https://rankitanki.com/ The world, explained for kids. Big questions, easy answers from Ranki and Tanki. en https://rankitanki.com/space/why-sun-shines/https://rankitanki.com/space/why-sun-shines/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTSpaceThe Sun is a star, a giant ball of very hot gas. Deep in its centre, tiny bits of gas are squeezed together so hard that they join up. This makes huge amounts of light and heat. https://rankitanki.com/space/moon-phases/https://rankitanki.com/space/moon-phases/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTSpaceThe Moon does not really change shape. It has no light of its own and is lit by the Sun. As it travels around the Earth, we see more or less of its sunny side. https://rankitanki.com/space/planets-solar-system/https://rankitanki.com/space/planets-solar-system/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTSpaceEight planets travel around the Sun. In order they are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. The first four are small and rocky. The other four are giants made mostly of gas and ice. https://rankitanki.com/space/why-stars-twinkle/https://rankitanki.com/space/why-stars-twinkle/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTSpaceStars twinkle because their light has to pass through the air around the Earth. The air is always moving, and it bends the light a tiny bit, again and again. So the star seems to flicker. https://rankitanki.com/space/astronauts-space/https://rankitanki.com/space/astronauts-space/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTSpaceAstronauts live on the International Space Station, high above the Earth. Everything floats there, so they eat food from packets, sleep in bags fixed to the wall and exercise every day to keep their bodies strong. https://rankitanki.com/animals/bees-honey/https://rankitanki.com/animals/bees-honey/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTAnimalsWorker bees suck a sweet juice called nectar from flowers. Back at the hive, they pass it from bee to bee, store it in wax cells and fan it with their wings until it turns thick and sticky. That is honey. https://rankitanki.com/animals/why-cats-purr/https://rankitanki.com/animals/why-cats-purr/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTAnimalsCats purr using their voice box, deep in the throat. They purr when they are happy and relaxed. But they also purr when they are hurt or nervous, maybe to calm themselves down. https://rankitanki.com/animals/fish-breathe/https://rankitanki.com/animals/fish-breathe/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTAnimalsFish need oxygen, just like us. There is a little oxygen mixed into water. Fish take in water through their mouth and push it out over their gills. The gills catch the oxygen and pass it into the blood. https://rankitanki.com/animals/birds-migrate/https://rankitanki.com/animals/birds-migrate/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTAnimalsIn winter, many insects and other foods disappear. So some birds fly to warmer places where there is enough to eat. In spring they fly back to build nests and raise their chicks. This journey is called migration. https://rankitanki.com/animals/biggest-animal/https://rankitanki.com/animals/biggest-animal/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTAnimalsThe biggest animal in the world is the blue whale. It can grow up to about 30 metres long. As far as scientists know, it is the biggest animal that has ever lived, even bigger than the dinosaurs. https://rankitanki.com/nature/why-sky-blue/https://rankitanki.com/nature/why-sky-blue/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTNature & WeatherSunlight is a mix of all colours. When it hits the air, the tiny bits of air bounce blue light around much more than red light. So blue light comes at us from every part of the sky. https://rankitanki.com/nature/rainbow/https://rankitanki.com/nature/rainbow/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTNature & WeatherA rainbow appears when sunlight shines into raindrops while the Sun is behind you. Each drop bends the light and splits it into its colours. Millions of drops together paint the bow in the sky. https://rankitanki.com/nature/water-cycle/https://rankitanki.com/nature/water-cycle/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTNature & WeatherRain comes from clouds. The Sun warms water in seas, lakes and puddles, and it rises into the air as an invisible gas. High up it cools into tiny droplets that make clouds. When the droplets join and get heavy, they fall as rain. https://rankitanki.com/nature/volcanoes/https://rankitanki.com/nature/volcanoes/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTNature & WeatherDeep inside the Earth, some rock is so hot that it melts into magma. Gas in the magma builds up pressure, a bit like the fizz in a shaken bottle. When the pressure gets too strong, the magma bursts out of a volcano. https://rankitanki.com/nature/plants-food/https://rankitanki.com/nature/plants-food/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTNature & WeatherPlants make their own food in their leaves. They use sunlight, water from the soil and a gas from the air called carbon dioxide to make sugar. While they do this, they let out oxygen, the gas we need to breathe. https://rankitanki.com/body/why-sleep/https://rankitanki.com/body/why-sleep/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTMy BodySleep gives your body time to grow and repair itself. Your brain uses the night to sort and save what you learned during the day. Children aged 6 to 12 need about 9 to 12 hours of sleep each night. https://rankitanki.com/body/heart/https://rankitanki.com/body/heart/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTMy BodyYour heart is a strong muscle that works like a pump. Every time it squeezes, it pushes blood through tubes to every part of your body. The blood carries oxygen and food that your body needs to keep going. https://rankitanki.com/body/bones/https://rankitanki.com/body/bones/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTMy BodyBones give your body its shape and hold you up. They protect soft parts inside you, like your brain, heart and lungs. Together with your muscles, they help you move. https://rankitanki.com/body/digestion/https://rankitanki.com/body/digestion/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTMy BodyYour body breaks food into tiny pieces it can use. Teeth and spit start the job, your stomach mashes the food, and your small intestine takes the useful parts into your blood. What is left leaves your body when you go to the toilet. https://rankitanki.com/body/baby-teeth/https://rankitanki.com/body/baby-teeth/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTMy BodyYour baby teeth are small, just right for a small mouth. As you grow, bigger adult teeth form in your jaw underneath them. The new teeth push up, the baby teeth get wobbly and fall out, and the adult