NCERT Solutions for Class 4 EVS Chapter 04 Growing up with Nature

Activity 1 (Page 58)

Question. Write names of five colourful flowers in your area. For example, Palash is called Kesuda in Gujarat.
Answer: The table below shows five flowers with bright colours along with what people call them in West Bengal, my area.

Exam Tip: List local names correctly as they are spoken in your area - teachers value knowledge of regional plant names alongside their English names.

Activity 2 (Page 60)

Question. Make the model of a house using materials from nature, such as clay, wooden sticks, hay, grass, leaves, etc. Decorate it with an art form of your choice.
Answer: Do it yourself.
In simple words: Build a small house using things you find in nature - clay, sticks, dry grass, and leaves. Make it look nice by adding your own art or decoration.

Exam Tip: Show creativity in your design and use a variety of natural materials - this shows you understand how nature provides building supplies.

Activity 3 (Page 60)

Question. Let us prepare a natural dye.
Answer: Follow these steps to make natural dye:
Step 1: Gather some flowers, leaves, barks, and roots that have colour in them. Good choices are beetroot, hibiscus, and marigold.
Step 2: Boil any of the plant parts you picked in about 1 - 2 litres of water for 30 minutes to one hour. Cover the pot with a plate while it boils. Ask your teacher or an older person to help you.
Step 3: Pour the liquid through a strainer to remove the plant bits. What is left behind is your natural dye. Now use this dye to colour a light piece of cloth, like a handkerchief or hand towel. After painting, leave the cloth to soak overnight. The next morning, squeeze out the liquid and dry it.
In simple words: Boil coloured plant parts in water. Strain out the solid bits. Use the coloured liquid to paint cloth and let it dry to get a pretty colour.

Exam Tip: Always ask for adult help when boiling water - safety is important. The longer you soak the cloth, the darker the colour will be.

Activity 4 (Page 62)

Question. Find out some traditional ways of preserving grains and vegetables at your place, and fill the following table. One example is given.
Answer:

Exam Tip: Learn at least two traditional storage methods from your own region - this shows you understand your local culture and history.

Activity 5 (Page 63)

Question. Discuss with the elders in your family and write the name of the plant, its parts, and its uses in the table given below.
Answer:

Exam Tip: Include both household and medicinal uses - this shows you understand plants have many purposes beyond just food.

Discuss (Page 63)

Question 1. What things should be kept in a first-aid box?
Answer: A first-aid box is handy for treating small injuries and during unexpected health problems at home, work or school. It should have band-aids, cotton, antiseptic liquid or cream, pain relief tablets, burn cream, ORS, scissors, thermometer, mosquito repellent and hand sanitiser. Having it packed and ready lets you handle injuries quickly when they happen.
In simple words: A first-aid box holds things that help when someone gets hurt. Keep band-aids, cotton, medicine, and tools in it so you are ready in an emergency.

Exam Tip: List at least 10 items and explain why each is needed - examiners want to see you know what each item does in an emergency.

Question 2. Why do you think providing first-aid is important if someone gets injured?
Answer: First-aid is the quick medical help given to a person who is hurt or sick before the doctor comes. It can stop harm from becoming worse, ease pain, keep infection away, and may even save a life in serious cases.
In simple words: First-aid stops injury from getting worse fast. It helps take away pain and stops germs from getting inside the wound.

Exam Tip: Name specific first-aid actions (like cleaning, bandaging, or cooling burns) rather than speaking only about the concept - actions show deeper understanding.

Activity 6 (Page 65)

Question. Find out the traditional dances and songs of your region. Perform a traditional dance with the help of your classmates and teachers for the Annual Day of your school.
Answer: Do it yourself.
In simple words: Learn a dance that people in your area have done for many years. Practise it with your friends and put on a show at school.

Exam Tip: Choose a dance that is truly from your region and learn its history - showing cultural knowledge is as important as the performance itself.

Discuss (Page 65)

Question. Imagine if there is no light in your area for two days. What changes will you see in your life?
Answer: Without light for two days, life in my area would turn difficult. Things we do each day - studying, cooking, playing, and working - would all become hard and slow. Sadness and tiredness would spread among everyone. We would need to lean on candles, torches, or emergency lamps for any light we could get.
In simple words: Without light, you cannot study or do normal work. Everything becomes slower and darker, and people feel sad and tired.

Exam Tip: Mention both personal impact (your own activities) and community impact (how others are affected) to show complete understanding.

Activity 7 (Page 66)

Question. Talk to your elders and find out the rituals in connection to animals and plants which are celebrated in your locality. A few examples are given below.
Answer:

Exam Tip: Learn festivals from your own region first - local knowledge is always valued more than distant examples.

Let Us Reflect (Pages 67 - 68)

Question 1. What are the things that we use from nature in our daily life?
Answer:

Exam Tip: Include both common items and special ones - showing you know nature gives us many different things in many different ways.

Question 2. What challenges arise when we overuse natural resources? For example, if we overuse wood from nature, our forests deplete. Water: _______ Soil: _________ Sea products: Any other: ________
Answer: Using too much of nature's gifts causes harm to the earth and puts our future at risk.
Water: When we use too much water, rivers and lakes run dry, groundwater goes down, and dry spells become normal. This hurts animals and plants that need these water sources.
Soil: If we take too much from soil and do not put nutrients back, soil gets weak and cannot grow crops well. This leads to soil breaking apart and smaller harvests.
Sea products: Catching too many fish and pollution hurt ocean life. Fish numbers fall, and the balance in the ocean breaks down.
Trees: Cutting down too many trees causes forests to disappear, which kills wild animals, changes weather patterns, and cuts down the air we breathe.
In simple words: Using too much of anything from nature harms our world. Rivers dry up, soil gets weak, fewer fish live in the sea, and forests shrink when we do not use nature wisely.

Exam Tip: For each resource, explain both the problem AND its effect on living things - this shows full understanding of how everything is connected.

Question 3. How can we protect the natural environment around us?
Answer: We can take care of the natural world around us by wasting less, reusing things, and being smart about how we use what nature gives us.
At home: Save water, avoid wasting power, reduce plastic use.
At school: Do not litter, use less paper, reuse old books, turn taps off when done.
In parks: Plant new trees, do not harm plants and soil.
In our locality: Keep streets clean, put waste in proper bins, use water with care.
In simple words: Use less, waste less, and recycle. Plant trees, save water and power, do not throw rubbish, and keep your area clean.

Exam Tip: Give concrete actions, not just ideas - teachers want to see you know exactly what steps YOU can take to help.

Question 4. Design your herbal garden here is a space for your herbal garden. Draw pictures of your favorite herbs in different parts of the garden and write down their names. Are there some herbs that you like less? Draw them too!
Answer: Do it yourself.
In simple words: Draw a garden space and fill it with herbs you like to use. Label each herb with its name and show where it grows in your garden.

Exam Tip: Include at least 6 - 8 different herbs and show you know which ones are useful for cooking or health - this shows deeper learning than just drawing pictures.