Week 1 - What is a life cycle?
All living things have a life cycle, even plants. During this topic we are going to study the life cycles of plants, birds, mammals, amphibians and insects.
Generally most life cycles have 5 common stages. These are:
BIRTH: This is when an animal is either born or hatches from an egg.
GROWTH: This is a stage of rapid growth when the young animal changes and becomes independent. During this stage the parents often feed and protect their young.
ADULT: When the animal is an adult, it is independent and can begin to reproduce. This stage is usually the longest stage of a life cycle.
OLD AGE: As animals age, they begin to slow down and become weaker. They may also stop reproducing.
DEATH: The animal is no longer living.
There are 6 stages in the human life cycle:
Foetus
At this time, a baby is growing inside it's mum's womb.
![Stages of human development - The foetus](http://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/979835409b6b1eebbfe9c8298cafb7871e1949a0.jpg)
Baby
A baby is born after spending 9 months inside the womb.
![Stages of human development - Baby](http://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/ba39ce4794273ae26d5ff0670a9f5aa50908a33e.jpg)
Childhood
At this stage, you learn to walk and talk.
![Stages of human development - Childhood](http://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/72bea461e2f3a9b78b4a75f5052578f27f65c683.jpg)
Adolescence
Children become teenagers.
![Stages of human development - Adolescence](http://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/19161b79dda9da9aa68d52e649ec0609d1c67cbe.jpg)
Adulthood
Your body is fully developed.
![Stages of human development - Adult](http://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/64664bac562e51cb6537779abe34bd684c1ed7c3.jpg)
Old age / elderly
The last stage in the life cycle of a human.
![Stages of human development - Old age](http://www.bbc.co.uk/staticarchive/240d6d670c70526cb44bc31a46c492d771221471.jpg)
Explore the human life cycle here: Click on the picture and watch the first clip called What is a lifecycle?
Describe in detail the changes which happen in each stage of the human life cycle. You can present this information in any way you chose, e.g. a passage of writing, poster or as a pic collage. Here is a link to some extra information to help you. www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zgssgk7/articles/z2msv4j