Growing up with Nature – Class 4 The World Around Us Chapter 4 Notes & NCERT PDF

Chapter 4: Growing up with Nature

Introduction

Reena and Amit visit their family's village near a forest for a harvest festival. It is a special day because the village is becoming a fully solar-powered village. Through their visit, the chapter shows how closely people's food, houses, art, medicine and festivals are linked with nature, and how we can thank and protect nature.

What's in this Chapter

The Palash tree – On the way the children see trees full of bright orange-red flowers. Father explains that this is the Palash tree. When it blooms, the forest looks reddish-orange from a distance, so it is called the "flame of the forest". In Gujarat, Palash is called Kesuda.

Houses from natural materials – The village houses are made of clay, hay, cow dung and other natural materials. Grandmother decorated the walls with a dye made by mixing rice flour and water.

Natural paints and Gond art – Grandmother paints on cloth using paint made from flowers, leaves and powdered coloured stones. Gond art is a form of painting on walls using natural colours, showing trees, animals, birds and humans. The book gives steps to make a natural dye: collect plant parts like beetroot, hibiscus and marigold, boil them in 1–2 litres of water for 30 minutes to an hour with an elder's help, and strain the liquid.

Storing grains the traditional way – Earthen pots are lined inside with neem leaves, and bamboo baskets are coated with cow dung outside, to protect grains from insects and pests. In Uttarakhand, a Tumri is a container made from a dried bottle gourd.

Respect for bees – The Jenu Kurubas tribe of Karnataka get their name from "Jenu", meaning honey. When they collect honey, they sing songs to apologise to the bees.

Medicine from plants – Dada ji rubs a neem oil mixture on hands and feet so mosquitoes will not bite. Reena has a first-aid box with medicines and mosquito-repellent cream. Children find out the uses of plants like Tulsi (leaves) and Ajwain (seeds) from elders.

The festival – In the evening the whole village is lit up. People wear traditional clothes, offer prayers to God and Mother Nature, and dance to the dhol and nagada.

Sacred groves and festivals – Sacred Groves are small forests protected by local communities, where trees and wildlife are preserved. Festivals like Vat Purnima (banyan tree), Hari Jiroti (planting fruit trees) and the Kaziranga Elephant Festival show how we honour plants and animals.

Key Ideas

Activities from the Book

Words to Learn

Tips for Parents & Teachers

Common Mistakes