Nature questions kids ask, answered
Every answer is written for children aged 5-11 in Eartha's voice, then backed up with a longer explanation, a hands-on activity and a note for grown-ups linking the idea to the Australian Curriculum. 51 questions and growing.
Australian animals
- Why do wombats do square poos?Wombat poo comes out with flat sides, almost like little cubes! Their intestines squeeze the poo in a special …
- Why do echidnas have spikes?An echidna's spikes are for protection! They are actually stiff, hollow hairs, not sharp bones. When a scary a…
- Why do kangaroos hop?Kangaroos hop because it's the easiest way for them to move fast! Their strong back legs work like giant sprin…
- Why do koalas sleep so much?Koalas sleep up to twenty hours a day because their food gives them very little energy! They mostly eat eucaly…
- Why does a platypus look so weird?A platypus looks like a mix-and-match animal because it's built for a very specific life in the water. It has …
- Why are ibis called bin chickens?People call ibis bin chickens because they often dig through rubbish bins in cities to find food! Long ago, ib…
- Why do blue-tongue lizards stick out their tongues?A blue-tongue lizard sticks out its bright blue tongue to scare off danger! Most predators have never seen suc…
- Why do Tasmanian devils scream?Tasmanian devils screech and screech to sort out who gets to eat first, not because they're truly angry. When …
Weather and sky
- Why is the sky blue?Sunlight looks white, but it's actually made of every colour mixed together. When it hits our air, blue light …
- Where does rain come from?Rain comes from clouds, and clouds come from water that has travelled up into the sky. The sun warms puddles, …
- How are rainbows made?Rainbows happen when sunlight meets raindrops still floating in the air. Each raindrop acts like a tiny prism,…
- What is thunder?Thunder is the sound made by lightning. Lightning is so hot that it heats the air around it faster than you ca…
- What are clouds made of?Clouds are made of millions and millions of tiny water droplets, or sometimes tiny bits of ice, floating toget…
- Why do we have seasons?Seasons happen because our planet is slightly tilted as it travels around the sun. When your part of the world…
- What makes wind?Wind is just air rushing from one place to another. The sun warms some places more than others, and warm air b…
- Why does the sky turn red and orange at sunset?At sunset, sunlight has to travel through much more air to reach your eyes than it does at midday. Along the w…
Plants and trees
- How do trees drink water?Trees drink through their roots, like a straw in the ground! Tiny root hairs soak up water from the soil. Then…
- What is photosynthesis?Photosynthesis is how plants make their own food using sunlight! Leaves catch sunlight, then mix it with water…
- How does a seed become a plant?A seed wakes up when it gets water, warmth and a cosy spot in soil. This waking up is called germination. Firs…
- What do roots do?Roots have two big jobs. First, they hold a plant steady in the ground, like anchors, so wind can't blow it aw…
- Why do leaves change colour?Leaves change colour when it starts getting cooler and there's less sunlight. The green colouring, called chlo…
- Why do gum trees drop their bark?Gum trees shed their old bark to make room for growing! As the trunk grows wider underneath, the outer bark ca…
- Why do some plants have flowers?Flowers are a plant's way of making seeds for baby plants! Bright colours and yummy smells invite bees and oth…
Oceans and water
- Why is the sea salty?Rain falls on rocks and picks up tiny bits of salt and minerals. Rivers carry that salty water down to the sea…
- What makes waves?Wind is the main wave-maker! As wind blows over the ocean, it pushes and ripples the water's surface. The stro…
- What are tides?Tides are when the sea rises up the beach and then falls back again, twice a day. This happens because the moo…
- What is coral?Coral is actually a tiny living animal, not a plant or a rock! Thousands of little coral animals called polyps…
- Why does the Great Barrier Reef matter?The Great Barrier Reef is home to thousands of amazing sea creatures, like fish, turtles and sharks. It stretc…
- Where do puddles go when they dry up?Puddles don't really disappear, they just change! The sun warms up the water, and it slowly turns into invisib…
- Why does the ocean look blue?Sunlight is actually made of lots of colours mixed together. When light hits the ocean, water soaks up most of…
Bugs and pollinators
- How do bees help plants?Bees help plants by carrying pollen from flower to flower. This is called pollination, and it lets plants make…
- How do ants find food?Ants find food with their super sniffy antennae, then leave a smelly trail for their friends to follow. When o…
- How do spiders make webs?Spiders make webs using silk that comes from their own bodies, like invisible thread from a built-in factory. …
- How does a caterpillar become a butterfly?A caterpillar becomes a butterfly through an amazing change called metamorphosis. First it eats lots of leaves…
- Why are worms good for soil?Worms are good for soil because they dig tunnels that let air and water reach plant roots. As they munch throu…
- Why do bees make honey?Bees make honey so they have food to eat when flowers are hard to find, like in winter. They collect sweet nec…
- Are all bugs helpful?Most bugs play an important job in nature, even if it is not always obvious. Bees pollinate, worms improve soi…
Caring for the planet
- What can we recycle?We can recycle paper, cardboard, glass jars, metal cans and hard plastic bottles. They go in the yellow-lid bi…
- What happens to rubbish in the bin?Most rubbish gets picked up by a truck and taken to a landfill, a big area where it's buried in the ground. So…
- What is composting?Composting is turning food scraps and garden waste into rich soil food. Worms, bugs and tiny microbes munch it…
- How can we save water?We can save water by taking shorter showers, turning off the tap while we brush our teeth, and fixing dripping…
- Why does litter hurt animals?Animals can get tangled in litter or think it's food and try to eat it, which can make them sick. That's why w…
- Why do we plant trees?We plant trees because they give us clean air to breathe, shade on hot days, and homes for birds and animals. …
- What is renewable energy?Renewable energy is power that comes from things that never run out, like sunshine, wind and moving water. We …
- How do solar panels work?Solar panels catch sunlight and turn it straight into electricity, using special layers inside them. No burnin…
Big feelings about climate
- What is climate change?Climate change means our planet's weather patterns are shifting because the air is trapping more heat than bef…
- Is the Earth going to be okay?Yes, Earth is going to be okay, and so are we. Earth has been changing for billions of years, and right now lo…
- Why is it getting hotter?It's getting hotter because burning things like coal and petrol puts extra gases into the air, and those gases…
- What can one kid do to help?One kid can do a lot! You can turn off lights, walk or ride instead of driving sometimes, plant something gree…
- Why do some animals lose their homes?Some animals lose their homes when their habitat changes too fast for them to adjust, like ice melting under a…
- What do I do when climate news feels scary?When climate news feels scary, it helps to pause, take a slow breath, and talk to a grown-up you trust. Feelin…
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