The universe, of which the Earth is a part, has many components. Learners explore ideas about the dynamic nature of the earth, solar system and universe. They develop an understanding of the scales of time and space over which events on the earth and in the universe occur. They investigate the many ways in which living things use the Earth, solar system and universe as resources and recognize the effects of this use. The key concepts of the Earth and Beyond strand are: (i) the earth, solar system and universe are dynamic systems, (ii) events on earth, in the solar system and in the universe occur on different scales of time and space, and (iii) use of resources by living things to meet their needs has effects or impacts on the earth, the solar system or the universe.