What is decay?

Decay is when something slowly gets old and falls apart over time.

Imagine you have a favorite toy, like a rubber duck that you splash in the bath every day. At first, it’s soft and squishy. But after many baths, the water makes it dry, and one day, poof, it breaks into pieces! That’s kind of like decay.

Decay is like a slow game of "see how long you can last." Things around us, like food, trees, or even your socks, all play this game.

• If you leave an apple on the counter too long, it turns brown and goes splat, that’s decay.
• A tree might lose its leaves in winter, and one day it might fall over, that’s also decay.

Just like how your rubber duck gets old from all the splashes, things get old from being used or left alone. And when they’re done playing the "see how long you can last" game, they start to fall apart, that's decay!