Carbon Cycle

Hello there. Have you ever wondered how a tiny seed grows into a giant, strong tree? Or how the bubbles get into your fizzy drink? That’s me at work. I am a secret traveler and a super builder. I’m in the air you breathe out, the yummy food you eat, and even in sparkly diamonds hidden deep in the earth. I go on an amazing adventure, over and over, without ever stopping. I travel from the sky to the plants, into the animals, and back to the sky again. I am like the world's best delivery service, carrying the building blocks for life everywhere I go. So, what am I? I am the Carbon Cycle, and I connect everything on our wonderful planet.

For a long, long time, people didn't know I was here. They saw plants grow toward the sun and animals breathe in and out, but they couldn't see how it was all connected. It was a big mystery. Then, some very curious people started to investigate, which means they looked very closely to find answers. One of them, a scientist named Joseph Priestley, did an experiment on August 1st, 1774. He discovered a special kind of air that made candles burn extra bright. He didn’t know it yet, but he had found oxygen. A few years later, another brilliant scientist named Antoine Lavoisier gave oxygen its name. He also figured out that the element I'm made of, carbon, is a special building block for all living things. He showed how animals breathe in oxygen and breathe me out as a gas called carbon dioxide. Slowly, like pieces of a puzzle, they started to see my amazing journey for the first time.

So how am I part of your life? I am in the apple you crunch and the pages of your favorite book. Plants breathe me in from the air to make their food and grow tall—that’s a big word called photosynthesis. When you eat a juicy strawberry, you’re getting some of my energy. When you breathe out, you send me back into the air for the plants to use again. I travel from the sky to the land, dive deep into the ocean, and then go all the way back up again. I work hard to keep our Earth like a cozy blanket—not too hot and not too cold. This is called keeping things in balance. You can help me do my job by taking care of our world. When you help plant a tree or care for a garden, you’re helping me keep our planet a happy and healthy home for everyone.