A maple leaf drifts down and lands by Rocket's shoe. "Bye, leaf," he says. "Your job is done."
Raven shakes her head. "What do you notice under last year's leaves?"
Rocket digs with a gloved hand. "Dark, crumbly soil. And a new little plant!"
Nova hovers above the sprout. "Follow the leaf's matter," she says. "Where does it go next?"
Matter is what all things are made of.
Matter moves among plants, animals, decomposers, air and soil.
Plants take in air, water and decomposed materials from the soil.
Plants turn these into their own food and new plant parts.
When plants and animals die, decomposers break them down.
Then the materials go back into the soil, ready to use again.
Imagine a forest with no decomposers.
Dead leaves would pile up higher and higher.
The materials would stay locked inside them.
New plants would miss out on what the soil gives back.
| Statement | True or false? |
|---|---|
| Matter moves among plants, animals, decomposers and soil. | ? |
| A fallen leaf is useless forever. | ? |
| Decomposers return materials to the soil. | ? |
| Plants use materials from the soil to grow. | ? |
Brilliant cycle thinking! Tomorrow is Grow It Day. Your family builds a compost bottle.