Water Cycle

LESSON 2

Children conduct cloud and rain experiments, explore water forms, and learn about the water cycle.

The book “Water Is Water” by Jason Chin and Miranda Paul.
Quart size mason jar
Pot or kettle
Small plate
Ice cubes

Optional:

Tissue paper in a variety of colors
Scissor
Modge podge glue
Paint brush

Materials

Gather materials
Familiarize yourself with the book “Water Is Water.”

Preparations

Provide opportunities for children to conduct experiments and explore scientific concepts.

Assist children in exploring different forms of water and understanding the water cycle through hands-on activities and discussions.
Facilitate discussions and reflections on children's experiences and discoveries during the lesson.

Objectives for Teachers

Objectives for Children

Children generate questions about water and rain, fostering curiosity and promoting inquiry-based learning.

Children conduct experiments to understand cloud formation and rainfall.
Children explore different forms of water and learn about the water cycle.

Collect and Connect

Practice saying or singing the poem “Rainy Day” with the actions you came up with.

Rainy Day

Rain, rain, come today!

In my garden you can play.

All the flowers in their places,

You can wash their petal faces.

Give a drink to all the trees.

Make some splashy puddles, please.

And rain, rain, upon the lawn,

For ducky’s got his raincoa

Activity Flow

Begin this lesson by reflecting on the previous lesson where children explored water or rain in a playful environment. Here are some questions you might ask to spark their memory:

What did you enjoy most from our water play day?

Did you learn anything about water or rain?
Do you have any new questions about water or rain to add to our list?

2. Next, ask your child if they know where rain comes from. Let them share their thoughts, and if needed share that rain comes from clouds. Then, ask them how they think water gets into the clouds. Tell them that you have two exciting experiments planned and the first will demonstrate how water forms into clouds. The second will show us what happens when clouds form and how water comes out of them.

Steam Experiment

Gather your pot or kettle and fill it up with water. Ask your child what they think will happen if you place it over a heat source like stove.
Next, place it on a heat source and bring it to boiling. Once the water is boiling, place it on a heat pad and observe the rising steam, making sure to advise the children not to touch the water. Discuss the concept of water turning into steam through open ended questions:

What happened to the water in the kettle when it was heated?

Can you describe what steam looks and feels like?

How is steam different from liquid water?

3. After the steam experiment, set aside your bowl of hot water to use for the next experiment and find a comfortable place to sit down and read the story “Water Is Water.” Start by talking about the steam experiment and how it helped us understand how water changes into different forms. Explain that the story will show us more about these different forms, so pay attention to see if you can find them all. Then, read the story together.

4. After the story, discuss the different forms of water. Here they are for reference if needed: steam, clouds, fog, rain, puddles, ice, snowflakes, water, fruits and vegetables that contain water, and our bodies. You can find this list explained in greater depth at the end of the story.

5. Water changes in incredible ways, and it has a name for this process! Ask your child if they can guess what it is. Then, share that it's called the water cycle. The water cycle is like a big circle where water goes up, makes clouds, then comes back down as rain or snow, and starts all over again. There is a special word for each of these stages.

Evaporation: Evaporation is when water turns into water vapor from the sun's warmth.

Condensation: Condensation is when the water vapor in the air becomes tiny water droplets and forms clouds. These tiny water particles love to stick together, like friends holding hands, forming clouds.

Precipitation: Precipitation is when the clouds get heavy and release water droplets or snowflakes that fall to the ground.

Collection: Collection is when water gathers in lakes, rivers, and oceans, ready to start the water cycle again.

6. We will end today's lesson with another fun experiment that shows the water cycle in each of its stages.

Water Cycle in a Jar

Using tissue paper, cut out shapes from tissue paper to represent each stage of the water cycle, such as clouds, the sun, raindrops, and a wavy strip of blue for water. For younger children, consider pre-cutting the shapes.
Use Mod Podge glue to apply the tissue paper shapes to the outside of a clean mason jar.
Pour hot water (from the steam experiment) into the mason jar until it reaches 2-3 inches above the bottom. Be careful not to use boiling water, as this can cause the glass to shatter.
Place a small plate on top of the jar opening, then quickly place ice cubes on top of the plate. This will create a cool surface for condensation to form.
If desired, enhance the visibility of the cloud by spraying a bit of hairspray into the jar or lighting a matchstick and tossing it in. This will help water vapor adhere to particles in the jar, making the cloud more visible.
Watch the jar for the next 5-10 minutes with your child. Discuss what you observe at each stage: