Plants make their own food through a process called photosynthesis, which is a really cool way they harness energy directly from sunlight. Here's how it works:

1. **Sunlight**: When sunlight hits the leaves of a plant, it's absorbed by a green pigment called chlorophyll. This pigment is what gives plants their green color and is essential for capturing energy from the sun.

2. **Water and Carbon Dioxide**: Plants take in water from the soil through their roots and carbon dioxide from the air through tiny openings in their leaves called stomata. These two ingredients are crucial for photosynthesis.

3. **Energy Conversion**: Inside the chloroplasts, which are like little factories in the plant cells, the energy from sunlight is used to convert water and carbon dioxide into glucose, a type of sugar that plants use as food. This process also releases oxygen, which is sent out into the air and is essential for us to breathe.

4. **Glucose**: The glucose made during photosynthesis is used by the plant in several ways. Some of it is used immediately to fuel growth, development, and repair, while the rest is stored as starch for later use.

The overall chemical equation for photosynthesis is:

$$
6 \, \text{CO}_2 + 6 \, \text{H}_2\text{O} + \text{light energy} \rightarrow \text{C}_6\text{H}_{12}\text{O}_6 + 6 \, \text{O}_2
$$

In simpler terms, the plant takes carbon dioxide and water, adds sunlight, and turns it into food (glucose) and oxygen. This amazing process not only feeds the plant itself but also produces oxygen, which is crucial for most life on Earth. So, plants are like nature's recyclers, turning sunlight into food and clean air!