Earth Facts for Kids

Earth, the planet that we live in, is the only planet in the solar system that is known to harbor any life form. To make your kids really interested and aware of the planet, you need to teach them some amazing facts about our planet. When you teach your children about the earth, do so in such a way that they are able to grasp the information, without making it boring and tedious. Taking your children to a planetarium is a very good way to teach them about our planet as it gives them a good perspective of our planet in relation with the Universe. So, here are some interesting facts about earth for kids.

Interesting Earth Facts for Kids

Here are some amazing facts about Earth that are sure to make your kids more curious about the planet they live in.

• The Earth is the third planet from the sun and it is the fifth largest planet in the solar system.
• The water bodies cover nearly 70 percent of the Earth's surface and the oceans are at least 4 kilometers deep.
• The Earth rotates around its own axis that tilts at around 23 ½ degrees. It is because of this angle of inclination of 23 ½ degrees that we have the four seasons.
• Earth is the only planet in the solar system that does not derive its name from Greek or Roman mythology.
• The planet Earth is around 4.5 to 4.6 billion years old and the oldest known living organism is less than 3.9 billion years old.
• It is the only planet in the solar system that has plate tectonics. The tectonic plates are regions that are floating on top of the magma of the Earth and can move against each other.
• The earth is not a perfect sphere but is slightly flattened at the north and south poles. Its shape can be described as an oblate spheroid and the Earth's rotation causes the central portion to bulge out.
• The internal temperature of the earth i.e. the Earth's core is as high as 7500 Kelvin, which is hotter than the surface of the sun.
• The core of the earth is surrounded by the mantle which has a thickness of 2900 kilometers.
• The Earth's molten iron core creates a magnetic field, that extends several kilometers from the surface of the Earth. The Earth itself is like a giant magnet with the magnetic poles near the actual north and south poles.
• The Earth's magnetic field which is called magnetosphere is responsible for protecting us from the sun's solar wind, which would otherwise expose the Earth's surface with radiations.
• The Earth has only one natural satellite, the Moon and 2 co-orbital satellites called 3753 Cruithne and 2002 AA29.

Cool Earth Facts for Kids

Here are some fun planet earth facts for kids that they are sure to enjoy knowing.

• Mount Everest is the highest mountain on Earth and its peak is 8848 meters above sea level.
• The largest desert in the world is the Sahara desert and it covers around one-third of the continent of Africa.
• The Earth's atmosphere goes up to 10000 km from the surface of the Earth. Beyond this point any particle is free from the Earth's gravitational force and can escape into the space.
• The escape velocity of Earth i.e. the speed at which an object has to travel to break free from Earth's gravitational pull so as to escape into space is 11.2 km/sec.
• The average distance of the Earth from the sun is 149,597,870 km.
• Ocean tides are caused by the rotation of the Earth as the Moon and Sun's gravitational pull acts on the water bodies.
• Of all the oceans on Earth, the Atlantic ocean is the saltiest ocean.
• Because of the movement of plate tectonics, Hawaii is moving towards Japan at the speed of 10 cm a year.
• Due to gravitational effects, a person weighs slightly less when the moon is directly overhead.

These were some amazing and interesting facts about our planet that kids are sure to find fascinating. There are many Earth mysteries and knowing about them will make us appreciate the planet we live in more.