🌱 How Plants Make Their Own Food

Plants can't go to the shop or open the fridge. So how do they eat? They make their own food — right inside their green leaves!

The big science word for this is photosynthesis.
Say it: foh-toh-SIN-thuh-sis 🗣️

Tap Next to find out the magic recipe!

🧪 Three things the plant needs

Just like a recipe, photosynthesis needs ingredients. Tap each card to peek inside!

☀️
Sunlight
Energy from the Sun powers the whole recipe.
💧
Water
Pulled up from the soil through the roots.
🌬️
Carbon dioxide
A gas from the air we breathe out.

Peek inside all three cards to continue exploring.

🟢 Why leaves are green

Inside every leaf are millions of tiny green dots called chlorophyll. This green stuff catches the Sun's energy — it's the chef of the kitchen!

Tap the leaf to wake up the green chefs!

🧺 Feed the leaf!

Drag each ingredient into the leaf to start cooking. Try them all!

☀️ Sunlight
💧 Water
🌬️ Carbon dioxide
🍪 Cookie
🍃
Drop ingredients here
☀️
💧
🌬️

Hint: a plant can't eat snacks — it only uses sunlight, water and air!

🔆 Turn up the Sun

The more sunlight a leaf gets, the more food it can make. Slide the Sun and watch!

Food made: 20%   Oxygen out:

Try sliding all the way up to full sunshine. ☀️

♻️ In and out

Photosynthesis takes things in and gives things out. Drag each card to the right basket!

☀️ Sunlight
💧 Water
🌬️ Carbon dioxide
🍬 Sugar (food)
🫧 Oxygen

⬇️ Goes IN

⬆️ Comes OUT

Tip: the plant makes sugar and oxygen — those come out!

🎉 Well done!

🌻

You now know how plants make their own food!

☀️ Sunlight + 💧 Water + 🌬️ Carbon dioxide
⬇️ inside the green leaf ⬇️
🍬 Sugar (food) + 🫧 Oxygen

Remember the big ideas:

🌿 Green leaves are the kitchen 🟢 Chlorophyll is the chef ☀️ Sun gives the energy 🫧 Oxygen is the gift for us!

Next time you sit under a tree, say thank you — its leaves are making the air you breathe. 🌳💚