Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Nikki who loved to play with her toys. One day, one of the Nikki’s cousin, who shared the same birthday, gave her a toy spaceship that could travel at the speed of light.
Nikki was thrilled and decided to take it for a spin. She flew the spaceship around her room and noticed that time seemed to pass by faster for her cousin than it did for her.
When Nikki returned from her trip, she found that her cousin had aged much more than she had.
She asked her father, ” Papa…why am I feeling that my cousin has grown much older than me, though we were of same age when I started the trip?”
Her father replied, “This is because when you travel at the speed of light, time slows down for you. So, even though you had only been gone for a few minutes, your cousin had aged much more. This is called ‘Time Dilation’. Isn’t that amazing?”
Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Nikki. Nikki loved to help her mother in the kitchen. One day, Nikki’s mother was boiling water to make tea. Nikki was curious. She ran to her father and asked him , “Papa, why is the water boiling?” Her father replied, “The water is boiling because it has reached its boiling point.”
Nikki was confused and asked, “What is boiling point?” Her father explained, “Boiling point is the temperature at which a liquid turns into a gas. When we heat water, it gets hotter and hotter. When it reaches 100 degrees Celsius, it starts to boil and turns into steam.”
Nikki was fascinated and asked, “Can we see the boiling point?” Her father smiled and said, “Yes, we can see the boiling point. Watch the water carefully.” As they watched, the water started to bubble and steam rose from the pot. Nikki was amazed and exclaimed, “Wow, that’s so cool!”
From that day on, Nikki understood what boiling point meant. She loved to watch water boil and turn into steam. Whenever she saw steam rising from a pot, she would run and inform her mother, “Look, Mommy! The water has reached its boiling point!”
Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Nikki. She loved to visit her village farm. She enjoyed playing with the animals, picking fruits and vegetables, and exploring the fields and woods. One day, she noticed a big pile of dried corn stalks near the barn. She wondered what they were for.
“Papa, what are you going to do with these?” she asked, pointing at the pile.
“Oh, those are for the biomass power plant,” her father said. “They take them and burn them to make electricity.”
“Biomass power plant? What’s that?” Nikki asked.
“Well, it’s a place where they use biomass to make energy. Biomass is anything that comes from living things, like plants and animals. They can use wood, crops, manure, and even garbage to make biomass energy.”
“Wow, that sounds cool. But how does it work?” Nikki asked.
Her father smiled and took her hand. “Come on, I’ll show you. They have a tour every week. Maybe we can catch it.”
They got in the truck and drove to the nearby town, where the biomass power plant was located. It was a large building with a tall chimney and a lot of pipes and wires. They parked and joined a group of people who were waiting for the tour guide.
“Welcome to the biomass power plant,” the guide said. “My name is Vidhi, and I’m going to show you how we make energy from biomass. Follow me, please.”
Vidhi led them inside the plant, where they saw a conveyor belt carrying loads of biomass to a big furnace. Nikki saw corn stalks, wood chips, and even some banana peels and egg shells.
“Where does all this come from?” Nikki asked.
“Well, some of it comes from farms, like your Village farm. They grow crops like corn and wheat, and they give us the parts that they don’t need, like the stalks and the husks. Some of it comes from forests, where they cut down trees for lumber and paper, and they give us the branches and the bark. And some of it comes from homes and businesses, where they separate their organic waste, like food scraps and yard trimmings, and they give us that too.”
“So you take all this stuff and burn it?” Nikki asked.
“That’s right. We burn it in the furnace, which heats up water in a boiler. The water turns into steam, which spins a turbine. The turbine is connected to a generator, which makes electricity. The electricity goes to the power lines, which deliver it to the homes and businesses in the area.”
Nikki looked at the power lines and saw the lights and signs in the town. She realized that they were powered by the biomass plant.
“That’s amazing. So you make energy from things that would otherwise be thrown away?” Nikki asked.