teeth take their place. https://rankitanki.com/technology/internet/https://rankitanki.com/technology/internet/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTHow Things WorkThe internet is a giant network that links computers and phones all over the world. Every message is cut into tiny packets. They race through radio waves and cables, even under the sea, and join up again at the end. https://rankitanki.com/technology/planes-fly/https://rankitanki.com/technology/planes-fly/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTHow Things WorkA plane’s wings are shaped and tilted to push air downwards. The air pushes back and lifts the wings up. The engines keep the plane moving fast, because wings only make lift when air rushes over them. https://rankitanki.com/technology/robots/https://rankitanki.com/technology/robots/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTHow Things WorkA robot is a machine that can do jobs on its own. It senses the world with sensors, decides what to do with a computer program, and acts with motors, wheels or arms. https://rankitanki.com/technology/electricity/https://rankitanki.com/technology/electricity/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTHow Things WorkPower stations make electricity, often by spinning a generator. It travels along power lines on tall pylons. Transformers turn it down to a safer level, and wires carry it into your home. https://rankitanki.com/technology/magnets/https://rankitanki.com/technology/magnets/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTHow Things WorkA magnet pulls things made of iron or steel with an invisible force called a magnetic field. Every magnet has a north and a south pole. Opposite poles pull together, and the same poles push apart. https://rankitanki.com/history/dinosaurs/https://rankitanki.com/history/dinosaurs/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTLong AgoAbout 66 million years ago, a giant asteroid crashed into the Earth. Dust blocked the sunlight, plants died and most dinosaurs ran out of food. But some small feathered dinosaurs survived. Today we call them birds. https://rankitanki.com/history/pyramids/https://rankitanki.com/history/pyramids/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTLong AgoAbout 4,500 years ago, thousands of skilled Egyptian workers built the pyramids as tombs for their kings. They cut stone with copper tools, pulled blocks on wooden sledges over wet sand and dragged them up ramps. https://rankitanki.com/history/vikings/https://rankitanki.com/history/vikings/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTLong AgoThe Vikings were people from Scandinavia who lived about 1,200 to 1,000 years ago. Most were farmers, but many were also sailors, traders and explorers. Some raided other lands, and some sailed all the way to North America. https://rankitanki.com/history/castles/https://rankitanki.com/history/castles/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTLong AgoIn the Middle Ages, castles were homes and forts for rich lords and ladies. Lots of people lived and worked inside, like cooks, servants and guards. Castles were strong, but also cold, dark and smoky. https://rankitanki.com/history/writing-invented/https://rankitanki.com/history/writing-invented/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTLong AgoWriting was invented more than 5,000 years ago in Mesopotamia, mostly in what is now Iraq. The Sumerians pressed wedge shapes into wet clay to keep count of things like grain and sheep. Later, people in other places invented writing too. https://rankitanki.com/world/countries-world/https://rankitanki.com/world/countries-world/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTAround the WorldMost lists count about 195 countries. That is the 193 members of the United Nations, plus Vatican City and Palestine, which take part as observers. Other lists can give slightly different numbers. https://rankitanki.com/world/languages/https://rankitanki.com/world/languages/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTAround the WorldLong ago, groups of people moved to new places and lived far apart. Their words slowly changed in different ways. After a very long time, they spoke different languages. Today there are more than 7,000. https://rankitanki.com/world/day-night/https://rankitanki.com/world/day-night/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTAround the WorldThe Earth spins around once about every 24 hours. The Sun can only light up the half of the Earth that faces it. That half has day, and the other half has night. https://rankitanki.com/world/school-world/https://rankitanki.com/world/school-world/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTAround the WorldSchool is different in every country. Children start at different ages, some wear uniforms and some do not, and holidays fall at different times. But everywhere, children learn, play and make friends. https://rankitanki.com/world/continents/https://rankitanki.com/world/continents/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTAround the WorldThe seven continents are Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America. A continent is a huge piece of land. Asia is the biggest, Australia is the smallest and Antarctica is the coldest. https://rankitanki.com/feelings/feeling-angry/https://rankitanki.com/feelings/feeling-angry/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTFeelings & FriendsAnger is a normal feeling that everybody has. A part of your brain works like an alarm and gets your body ready for action. It is okay to feel angry, but not okay to hurt anyone or break things. https://rankitanki.com/feelings/good-friend/https://rankitanki.com/feelings/good-friend/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTFeelings & FriendsGood friends listen, share, take turns and use kind words. They say sorry when they get something wrong. And they include others, so nobody feels left out. https://rankitanki.com/feelings/why-laugh/https://rankitanki.com/feelings/why-laugh/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTFeelings & FriendsLaughing helps people feel close and shows that we are friendly. We laugh much more with other people than when we are alone. Laughing is also catching, so one laugh can set off many more. https://rankitanki.com/feelings/feeling-nervous/https://rankitanki.com/feelings/feeling-nervous/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTFeelings & FriendsButterflies in your tummy are a nervous feeling, not real butterflies. Your body’s alarm system gets you ready for something big, and that makes your tummy feel fluttery. It is normal, and it goes away again. https://rankitanki.com/feelings/kindness/https://rankitanki.com/feelings/kindness/Sat, 31 Oct 2026 09:00:00 GMTFeelings & FriendsBeing kind makes other people feel good, and it often makes you feel good too. Kindness also spreads. When people are treated kindly, they are more likely to be kind to others.