Can you see air? No! Can you hold air in your hands? No! But when you blow up a balloon, what fills it up? Air!
Air is all around us. We cannot see it, taste it, or smell it, but we can feel it when the wind blows. Without air, no living thing can survive.
Air is Everywhere
Air fills every empty space around us -- inside our homes, in our classrooms, in the playground, and even inside an empty glass. There is air inside a football, inside a tyre, and inside a packet of chips.
Air Takes Up Space
When you blow air into a balloon, the balloon gets bigger. This shows that air takes up space. If you push an empty glass upside down into a bucket of water, the water does not go all the way up because air inside the glass takes up space.
Uses of Air
| Use | How Air Helps |
|---|---|
| Breathing | All living things need air to breathe and stay alive |
| Drying clothes | Air helps wet clothes dry on a clothesline |
| Flying kites | Wind (moving air) lifts kites into the sky during Makar Sankranti |
| Wind energy | Windmills use moving air to make electricity (seen in Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu) |
| Burning | Fire needs air to burn; without air, a candle goes out |
| Sailing boats | Wind pushes the sails of boats in Kerala's backwaters |
Wind is Moving Air
When air moves from one place to another, we call it wind. A gentle wind is called a breeze. A very strong wind is called a storm. Wind helps in spreading seeds, turning windmills, and drying clothes.
Dirty air is called polluted air. Smoke from vehicles, factories, and burning garbage makes the air dirty. Polluted air can make us sick -- it causes coughing, breathing problems, and diseases.
Simple Ways to Keep Air Clean:
Raju blew air into a flat football. The football became round and firm. This shows that air takes up space inside the football.
During Makar Sankranti in Gujarat, children fly kites. The wind lifts the kites high into the sky. Without wind (moving air), kites cannot fly.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Air | A mixture of gases that surrounds the Earth |
| Wind | Air that is moving |
| Breeze | A gentle, light wind |
| Oxygen | The gas in air that living things need to breathe |
| Pollution | When harmful things mix with air and make it dirty |
Try these at home and write what you observed:
1. Wave a notebook near your face. What do you feel? ______________________________
2. Blow air into a polythene bag and tie it. Press it gently. What happens? ______________________________
3. Put a straw in a glass of water and blow. What do you see? ______________________________
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Can you see air? No! Can you hold air in your hands? No! But when you blow up a balloon, what fills it up? Air!
Air is all around us. We cannot see it, taste it, or smell it, but we can feel it when the wind blows. Without air, no living thing can survive.
Air is Everywhere
Air fills every empty space around us -- inside our homes, in our classrooms, in the playground, and even inside an empty glass. There is air inside a football, inside a tyre, and inside a packet of chips.
Air Takes Up Space
When you blow air into a balloon, the balloon gets bigger. This shows that air takes up space. If you push an empty glass upside down into a bucket of water, the water does not go all the way up because air inside the glass takes up space.
Think about it: When you blow into a straw placed in a glass of water, you see bubbles. Those bubbles are air coming out!
Uses of Air
| Use | How Air Helps |
|---|---|
| Breathing | All living things need air to breathe and stay alive |
| Drying clothes | Air helps wet clothes dry on a clothesline |
| Flying kites | Wind (moving air) lifts kites into the sky during Makar Sankranti |
| Wind energy | Windmills use moving air to make electricity (seen in Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu) |
| Burning | Fire needs air to burn; without air, a candle goes out |
| Sailing boats | Wind pushes the sails of boats in Kerala's backwaters |
Wind is Moving Air
When air moves from one place to another, we call it wind. A gentle wind is called a breeze. A very strong wind is called a storm. Wind helps in spreading seeds, turning windmills, and drying clothes.
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Air | A mixture of gases that surrounds the Earth |
| Wind | Air that is moving |
| Breeze | A gentle, light wind |
| Oxygen | The gas in air that living things need to breathe |
| Pollution | When harmful things mix with air and make it dirty |
Dirty air is called polluted air. Smoke from vehicles, factories, and burning garbage makes the air dirty. Polluted air can make us sick -- it causes coughing, breathing problems, and diseases.
Simple Ways to Keep Air Clean:
Raju blew air into a flat football. The football became round and firm. This shows that air takes up space inside the football.
During Makar Sankranti in Gujarat, children fly kites. The wind lifts the kites high into the sky. Without wind (moving air), kites cannot fly.
A. Fill in the Blanks
B. True or False
C. Multiple Choice Questions
D. Answer in One Sentence
Try these at home and write what you observed:
1. Wave a notebook near your face. What do you feel? ______________________________
2. Blow air into a polythene bag and tie it. Press it gently. What happens? ______________________________
3. Put a straw in a glass of water and blow. What do you see? ______________________________