“Exactly. And by doing that, we also help the environment. Because if we didn’t use biomass, we would have to use more fossil fuels, like coal and oil. Fossil fuels are very old and take a long time to form. They also release a lot of carbon dioxide, which is a gas that makes the Earth warmer and causes problems like melting ice and rising seas. Biomass, on the other hand, is renewable and carbon neutral. That means we can grow more of it, and it doesn’t add any extra carbon dioxide to the atmosphere. It’s like a cycle: the plants take in carbon dioxide when they grow, and they release it when they burn. So it balances out.”
Nikki nodded. She understood that biomass was a good way of making energy. She was glad that her grandpa was part of it.
“Thank you for showing us, Vidhi. This is very interesting,” father said.
“You’re very welcome. I hope you enjoyed the tour. Do you have any questions?” Vidhi asked.
Nikki raised her hand. “I have one. Can I take some of these banana peels and egg shells home? I want to make a compost pile in my backyard. Maybe I can grow some plants and make my own biomass energy.”
Vidhi smiled. “That’s a great idea, Nikki. You’re a very smart and eco-friendly girl. Of course you can take some. Here, let me help you.”
Vidhi gave Nikki a bag and helped her fill it with some biomass. Nikki thanked her and hugged her father.
“Let’s go home, Papa. I want to start my compost pile. And maybe we can make some banana bread and scrambled eggs too.”
“Sure thing, Nikki. Let’s go. I’m proud of you, my little biomass engineer.”
They got in the truck and drove back to the farm, happy and hungry. Nikki looked at the bag and smiled. She had learned a lot about biomass production, and she was excited to try it herself. She knew that biomass was a good way of making energy, and she wanted to be part of it too.
Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Nikki. She was very curious and loved to explore the world around her. One day, her father brought two magical devices – one long shiny tube with a big glass lens and the other a small device with tiny glass lens. She was very excited to use them but didn’t know what they were for. She asked her father, “Papa… what are these devices and what are they used for?”
Her father replied, ” Nikki…. the long, shiny tube with a big glass lens at one end is known as Telescope.” Her father further said, “Just look through its glass lens and tell me what do you see?” When Nikki looked through it, she could see faraway things like the moon, stars, and planets. She could even see the craters on the moon and the rings around Saturn! It was like having superpowers to see things that were too far away for her eyes to see.
“Papa… What is this small device with a tiny glass lens?” , asked Nikki. Her father replied, ” This is a Microscope.” Her father further said, “Now just look through its glass lens and tell me what do you see?” When Nikki looked through it, she could see things that were too small for her eyes to see, like tiny bugs, cells, and even germs! It was like having superpowers to see things that were too small for her eyes to see.
So you see, Nikki, the telescope helps us see things that are far away while the microscope helps us see things that are very small. They are both magical devices that help us explore the world around us in different ways.
Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Nikki who loved to look up at the sky at night. She would often see twinkling stars and wonder what they were. One day, she asked her father, ” Papa… What is the difference between a galaxy and a constellation?”
Her father explained , “Nikki… a constellation is like a picture made up of stars. It’s like connecting the dots to make a shape, just like how you would connect dots in your coloring book to make a picture. But unlike pictures in her coloring book, constellations are not real objects. They are just patterns that we see in the sky.”
Her father further explained, ” Nikki…on the other hand, a galaxy is like a big family of stars. It’s like having lots of stars together in one place, just like how you have lots of friends in your school. Galaxies are made up of billions of stars, and they can be different shapes and sizes.”
Nikki was fascinated by this explanation and asked her father, “Papa… Whether I can see a galaxy one day?” Her father smiled and said, ” Yes Nikki.. you can see the Milky Way galaxy on a clear night.” Nikki was excited to look for it the next time she went stargazing.
So, Nikki learned that constellations are like pictures made up of stars, while galaxies are like big families of stars. And just like how Nikki loves her friends and family, the stars in galaxies love each other too!
Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Nikki who loved to play outside. She loved to run around, play with her friends, and look up at the sky. One day, while she was playing outside, she saw something strange happening in the sky. The sky turned into a beautiful light show with colors like green, pink, and blue. It was like nothing she had ever seen before.
Nikki was curious and asked her father, “Papa.. what is happening in the sky?”
Her father explained that it was a solar storm.
