What are natural features?

Natural features are part of the land, and were in a place before people lived there. Plants, rocks, sand, soil, sea and streams are all natural. They are not made by people.

In our communities, most trees have been planted by people, but sometimes there are huge old trees that were in that place before people made their homes there.

	A forest is a huge area full of trees that no one has planted. The trees make seeds that are spread by wind or fire or by animals, and new trees grow from those seeds. Forests are home to many wild animals.
Hills are places where the land is high. We can tell when we are walking up a hill because it is harder than walking somewhere flat. Sometimes there are groups of hills, sometimes just one hill on its own. People can build houses on the sides and tops of hills, and roads can be made on hills.
	Mountains are much higher than hills. Some mountains are so high they always have snow on top. The sides of mountains are steep. No one lives at the top of the highest mountains in the world.
Rivers are strips of moving water. A river is very small where it starts high up on a mountain. It travels across the land to the sea. It gets bigger and wider as it goes along. A stream or creek is a smaller strip of moving water. Streams and creeks join a river and make it bigger.
	A natural pond is a dip in the earth where water collects. Plants grow in the water and around the edges.Sometimes a pond can dry out and then fill up again when it rains.
A lake is a bit like a pond, but is much much bigger. Most lakes have a beach all around, and trees or hills around it.
	Rocks are part of the earth. When the earth around a rock washes away or is blown away by the wind, the rock sticks out of the earth.
The sea is natural, and the beach at the edge of the sea is a natural feature too. A beach is made up of many tiny grains of sand. There are often rocks at the edge of the sea too.

What natural features are there in your neighbourhood?

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Go here to find out more about rivers: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/riversandcoasts/rivers/whatis_river/

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If you use any part of this in your own work, list it in your bibliography like this:
Sydenham, S. & Thomas, R. Natural Features in My Community [online] kidcyber.com.au (2010)

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updated July 2010©kidcyber