Deserts for kids
See it on Peabody
- Planet Earth: open the Rain & snow view (under Weather and climate) and fly to the Atacama Desert in Chile, one of the driest places on Earth.
- The Biomes view colors deserts on the globe, and the Sunshine view shows that deserts are the sunniest places.
- The globe's tour also stops at the Sahara.
Five facts about deserts
| Fact | What to know |
|---|---|
| Dry is the rule | What makes a place a desert is how little rain falls, not how hot it is. Fewer than about 10 inches (25 centimeters) a year makes a desert. |
| Not all hot | Antarctica is the biggest desert on Earth, and it is icy cold. The Gobi in Asia has freezing winters. |
| The Sahara | The Sahara in Africa is the biggest hot desert. It is about as big as the whole United States. |
| Hot days, cool nights | The air in a desert is so dry that it holds little heat, so the ground warms fast in the daytime and cools quickly at night. |
| Made for dry | A cactus stores water in its stem. A camel's hump stores fat, not water. Many desert animals hide from the heat in burrows and come out at night. |
Try it at home
- Make a desert plant. Put a small cactus or succulent on a windowsill and water it only when the soil is dry. Why does it need so little?
- Dry and wet. Put the same amount of water in a shallow dish in the sun and a deep cup in the shade. Which dries first?
Questions parents ask
What is a desert?
A place that gets very little rain. Some are hot and sandy, some are rocky, and some, like Antarctica, are cold and icy.
What is the biggest desert in the world?
Antarctica is the biggest desert of all. The biggest hot desert is the Sahara in Africa.
Do camels store water in their humps?
No. A camel's hump stores fat, which it can use for energy when food is scarce. Camels can also go a long time without drinking, and then drink a lot at once.
Is a desert always sand?
No. Many deserts are rock, gravel or hard dry ground. Sand dunes cover only part of some deserts.
Is it free?
Yes. Peabody is free through the end of 2026, with no ads and no sign-up to start. Nothing on these pages asks for a child's name.
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Checked against how Peabody works on 29 October 2026. Written with help from AI, from Peabody's own code and library. Peabody is a learning app, not an assessment: if you're worried about your child's learning, talk to their teacher. How Peabody's pages are made.