Did you know that carbon is the fourth-most abundant element in the universe? Did you know it also is essential to life on Earth? Every living thing on the earth needs energy to survive. The main source of energy comes from the sun, but only a few living things can use sunlight directly as a source of energy. Animals like us need help. That's where carbon comes in!

Carbon comes in two forms: diamond and graphite. Carbon contributes to the process of photosynthesis to help plants create food and give off oxygen. That oxygen let's us breathe and live. Not to mention, eating those plants provide food to keep us alive as well. Without carbon, there is no photosynthesis. Without photosynthesis there's no food!

The carbon cycle involves the exchange of carbon between organic and inorganic elements. Just like all the earth's cycles, there isn't a starting or ending point. It's a continuous process with several steps. Carbon moves from the atmosphere to plants, from plants to animals, plants and animals to the ground, living things to the atmosphere, fossil fuels to the atmosphere, and the atmosphere to the oceans. That's a lot of steps!

When carbon dioxide releases into the atmosphere, it acts as a greenhouse gas that helps keep the earth warm. However, there's an imbalance to this system, and too much carbon is being released into the atmosphere. Not enough is being absorbed, so Earth is warmer than it should be. There are ways to help slow the effects of climate change though, such as planting more trees and cutting fewer trees down.

We hope you and your student(s) enjoyed learning about this essential element! If you want to learn even more, head over to our website and download one of our many free lesson plans about landforms, full of activities, worksheets, and more!

What you will learn in Carbon Cycle for Kids:
0:00 Introduction to carbon
0:33 Why carbon is vital to life on Earth
1:22 How carbon contributes to photosynthesis
2:17 What the carbon cycle is and does for the planet
3:42 Solutions for helping climate change
4:11 Review of the facts

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