to create electricity using wind turbines.
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Plants
Do you have a garden in your backyard? I do. I grow tomatoes. A tomato is a type of natural resource. This makes sense because I can't make a tomato. If I eat all my tomatoes in one meal, then I have no more tomatoes. Once they are gone, I have to wait for my garden to grow more. |
Tomatoes grow on plants.
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Animals
What about animals? We know they are a type of natural resource too because you can't make a cow! We use animals to make food that we eat and clothes that we wear. Leather shoes are partially made from animal materials and so are wool sweaters. You also benefit from animals when you go fishing or play with your pet. |
The milk we drink comes from a cow.
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