Earth has the things that are needed for life - the right amount of sunlight, air and water. Because Earth is close enough to the sun living things receive the heat and light they need to grow. Earth is surrounded by a blanket of air called the atmosphere . Oxygen is one of the main gases in the atmosphere. Water helps to control the weather and climate.
Water breaks up rocks into soil, so that plants can grow.
There are seven large land areas called continents that make up the rest of the surface. On these continents are mountains, plains, volcanoes, deserts, rainforests and glaciers. During the winter, it is tilted away. This tilt causes the sun to appear higher in the sky during the summer than during the winter. The higher sun causes more hours of daylight and direct sunlight, making it hotter on the surface of the Earth.