Anaerobic respiration

Okay, kiddo! So, you know how our bodies need energy to do everything like running, jumping, and playing? Well, there are two ways we can get that energy: one is by breathing in oxygen and the other is without oxygen. We're going to talk about the way we get energy without oxygen, called anaerobic respiration.

When we use anaerobic respiration, we can get energy quickly, but it doesn't last as long as when we use breathing with oxygen. It's kind of like sprinting really fast for a short time versus jogging for a long time.

So, how does it work? Inside our cells, there are tiny structures called mitochondria. These mitochondria are like little power plants that make energy for our cells. Normally, they use oxygen to do this, but without oxygen, they have to get their energy in a different way.

That's where anaerobic respiration comes in. Our cells use something called glucose (which comes from food we eat) to create energy. But instead of using oxygen to break down the glucose, they use something called fermentation. This is a type of chemical reaction that splits the glucose into two smaller molecules, which releases energy for our cells to use.

The downside to using anaerobic respiration is that it creates a chemical called lactic acid as a waste product, which can cause us to feel tired or sore. That's why we can't use anaerobic respiration for too long before we need to switch to breathing with oxygen again to keep going.

So, there you have it, kiddo! Anaerobic respiration is a way our cells can get energy without breathing in oxygen, but it doesn't last as long and can make us feel tired or sore.