Hello! My name is Sunny, and I am a young sunflower. I live in Haeun's garden, and she waters me every morning before school. Do you know how I eat? I do not have a mouth, but I can still make my own food.
My kitchen is inside my green leaves, and the first thing I need is sunlight. My leaves are green because they have chlorophyll, and it helps them catch light from the sun. Sunlight gives me the energy I need to cook my food.
Next, I need water. My roots drink water from the soil, and the water moves up my stem to my leaves. I also need air, so I take in a gas called carbon dioxide through tiny holes in my leaves.
Now my leaves use the energy from sunlight to turn water and carbon dioxide into sugar. This sugar is my food, and it helps me grow tall and strong. I keep some of it in my stem and roots for later. Scientists call this special work photosynthesis.
Photosynthesis also makes oxygen, and I send it out into the air. People and animals need oxygen to breathe, so we all need green plants. In return, when you breathe out, you give me the carbon dioxide that I need.
So the next time you walk past a tree or a flower, please say thank you. We plants work hard every day, even when you cannot see it!