Video narration
How does a plant make its own food? Does it take food from the soil, or do people have to feed it? Think of a kitchen: you bring together what you need to make a meal. A green leaf is the plant's tiny kitchen. But the soil is not its food. Water travels from the soil into the plant, while sunlight gives the leaf the energy it needs. The leaf also takes in carbon dioxide, a gas in the air. Now the kitchen has what it needs: sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. With sunlight giving it energy, the leaf uses water and carbon dioxide to make food for the plant, and releases oxygen into the air. Photosynthesis means making food in the leaf. So where does the plant make its food? In its leaves, the plant's own food-making kitchens.