A solar storm is when the sun sends out a lot of energy and particles into space. Sometimes these particles come towards Earth and can cause beautiful lights in the sky like the one Nikki saw.
Nikki was amazed by this and wanted to learn more about it. Her father told her that sometimes these storms can be dangerous too. They can cause problems with our technology like phones, computers, and even satellites in space.
Nikki learned that even though solar storms can be beautiful, they can also be powerful and cause problems. She decided to keep looking up at the sky and learning more about the amazing things that happen in space.
Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Nikki. She loved playing outside in the sun and rain. One day, she asked her father ,” Papa…what is the difference between a storm, cyclone, typhoon, and hurricane?”. Her father thought for a moment and then began to tell her a story.
“Imagine you are standing on the beach, Nikki,” her father said. “You feel the wind blowing in your hair and the sand beneath your feet. Suddenly, you see dark clouds gathering in the sky. That’s a storm! It’s like a big rain shower that can happen anywhere in the world.”
Nikki listened intently as her father continued. “Now imagine you are on a boat in the ocean. You see huge waves rising up around you, and the wind is so strong that it’s hard to stand up. That’s a cyclone! It’s like a storm but much bigger and stronger.”
“Wow!” Nikki exclaimed. “What about typhoons and hurricanes?”
“Typhoons and hurricanes are just like cyclones,” her father explained. “They are all big storms that happen in different parts of the world. Typhoons happen in Asia, while hurricanes happen in North America and the Caribbean. But they are all very powerful and can be very dangerous.”
Nikki nodded her head, understanding now what each of these words meant. She was grateful for her father’s story and couldn’t wait to tell her friends about it.
Remember Nikki, storms, cyclones, typhoons, and hurricanes are all different types of big storms that can be very dangerous. It’s important to stay safe when they happen by staying indoors or finding shelter until they pass.
Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Nikki. Nikki loved playing with her toys and going on adventures. One day, she fell down and hurt her arm. Her father took her to the doctor, who said that they needed to take a picture of her arm to see if it was broken.
The doctor took Nikki to a special room with a big machine that looked like a camera. The machine was called an X-ray machine. The doctor asked Nikki to lie down on a table and hold very still while the machine took a picture of her arm.
Nikki was scared at first, but the doctor explained that the X-ray machine was like a magic camera that could see inside her arm. The X-rays went through her skin and muscles, but they couldn’t go through her bones. So when the X-rays hit her bones, they bounced back and made a picture of what was inside.
When the doctor looked at the picture, he could see that there was a very thin black line on the Nikki’s arm. He declared that Nikki’s arm was broken as the picture shows a hairline fracture. He put a cast on her arm to help it heal.
From then on, Nikki wasn’t scared of X-rays anymore. She knew that they were just like magic cameras that could help doctors see inside her body and make sure she was healthy.
Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Nikki. Once she visited a magical kingdom called Atomia. The kingdom was ruled by the mighty King Nucleus and his loyal subjects, the protons and neutrons. The kingdom was a happy place where everyone lived in harmony.
One day, a mischievous fairy named Radioactivity visited Atomia. She had a magic wand that could make things glow in the dark. She waved her wand and made everything in the kingdom glow. The protons and neutrons were delighted, but King Nucleus was worried. He knew that too much glowing could be dangerous.
King Nucleus called upon his trusted advisor, Professor Electron, to help him understand what was happening. Professor Electron explained that Radioactivity’s magic wand was causing the atoms in the kingdom to become unstable. This instability made them release energy in the form of light, which made everything glow.
King Nucleus realized that this energy could be harmful if not controlled. He ordered Radioactivity to leave Atomia and never return. He then asked Professor Electron to find a way to control the energy released by the atoms.
Professor Electron worked hard and came up with a solution. He created a special shield that could absorb the energy released by the atoms and keep everyone safe. King Nucleus was pleased with Professor Electron’s work and ordered that every atom in Atomia be fitted with this shield.
From that day on, Atomia was a safe place once again. The protons and neutrons were happy, and King Nucleus was proud of his kingdom.
And Nikki learned that radioactivity is like magic, but it can be dangerous if not controlled.
Short stories for kids 