travel_exploreDiscovery · Energy and balance

🔋 Energy and balance

How does your body turn food into energy? Simple, true energy and balance facts for young children, each with a fun fact, a tiny activity and a question to talk about together.

Tap a question to reveal the answer, share the fun fact, try the tiny activity, then talk about it together.

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How does your body turn food into energy? Revealexpand_more

When you eat, your body breaks food down into tiny fuel bits and carries them in your blood to every cell. Each cell combines that fuel with the oxygen you breathe to release energy, a little like a slow, gentle fire with no flame. That energy powers everything you do.

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Talk about itWhat food gives you the most get-up-and-go?

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Did you know?Even while you sleep, your body is busy using energy to breathe, pump blood and repair itself.

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Try itRun on the spot for twenty seconds and feel your heart and breathing speed up. Your cells are asking for more fuel and oxygen.

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🔋💦Why do we sweat?🌡️How does your body stay the same warmth?🍎Why do we need to eat food?

🤖Still curious?Why do we breathe faster when we exercise?arrow_forward

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Why do we sweat? Revealexpand_more

Sweating is your body's clever way of cooling down. When you get hot, tiny glands push salty water onto your skin, and as it dries into the air it carries heat away, leaving you cooler. That is why you sweat more when you run or when the day is hot.

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Talk about itWhat is your favourite way to cool down on a hot day?

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Did you know?Your body has millions of tiny sweat glands, with a lot of them on your hands and feet.

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Try itWet the back of one hand and blow on it. It feels cooler than the dry hand, which is exactly how sweat works.

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🔋🌡️How does your body stay the same warmth?⚡How does your body turn food into energy?💧Why do we get thirsty?

🤖Still curious?Why does sweat taste a little salty?arrow_forward

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What are hormones? Revealexpand_more

Hormones are tiny chemical messengers that travel in your blood to tell parts of your body what to do. One hormone gets you ready to run fast when you are scared, another makes you feel sleepy at night, and others quietly help you grow. They keep your body working smoothly without you thinking about it.

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Talk about itWhen do you notice your body reacting before your mind catches up?

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Did you know?The rush you feel when you are startled comes from a hormone that readies your body in an instant.

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Try itNotice how your heart races before something exciting. That is a hormone getting your body ready to go.

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🔋❤️Why do we have feelings?⚡How does your body turn food into energy?😴Why do we need to sleep?

🤖Still curious?How does the body know when to send out a hormone?arrow_forward

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How does your body stay the same warmth? Revealexpand_more

Your body works hard to stay around the same cosy temperature all the time. When you get cold you shiver, which makes heat, and your skin traps warmth close. When you get hot you sweat to cool down. A part of your brain acts like a thermostat, keeping the balance just right.

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Talk about itWhat do you do to warm up fast on a freezing day?

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Did you know?Shivering is your muscles quickly wobbling on purpose to make extra heat.

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Try itNotice how you get goosebumps when cold. That is your skin trying to trap a layer of warm air.

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🔋💦Why do we sweat?⚡How does your body turn food into energy?🤒Why do I get a fever when I am sick?

🤖Still curious?Why is a high fever a sign the body is fighting something?arrow_forward

🔋 Energy and balance

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