🌞 Day and night

Look outside, if the sky is bright and the sun is out, it is day, and if it is dark with the moon or stars, it is night.

Earth is shaped like a giant ball, and it slowly spins around like a top while it travels through space. Whichever side faces the sun gets bright daylight. Whichever side faces away sits in the dark, and that is night. Because Earth keeps spinning all the time, your part of the world moves from day into night and back into day again, over and over, every single day.

Morning is the part of the day right after you wake up, when the sun is still fairly low in the sky. Afternoon comes next, with the sun high up and everything at its brightest. Evening follows, as the sun starts sinking lower and the sky begins to change colour. Night is the darkest part, when the sun has gone all the way down and it is time to rest.

At night you can often see the moon glowing and tiny bright stars scattered all across the dark sky.

Most mornings start with opening your eyes, maybe stretching, and then getting out of bed to start the day.

Our bodies have their own built-in clock that notices when it gets dark outside and starts telling us to feel sleepy. Sleeping at night lets our bodies and brains rest and recharge after a busy day, kind of like plugging in a device to charge overnight. People slept mostly at night long before clocks or lights existed, simply following the darkness, and our bodies still work that same way today.

Long before pocket clocks and phones, people looked at where the sun was in the sky to guess the time. Sun low in the sky meant morning or evening. Sun high overhead meant it was around midday. Shadows helped too, a short shadow near your feet meant the sun was high up, while a long shadow meant it was earlier or later in the day. People also listened for roosters crowing at sunrise to know a new day was starting.

Getting ready for bed often means putting on pajamas, brushing your teeth, and maybe reading a story together.