NCERT Solutions for Class 5 The World Around Us Chapter 4 Our School a Happy Place (PDF) – 2027

A green school is a school where we:

1. manage our waste,
2. save water,
3. use electricity carefully, and
4. make the campus green by planting more trees and taking care of them.

Yes. Any school can become a green school, and the students can start it themselves. We can look carefully around the school, pick one problem we can solve, form small teams (Water Watchers, Waste Warriors, Green Guardians), take small actions and check again after a month.

We will begin by looking carefully at our own school.

Sample answer: “First we will walk around the school and make its map. Then we will form School Explorer Teams for water, electricity, waste, greenery and traffic. Each team will write down what it finds. Then we will share our findings in class and plan what we can fix.”

Draw the school as a bird would see it from above. Start with the school gate, then draw the main building, playground, garden, water tanks, toilets and other key features, and join them with the pathways. Label every place and add a north arrow and a key.

Name one real thing and say why you like it.

Sample answer: “I really like the big neem tree in our playground. We eat our tiffin together under it, and it is cool there even in May. I also like my class teacher, who patiently helps me when I cannot do a sum.”

“I can make my school greener by adopting a sapling and watering it regularly, starting a compost pit for peels and leaves, sowing seeds of fruits like jamun in the rainy season, and writing on both sides of the paper so that fewer trees are cut.”

I would tell a trusted grown-up at once — first my class teacher, and my parents at home the same day. If I feel unwell or get hurt, I would tell any teacher nearby. A broken bench or a dirty toilet I would report to the class teacher, who tells the office. I should never keep a difficulty to myself.

What the Electricity Savers usually find:

• Lights and fans: often left on in empty classrooms, corridors and toilets.
• Natural light: rooms with windows on two sides need no lights for most of the day.
• Hottest: top-floor and tin-roof rooms and open cemented areas. Coolest: under big trees and in airy ground-floor rooms.

What the Green Guardians usually find:

• Trees and plants: count and name them — for example neem, peepal, mango and potted plants.
• Who cares for them: the gardener; often nobody waters the young saplings.
• Where to plant more: along the boundary wall, on bare patches, near the gate.
• Visitors: sparrows, mynas, bulbuls and butterflies.
• Compost pit: often there is none — we can start one.

What the Water Watchers check:

• Leaking taps: close each tap, watch, and note the exact place of every drip.
• Wasted water: taps left running, an overflowing tank.
• Tanks: ask an adult to show whether they are clean and covered.
• Mosquitoes: look for water standing for days — in old tyres, broken pots, pot plates and blocked drains.

What the Traffic Trackers usually find:

• At the gate: at arrival and home time, vehicles stop right in front of the gate, parents wait on the road and children step out between parked vehicles.
• Crossing: often there is no zebra crossing, or its stripes have faded.
• Speed: many vehicles do not slow down near the school.

Watch only from inside the gate, with a teacher.

What the Waste Warriors usually find:

• Where: behind classrooms, under the stairs, at the playground edge, near the gate.
• What kind: mostly wrappers, plastic bottles, paper and food waste.
• Enough bins? Often the bins are near the office, not where the litter falls.
• Are they used? Only when a bin is close; far, full or smelly bins are not used.
• Separate bins? Sometimes, but often without labels.

Each team reports what it found, with numbers and places.

Sample answer: “We found 4 leaking taps, 6 fans running in empty rooms, only 3 dustbins (all near the office), 2 saplings that had dried up, and no zebra crossing at the gate.”

“Yes. The traffic at the gate worried us, because there is no zebra crossing and small children cross between parked autos. The water tank also has no lid, so dust and leaves can fall into our drinking water.”

“We were surprised that a slowly dripping tap filled a glass in 6 minutes — about 240 glasses in a day. We were also surprised that all the dustbins were near the office and none near the playground, where most of the litter was.”

“We felt proud of our 14 big trees and our green campus, and of Ramesh bhaiya, who cleans the corridors before we arrive. We were also proud that the leaking tap we reported was repaired.”

Dry waste: blue bin. Wet waste: green bin.

Wet waste (peels, leftover food) rots and can become compost; dry waste (paper, plastic, glass) does not rot.

In most places they are called the kabadiwala or the raddiwala.

• Raddiwala: old newspapers, books and cardboard.
• Kabadiwala: paper, plastic, bottles, tins, iron and other metal.
• Bartanwala: takes old clothes and gives vessels in exchange.
• E-waste collector: old mobiles, chargers and wires.

Write the names used in your own area.

