Why Do We Have Day and Night?

What Crafty Clover says in this video

Intro

Hey there, curious minds! I'm Crafty Clover! Let's discover something amazing. Why do we have day and night?

The Big Idea

Earth spins like a top! The half facing the sun has day, and the half turned away has night. One full spin takes about 24 hours.

Sun Shines

Step one: the sun shines. The sun lights up one side of Earth at a time, the way a lamp lights up one side of a ball. The other side is in shadow, and that shadow is night.

Earth Rotates, Your Spot Faces the Sun

Step two: Earth rotates, and your spot faces the sun. Earth slowly turns, and as your spot rotates toward the light, day begins. The sun isn't moving much in a day. We are the ones rotating into the light, like riding a merry-go-round.

Your Spot Turns Away

Step three: your spot turns away, and the next sunrise comes. As Earth keeps spinning, your spot turns into the shadow, and dusk arrives. After a full spin, the turning planet brings the morning back. Sunrise is you riding onto the sunny side, not the sun leaping up a wall.

A Closer Look

Let's take a closer look at day and night! The sun shines on one side of Earth. The day side faces the sun, and the night side faces away. And the spin keeps carrying us from one to the other.

Quick Facts

Quick facts! It is always daytime somewhere on Earth. People on the other side are having the opposite mealtime. A globe and a lamp make a great model. Late summer sunsets still mean it's time to sleep, and dark winter mornings need lights for walking.

Think Like a Scientist

Now, think like a scientist! With a grown-up, turn a globe next to a lamp. When does your town enter the shadow? What made night, a moving sun or a turning Earth? Put a sticker on your town and watch it spin.

Outro

Earth spins, and that's how we get day and night! Crafty Clover can be found on Amazon Books, Google Bookstore, and Apple Books. Available for purchase or download! Bye for now!