Have you ever wondered why you can run, jump, sing, dance, and play? We can do all of these fun things because of two processes. These processes are called photosynthesis and cellular respiration.

These sound like hard words to understand, but after my friends and I teach them to you, you will be the masters of cellular respiration and photosynthesis.

My friend Buddy the Bear is going to teach you about cellular respiration, and no, cellular respiration does not mean that your cell phone breathes.

Hi, guys! I'm Buddy the Bear and I'm here to teach you about cellular respiration. All living things like you and me need energy to live. Cellular respiration gives all living things the energy to allow us to do things that we like.

The equation for cellular respiration is C6H12O6 + 6O2 --> 6H2O + 6CO2 + ATP. C6H12O6 is glucose which is a type of sugar. O2 is oxygen which is what is in the air and allows us to breathe. H2O is water which all living things need to stay alive. CO2 is carbon dioxide which is a gas that comes out of people when we let out a breath. ATP is a molecule that stores and provides the cell with energy.

Cellular respiration takes place in the mitochondria. The mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell because it gives the cell energy. All of this looks very fancy but an easy way to explain it is that we eat food, it goes into our cells as sugar, the oxygen we breathe helps our cells to break down the sugar into energy called ATP. After this process is done, water (coming out through the spigot, and carbon dioxide are formed, coming out through the chimney, and both go back into the air. This is all done through 4 processes which are glycolysis, pyruvate oxidation, Krebs cycle, and oxidative phosphorylation.

Did you ever hear of ATP? The big word it stands for is adenosine triphosphate. I think ATP is easier. Anyway, ATP is a form of energy that your body uses to do work. Have you ever played kickball on the playground with your friends? It takes a lot of energy to do this. Inside the cells of your body is ATP and it uses this energy so that you can play and have fun.

Cellular respiration changes food into a form of energy that cells can use called ATP. So, when your parents want you to eat all your dinner, don't argue with them because it will give you a

lot of energy!

Yum! I have a nice juicy fish to eat right now but I would sure like to get into that farmer's garden. He has a lot of good food that would give my body all the sugar and energy I need.

So, how do animals and humans get this glucose they need for cellular respiration. Since we're called heterotrophs, meaning we can't make our own food in our bodies, we have to eat food in order to get this sugar. The oxygen that is needed for cellular respiration comes from breathing. When you mix these two things together you get ATP or energy and water and carbon dioxide go back into the air.