Where does the air go when you breathe in?

Put your hand on your chest. Now take a slow, big breath in. Did you feel your chest rise up under your hand?

Air is all around you, but you cannot see it. With every breath, some of it goes inside you. So where does the air go when you breathe in?

Your breath starts at your nose. Inside your nose, tiny hairs catch bits of dust. Those hairs work like a little net. That way, cleaner air goes on deeper inside you.

Next, the air slides down into your neck. There it enters your windpipe, which means the tube in your neck that carries air down. Your windpipe works like a straw for air. The air keeps going down, down, down.

At the bottom, your windpipe splits into two smaller tubes. One tube goes to each side of your chest. Now the air has two ways to go. Where do you think those two tubes lead?

They lead to your lungs, which means the two soft bags in your chest that hold air. Each tube carries air into one lung. Your lungs sit right under the spot where your hand rested.

When you breathe in, your lungs fill up with air. They grow bigger, a bit like two balloons. Big breath in, big balloons! Your chest rose with them, right under your hand.

Your lungs fill up for a good reason. Deep inside them, your body takes something it needs from the air. Your body needs that all day and all night. That helps you run, play and grow strong.

Windpipe. Lungs. You pull air in through your nose, down your windpipe and into your lungs.

Goodnight, little one, and sweet dreams with every gentle breath.