How plants make food
Plants are amazing! Unlike animals, they can make their own food. This food-making process is called photosynthesis. It happens mostly in the green leaves.
To make food, a plant needs four things: sunlight, water, carbon dioxide and a green colour called chlorophyll. Chlorophyll is found in the leaves and traps the energy in sunlight.
Key idea
sunlight + water + carbon dioxide → food (sugar) + oxygen. This only happens in green plants.
Where each part comes from
- Roots soak up water from the soil.
- Leaves take in carbon dioxide from the air.
- Leaves catch sunlight using chlorophyll.
The plant turns these into sugar, which is its food. It also gives out oxygen, the gas we need to breathe.
Example
On a sunny day, a leafy tree makes lots of food and lets out oxygen. That is why forests help keep our air fresh.
Remember
- Photosynthesis happens in the day, when there is light.
- It gives out oxygen for animals and people.