“Our school gives old newspapers and magazines, used answer sheets and old registers, cardboard cartons, plastic bottles and broken metal furniture to the recyclers.”

“My parents have kept aside old newspapers, empty glass bottles and jars, some old clothes, a dented steel vessel and an old broken table fan to give to the recyclers.”

With the teacher, invite a local kabadiwala to the class. Prepare questions in advance, listen politely, take notes and thank the guest.

Questions to ask: What do you collect? Where do these things go? How are they reused or recycled? What should people do before handing things to you?

Answers for the items pictured on page 61:

In school, wet waste is best turned into compost in a compost pit. Peels from the mid-day meal, leftover food and fallen leaves go into the pit and are covered with soil every day. In two to three months they become compost for the school garden. Where there is no pit, wet waste goes into the green bin for the municipal van.

At home, wet waste is managed by:

• feeding peels and leftovers to animals,
• making compost in a pot or pit,
• putting it in the green bin for the municipal van, and
• using food up before it becomes waste.

If we do not separate our waste:

• paper and plastic get dirty and cannot be recycled;
• wet waste cannot be made into compost;
• sanitation workers can be hurt by glass or blades hidden in it;
• it smells and brings flies, rats and mosquitoes;
• everything ends up in the landfill.

We can make their work easier and safer if we:

• separate wet and dry waste;
• wrap broken glass and blades before throwing them away;
• keep batteries and medicines out of the bins;
• do not litter and do not overfill the bins;
• keep toilets clean after using them;
• greet and thank them, and learn their names.

The white tile felt cooler. The black tile felt hot.

Why: the black surface absorbs the Sun’s heat, but the white surface reflects most of it back.

The roof and the rooms below it would stay cooler. A white roof reflects most of the Sun’s heat, so less heat passes into the rooms. Fans and coolers would be needed less, which saves electricity.

To keep our area cool we can:

• plant shade trees and save the old trees;
• paint roofs white;
• keep open ground as soil and grass instead of cementing it;
• keep ponds and lakes clean and catch rainwater;
• switch off fans, lights and vehicles when not needed, and never burn leaves or rubbish;
• keep windows open so the breeze can pass through.

Sample reading: one glass (200 ml) filled up in 6 minutes.

Note the time when the first drop falls and again when the glass is full; the difference is the time taken. Your own time may be different.

With 6 minutes for one glass:

• Report every leaking tap and get it repaired.
• Close the tap while soaping our hands, and close every tap tightly after use.
• Keep a water monitor in each class to check the taps.
• Stop the overhead tank from overflowing.
• Pour leftover bottle water into the plants.
• Water plants in the morning or evening, and sweep floors instead of washing them.

By rainwater harvesting. Gutters and pipes carry the rain from the roof. Let the first rain wash the roof, then filter the water and store it in a covered tank or drum. Use it for plants, cleaning and toilets. Extra water can go into a recharge pit to refill the groundwater.

“Near our school there are neem, peepal, gulmohar, mango, ashoka and coconut trees, and a big banyan tree just outside the gate.”

Write the trees you actually see. Ask the gardener or an elder the names you do not know.

“Near the plants and trees on our campus I have seen sparrows, mynas, crows, parakeets, bulbuls and a sunbird. I have also seen butterflies, honeybees, ants, a ladybird beetle and spiders.”

Sample readings at the start: Glass 1 (to go under the tree) — 28 °C; Glass 2 (to go in the Sun) — 28 °C.

Fill both glasses with the same water at the same time, so that they start at the same temperature.

Completed table (sample readings):

After one hour, the water in the Sun became much warmer, but the water under the tree hardly changed. Your own readings will depend on the day.

The readings tell us that shade keeps things cool. In one hour the water in the Sun became about 10 °C warmer, but the water under the tree only about 2 °C warmer. So trees help keep our surroundings cool.

Plants that attract butterflies: marigold, ixora, lantana, zinnia and hibiscus (for nectar); lemon, curry leaf and aak (for laying eggs).

Trees that attract birds: guava, jamun, mulberry, banyan, peepal and papaya.

For a butterfly garden, plant both kinds in a sunny corner, keep a shallow dish of water with stones, and never use insect spray.

I agree with Mohit. Most people know the traffic rules but do not follow them — they cross anywhere, ride without helmets, drive fast near schools and park across the gate. Knowing the rules is not enough; we must follow them every time and politely remind others to do the same.

1. Walk on the footpath. Where there is none, walk on the right side of the road, facing the traffic.
2. Cross only at the zebra crossing, after looking right, left and right again. At a signal, cross only when the walking man is green.
3. Everyone on a two-wheeler must wear a helmet, and everyone in a car must wear a seat belt.

