Zero

What do you have when you finish all your yummy snacks. Me. I am the number you have before you have one. I'm like an empty space, a quiet spot, or a cozy hole in a donut. I might seem like nothing, but I am very important. Hello there, I'm the number Zero.

A long, long time ago, people found it tricky to write down big numbers. How would you write ten. If you just wrote '1', how would anyone know you didn't mean one. That's where I came in. I love to hold a spot. When I stand next to the 1, it becomes 10. I make sure everyone knows that the 1 is in the tens place. Around the 7th century, some very clever thinkers in a place called India realized I wasn't just a placeholder. They saw that I was a real number, and they gave me my very own round shape: 0.

Today, you can find me everywhere. I'm on the clock when a new hour starts. I'm on your birthday cake with the number 10. And my favorite job is starting a countdown for something exciting. 3. 2. 1. ZERO. Blast off. Even though I mean 'nothing,' I'm also the start of everything. I show you when you have a fresh, empty page to draw on or a clean plate ready for a delicious meal. I am the beginning of so many new adventures.