📖Planty Kid Glossary

Being able to feel things like joy, fear, comfort and pain.

A sentient animal has experiences that matter to it. Scientists look at behaviour, brains and body signals to understand how animals feel. Cows, pigs, chickens, fish, octopuses and many more are considered sentient.

Understanding and sharing how someone else feels.

Empathy helps us notice when a friend — human or animal — is sad, scared or happy, and to act kindly. Some animals, like rats and elephants, show empathy too.

Food that comes from plants: vegetables, fruit, grains, beans, nuts and seeds.

A plant-based meal is made mostly or completely from plants. Plant-based foods can give your body protein, iron, calcium and fibre when you eat a good variety.

Choosing not to eat or use animal products, to avoid harming animals.

Vegan people eat only plant foods and avoid things like leather or wool where they can. Health organisations say a well-planned vegan diet can be healthy at every age, with vitamin B12 and some other nutrients planned carefully.

Not eating meat or fish, but sometimes eating eggs or dairy.

Vegetarians skip meat and fish. Many still eat eggs, milk or cheese. It is one of several ways people choose to eat more kindly.

A nutrient that builds and repairs muscles and other body parts.

Beans, lentils, tofu, peas, nuts, seeds and whole grains all contain protein. Eating a mix of them across the day gives your body everything it needs.

A plant that grows seeds in pods, like beans, peas, lentils and chickpeas.

Legumes are protein-packed and also help soil by putting nitrogen back into the ground. That makes them great for farmers and the planet.

A safe place where rescued animals live out their lives.

At a sanctuary, animals are cared for, not used for food or work. Visitors can learn how animals behave when they are safe and free to be themselves.

The natural home where an animal lives, finds food and stays safe.

Oceans, forests, meadows and icy lands are all habitats. Protecting habitats protects the animals and plants that need them.

The huge variety of living things on Earth.

Biodiversity means many kinds of plants, animals, fungi and tiny living things all working together. More biodiversity makes nature stronger.

How much greenhouse gas something adds to the air.

Every food, trip and product has a carbon footprint. Plant-based meals usually have a much smaller footprint than meals made with meat or dairy.

How much water it takes to make something.

Growing food uses water. Making beef uses many times more water than growing the same amount of protein from beans or lentils.

Moving pollen between flowers so plants can make fruit and seeds.

Bees, butterflies, bats and the wind are pollinators. About one in every three bites of food we eat depends on pollinators.

Finding things by listening to echoes of your own sounds.

Dolphins, whales and bats send out clicks and listen to how they bounce back. It lets them 'see' with sound, even in the dark.

Blending in with your surroundings to stay hidden.

Octopuses can change colour and skin texture in under a second. Other animals use stripes, spots or colours that match their habitat.

Names for animal groups: dolphins in pods, cows in herds, sheep in flocks.

Many animals live in groups because friends help each other find food, stay warm and stay safe.

Food scraps and leaves that rot down into rich soil.

Composting turns peels and leaves into food for plants, so less waste goes to the bin.

Choosing to help and care for others, even in small ways.

Kindness can be sharing, including someone, leaving water out for birds, or choosing food that is gentle on animals and the planet.