Objective

By the end of this lesson, you will understand the basics of the water cycle and be able to explain the different stages involved.

Materials and Prep

Materials needed: a glass of water, a small bowl, plastic wrap, rubber band, and a sunny spot near a window.

Before starting the lesson, make sure to have a good understanding of what evaporation, condensation, and precipitation mean.

Activities

1. Evaporation Experiment: Place the bowl of water in a sunny spot covered with plastic wrap secured with a rubber band. Observe and record what happens over a few hours.

2. Condensation Observation: Check the inside of the plastic wrap after some time. Can you see droplets of water forming? This is condensation!

3. Precipitation Simulation: Tilt the plastic wrap slightly to let the droplets fall back into the bowl. This simulates precipitation!

Talking Points

• Evaporation: "When water heats up, it turns into vapor and rises into the air. This is called evaporation."
• Condensation: "When the water vapor cools down, it forms tiny water droplets on surfaces. This is condensation."
• Precipitation: "When the water droplets gather together and become heavy, they fall back to the ground as rain, snow, or hail. This is precipitation."