How the tides REALLY work?

The tides are like the ocean stretching and shrinking because of the moon and sun, just like a balloon stretches when you blow into it.

Imagine the ocean is a big, stretchy balloon. The moon is like a friend who pulls on one side of the balloon, making that part bigger, that's a high tide. When the moon moves away, that part of the balloon goes back to normal, that's a low tide.

Sometimes the sun joins in too! If the sun and moon both pull at the same time, like two friends pulling on the same side of the balloon, it makes an even bigger stretch, this is called a spring tide, and it’s like when you blow really hard into your balloon and it gets super big.

But if the sun and moon are pulling in different directions, like one friend tugging on each end of the balloon, it makes things a little more balanced, that's a neap tide, and it feels calmer, just like a gentle breath instead of a loud shout.