“At home time, autos, vans and scooters stop right in front of our gate and block the road. Parents wait on the road, and small children step out between parked vehicles. There is no zebra crossing, and most vehicles do not slow down.”

Sample signboard (for drivers): “SLOW — SCHOOL AHEAD”, in big letters on a yellow board, with a picture of two children walking.

A good signboard gives one clear message in a few big words, with a picture.

• Ask for a zebra crossing, a speed breaker and “School Zone” signs near the gate.
• Mark a parking area away from the gate.
• Let classes leave in batches, with teachers and senior students on gate duty.
• Invite the traffic police to talk to the school.
• Walk, cycle or share vehicles to reduce traffic.

Go and check, then write the exact places.

Sample answer: “In our school the fire extinguishers are fixed on the wall in the corridor outside the office, at the bottom of the staircase, outside the computer room and in the mid-day-meal kitchen.”

“Our assembly point is the far end of the playground, away from the building. In a fire drill we walk there in a line and stand class-wise, so that our teacher can count us.”

The assembly point is an open place, away from the building, where everyone gathers after leaving it.

1. Tell a teacher or any adult at once, so the alarm is raised.
2. Leave your bag and walk quickly and calmly to the nearest exit — do not run. Use the stairs, not a lift.
3. If there is smoke, crawl low with your mouth and nose covered.
4. Do not hide. Go to the assembly point and never go back inside.

In the drill, when the alarm sounds: leave your things, walk quickly and calmly in a line to the nearest exit, crawl low if there is smoke, never hide, help others only if it is safe, go to the assembly point, stand with your class, and tell the teacher at once if anyone is missing or hurt.

What I would do: politely ask them to go to the back of the line, stand in the line myself, and tell the teacher on duty if they do not listen.

To prevent it: mark a waiting line at the tap, have more taps or different break times, keep a water monitor, and make a class rule — “We wait for our turn.”

What I would do: kindly ask the student to stop, because the bench belongs to everyone, offer rough paper for drawing and help clean the bench. I would not stay silent like the child who watched. If it goes on, I would tell the teacher.

To prevent it: keep a chart or board for drawing, and make each group responsible for its benches.

What I would do: pick up the wrapper and put it in the bin, politely ask the older student to use the bin, and kindly show the younger child how to do it.

To prevent it: put labelled bins where the litter falls, pick up our own wrappers after lunch, and set a good example for younger children.

What I would do: stand with the child who is being teased, calmly tell the teaser “Stop, that is not funny”, never laugh along, and tell the teacher the same day.

To prevent it: make a class rule never to make fun of anyone, include everyone in games and groups, and keep a box where children can write their worries.

What I would do: quietly tell my friends that people are doing yoga, move our game to another part of the park and lower our voices. If someone asks us to be quieter, I would say sorry politely.

To prevent it: play in the part of the park meant for games, notice who else is there, and never play loud music in public places.

“I think the Class 3 room is the nicest. It has big windows on two sides, so it is bright and airy, and a gulmohar tree outside keeps it cool. Its walls have the children’s own drawings, it has a reading corner, and it is always clean.”

Draw a big tree on chart paper or a wall. Each student adds one leaf with one small action.

Sample leaves: I will greet everyone in the morning. I will switch off the fan when I leave last. I will close the tap tightly. I will share my colours. I will put peels in the green bin. I will invite the new student to play.

Sample answer (a short letter):

I would take these actions home and to my neighbourhood: separating wet and dry waste, saving water and electricity, not littering, planting and watering trees, and being kind to neighbours and workers.

In detail — a compost pot at home: put the peels in a pot with holes, cover them every day with dry soil or leaves, turn it once a week, and in about two months use the compost for plants.

Sample answer (a student who uses a wheelchair):

1. Happiness: Circle Time every Friday, where children share what made them happy or worried.
2. Safety: a zebra crossing, “SLOW — SCHOOL AHEAD” boards and a parking area away from the gate.
3. Greenery: every class plants and looks after one tree, with a watering roster.

Sample role-play (helping a shy classmate): Ravi is new and shy, and stands alone during games. Seema asks him which games he plays at home and asks him to teach one to the group. Everyone enjoys it, and Ravi is included.

After the play: we saw kindness; it was inspiring that one person changed things; yes, this can happen in real life.

Sample speech:

Sample survey record:

What I learnt: friends and small pleasures make people happy; younger children face problems that we do not notice, like a tap that is too high; and kind acts happen every day.