Learning About the Water Cycle

Grab a printable Water Cycle Learning Pack here and then check out some of the water cycle activities and resources below!

What is the Water Cycle?

Earth's water is always in movement through a cycle known as the water cycle or the hydrologic cycle. This cycle includes water moving on the Earth's surface, below the Earth's surface, and in the atmosphere above the Earth.

Water in Earth's oceans and other bodies of water is warmed by the sun, which causes some of the water molecules to vaporize into the air. Water molecules also vaporize from soil and plants- a process called transpiration.

The water vapor rises into the air. As it gets higher, the air becomes cooler and causes the water molecules to condense into clouds. When clouds become saturated or filled with water droplets, the droplets fall from the sky as precipitation (rain, snow, sleet, etc...).

Eventually the water from snow and rain makes its way back to the ocean or other bodies of water via runoff, creeks, streams, and rivers, and the cycle begins again.

Fun Fact: while water may change forms (ice, liquid, vapor), the amount of water on Earth is constant, or at least nearly constant. The water on Earth today was already here billions of years ago, that means that some of the water molecules you drink today may have once been drunk by a dinosaur or another prehistoric creature!

Resources for Learning About the Water Cycle

Activities

-Water Cycle Wheel- grab the template and instructions here.

-Experiment with evaporation: fill a clear glass or plastic cup or jar with water. Mark the water level with a marker or tape. Set it in a sunny place and check the water level after a few hours and again in a few days.

The water level should drop over time. This is because the heat from the sun causes some of the water molecules to turn into water vapor and evaporate into the air.

-Water Cycle in a Bag Activity: replicate the water cycle in a Ziploc bag with this cool activity idea from Playdough to Plato.

-Make a Cloud in a Jar: a simple science activity for exploring how clouds form.

Websites

-Interactive Water Cycle Diagram (USGS)

-Precipitation Education: The Water Cycle (NASA)

-The Water Cycle! (National Geographic Kids)

Videos

-SciShow Kids: Where Does Water Come From?

-Kahn Academy: The Water Cycle

-National Science Foundation: How the Hydrologic Cycle Works

Books

-The Magic School Bus: Wet All Over by Pat Relf

-A Drop Around the World by Barbara Shaw McKinney

-National Geographic Readers: Water by Melissa Stewart

If you enjoyed this post, check out: Composting with Kids- A Fun Way to Learn About Soil.

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