NCERT Book Class 4 EVS A day with nandu

Chapter 3

A Day With Nandu

Nandu Wakes Up

Nandu woke up and opened his eyes. For a few seconds he was not sure where he was. It seemed to him that he was surrounded by a forest of big grey tree trunks. He blinked his eyes and looked around. Oh! There was Amma. The grey forest that he had imagined he was in, was actually the legs and trunks of his family members. The sun was over head and it was getting hot. Nani ma trumpetted – made a loud sound. Nani ma is the oldest in this herd of elephants. She started moving towards the jungle. The other female elephants saw her and started to follow her. Nandu also went with them.

For the teacher: Mother’s mother is called nani ma. Ask children what they call their mother’s mother

When they reached the jungle, the members of the herd started spreading out. Each member went to eat her favourite leaves and twigs. After they had eaten, the herd moved towards the river. The baby elephants enjoyed playing in the water. The mothers laid down in the water and mud on the river bank. Do you know that an adult elephant can eat more than 100 kilograms of leaves and twigs in one day? Elephants do not rest very much. They sleep for only two to four hours in a day. Elephants love to play with mud and water. The mud keeps their skin cool. Their big ears also work like fans. The elephants flap these to keep themselves cool

Fun and Games

Nandu saw his brothers and sisters pulling each other’s tails. He thought, “I better not go near them. What if they fall on me? I am still small.” He quietly went and stood near his mother. Amma gently pushed Nandu towards the water, as if she was telling him to go and play. Nandu loved to play in the water. His cousins were already there. Just as he reached near, a strong fountain of water fell on his head. He got wet. Oh, this was the work of his naughty cousins. Nandu joined them in the game. Before sunset, the herd started back towards the jungle. By then, Nandu was very tired. He settled himself between his mother’s front legs and fell asleep as he drank her milk. 

You have read about Nandu and the elephant herd. An elephant herd has only females and baby elephants. The oldest female is the leader of the herd. A herd may have 10 to 12 female elephants and young ones. Male elephants live in the herd till they are 14 –15 years old. Then they leave their herd and move around alone. Nandu will also leave his herd when he is that old.

Like elephants, some other animals also live together in groups. These animal groups are called herds. Animals in herds usually move around together, searching for food.

Ö If you were Nandu, and you lived in a herd, what kind of things would you do?

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Ö In the elephant herd, the oldest female elephant decides everything. Who takes decisions in your family?

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Ö Make a collage of a herd of elephants in your notebook. For this, collect as many pictures of elephants that you can. Cut out the elephants and stick them in the notebook.

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Please refer to attached file for NCERT Class 4 EVS A day with nandu