Page 1
Amazing Air
What is something you can't see but
is all around you?
What makes the wind whisper through the trees?
What holds an airplane in the sky?
The answer to all these questions is air.
Page 2
What is Air?
Hold out your hands and run fast as you can. Air brushes against your fingertips.
You can't see air, but you know it's there. You can feel it. Air is a mixture of invisible gases.
Page 3
Air's Power
Air has weight. Your bedroom
could have 100 pounds
(45 kilograms) of air in it!
Then why aren't you squashed?
You can't feel air's weight
because it is pushing at you
from all directions.
Page 4
When air moves, it
creates wind.
Wind pushes clouds
across the sky.
It makes flags flutter
and papers fly from
your backpack.
Page 5
Air for Life
Put your hands on you chest,
and take a deep breath.
What happens? Your chest rises
because your lungs are filling
with air. Oxygen from air flows
into your body.
Page 6
You could live only a few minutes without oxygen.
All plants and animals need oxygen, too.
Page 7
Air and Sound
Imagine you're saying your name.
Your lips move, but no sound comes
out. That is how it would be without air.
Sound travels through air like waves
traveling through water. It carries the
noises of your world around you.
Page 8
Useful Air
Has your bike ever had a flat tire?
What happened?
Air leaked out of
the tire.
Page 9
The tires on your bike need air to keep them rolling. So do tires on cars, trucks,
and buses.
Page 10
Air fills the sails on sailboats and pushes them
along the water. Air gets under the wings of birds
and flies them through the sky.
Air is even strong enough to hold up an airplane!
Page 11
The Atmosphere
Like a blanket,
air surrounds our planet.
This layer of air
surrounding Earth is called
the atmosphere.
The atmosphere protects
all living things.
Page 12
The atmosphere blocks out many of the sun's harmful rays. But it lets helpful rays pass through the Earth.
The atmosphere traps the heat from the sun. It makes our world warm enough for life to grow.
Page 13
Keeping Air Clean
Everything on Earth needs air.
But smoke from cars and factories can make air dirty.
Air pollution can make people sick. It can kill plants and animals.
Page 14
You can help keep air clean. Walk instead of drive. Saving electricity helps,too. So remember to turn off the lights.
Page 15
It's everyone's job to protect the air.
After all, even though we can't see air, it keeps us alive!
