Earth and Sky Class 1

The Sky

The sky is the big open space above us that we see when we look up. During the day, the sky usually looks bright and blue due to the presence of the sun.
At night, when the sun goes down, the sky gets really dark and we can see the moon and stars.

The Sun

a) During the day, when we look up at the sky, we see the sun. It looks like a bright yellow or orange circle.
b) The Sun is like a big ball of hot, glowing gas.
c) It's like a giant star that gives us light and warmth.
d) The sun is very, very far away from us, even though it looks close.
e) Plants also need the sun to grow. They use sunlight along with carbon dioxide and other nutrients to make food.

The Moon

a) At night, we are able to see the moon up in the sky.
b) Moon doesn't give off its own light, but it reflects the light from the sun. That's why it looks bright and shiny in the night sky.
c) The moon is made up of rocks and dust. It has a solid surface, unlike the Sun.
d) The moon does not have any atmosphere, air or water to support life.
e) The moon changes its shape. Sometimes it looks like a big round circle and it even disappears. We call these different shapes "phases" of the moon.
f) When the moon is full and bright, it's called a full moon.
g) Sometimes the moon disappears completely. We call this a new moon.

Here are a few different shapes of moon:

Stars

a) Stars are like little sparkly lights that we see in the night sky.
b) Stars are very, very far away from us.
c) They are like giant balls of burning gas, somewhat like the Sun, but much farther away.
d) Some stars are brighter than others and we call them "bright stars."
e) Stars have different sizes too – some are big and some are small.

Planets

Planets are huge round objects that circle the sun, just like the Earth.

There are 8 planets in our solar system. These are:

a) Mercury
b) Venus
c) Earth
d) Mars
e) Jupiter
f) Saturn
g) Uranus
h) Neptune

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why does it get dark at night?

The earth rotates, so when our side of the Earth faces away from the sun at night, it becomes dark.

2. Why moon is half sometimes?

The moon looks half sometimes because it moves around the earth, and the sunlight only shines on part of it. When the lit part faces us, we see a half-moon.

3. Why moon has different shapes?

The moon has different shapes because of the way it moves around the earth. Sometimes, it's a round full moon and other times, it's a crescent or a half moon. This happens because the sun's light hits it from different angles.

4. What causes day and night?

The reason day and night exist is because the earth spins like a spinning top. It is daytime while it is facing the sun, and dark when it is not.