Lightning strike

Okay, kiddo, so you know how sometimes we see big flashes of light in the sky when it's stormy? That's called lightning! Lightning happens when there is a big spark of electricity in the air.

So, when there's a storm, there are lots of tiny electrical charges (kind of like little tiny bolts of lightning) moving around in the air. Sometimes, these charges bump into each other and make bigger charges. If they get big enough, they can make a super big charge that's even bigger than all the other charges combined.

When that happens, the big charge wants to find somewhere to go, like a lightning rod or a tall tree. When it finds a good place to go, it suddenly zips down towards the ground REALLY fast. The speed it goes is so fast that it heats up the air around it and makes a big BOOM noise. That's called thunder!

So, when you see lightning, you're actually seeing a big spark of electricity zipping down from the sky to the ground, which makes a big light and sound show. It's really cool to watch, but important to stay inside and safe when there's lightning around.