What are the forms of water found on Earth?

Water on earth comes in 3 forms: solid, liquid, and gas.

What happens to a puddle of water on a sunny day?

The sun heats the water, causing it to evaporate and become water vapor. That causes the puddle to dry up. The water vapor then rises up into the atmosphere, where it may condense and eventually fall back down to earth as rain.

Where do clouds come from?

Clouds are the result of water vapor condensing into tiny water droplets. Eventually the droplets get big enough that they fall back down to earth as rain, snow or hail.

Where does rain come from?

Rain comes from evaporated water that has risen into the atmosphere where it condenses into a cloud. That means clouds are made of water! The water droplets eventually get too large and fall to the Earth as rain.

How old is water on earth?

Water on Earth has been here for millions of years! It is constantly being recycled through the water cycle.

Learn The Water Cycle Steps!

Watch the clip and read more below.

A simple science lesson and fun water cycle video for kids in 3rd, 4th and 5th grade!

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WATER CYCLE DEFINITION

The water cycle is the process of water moving around between the air and land. Or in more scientific terms: the water cycle is the process of water evaporating and condensing on planet Earth in a continuous process. This process has been happening continuously for millions of years and without it, there would be no life on Earth!

To better understand how the water cycle steps work…

LET’S BREAK IT DOWN!

Water Cycle Step #1: Water evaporates from the Earth’s surface.

If you spill a glass of water outside you will notice that a few hours later the water is gone! That is because water slowly turns from a liquid into a gas called water vapor. The process of water turning from a liquid into a gas is called evaporation.

Evaporation happens faster on a hot day. That is because the evaporation of water outside is powered by the sun! The hotter it is outside, the faster water will evaporate. Since water in its gas form has no color, we cannot see it. It just goes into the air.

Water Cycle Step #2: Water condenses to form clouds.

demonstrating the creation of a cloud in a bottle using condensation

Water vapor rises up in the sky due to the sun’s heat. Once the water vapor rises high enough it condenses into water droplets. Condensation is the process of water turning from a gas into a liquid.

You have probably experienced condensation if you have had a cold glass of water at a restaurant. As the cold glass sits on the table, water vapor from the air condenses into water droplets on the glass. The same thing happens as water vapor rises into the sky – it turns into liquid water.

It’s important to remember that not ALL water condenses to form clouds. Some of it condenses close to the ground to form dew and some of it rises up only a little bit to form fog, but most of it rises high in the sky to form clouds.

Fun fact: Clouds are made of tiny water droplets — billions and billions of them!

Water Cycle Step #3: Water falls back to the Earth as precipitation.

When water droplets get heavy enough, they fall back down to Earth as rain! We call this precipitation because it can happen in a few different ways: rain (liquid water), snow (frozen water), and hail (big pieces of frozen water). Precipitation brings the water back down to earth and the cycle repeats … the sun shines on the water and it starts evaporating again. This is why we call it the water cycle.

The water cycle is constantly happening every day for millions of years!

The water in a water bottle wasn’t made last week or even last year – it could be the same water that passed through a dinosaur millions of years ago. It ends up in your water bottle thanks to the water cycle, which is always happening. After the dinosaur went to the bathroom on the ground that water evaporated to form water vapor in the air, which rose up in the sky to form clouds. Then it fell back down to Earth as rain, which probably ended up in a river, and then thousands of cycles later that water ended up in your water bottle.

WATER CYCLE EXAMPLES

clothing hanging outside dry due to evaporation

Drying clothes outside. Before people had drying machines they washed their clothes and then dried them outside. This is possible because of evaporation (water turning from a liquid into a gas).

man explaining why it is important to understand the water cycle

The weather this week. If it rains or snows this week, that’s thanks to the water cycle. Scientists called meteorologists study how water moves around the atmosphere in order to predict the weather.

Snow days. The water cycle is not just about rain – water can fall from the sky in many different forms, such as snow and hail. Sometimes you can thank the water cycle when there is no school due to a snow day!

WATER CYCLE VOCABULARY

Evaporation

When a liquid turns into a gas.

Condensation

When a gas turns into a liquid.

Water Vapor

Water in gas form.

The Water Cycle

The cycle of the water evaporating and condensing on earth. It has been happening for millions of years.

Dew

Condensation found on the ground, usually on grass.

Clouds

Tiny droplets of condensed water vapor floating high above the ground.

Precipitation

Water that falls to the ground. Comes in 3 main forms: rain, snow, and hail.

Distillation

The process of purifying a liquid by heating it until it boils and makes a gas, and then cooling the gas back down into a liquid.

What happened to the dirt and grass in the DIY Solar Bowl investigation when the water condensed on the plastic covering? Why?

The dirt and grass were left behind in the bowl because they were too heavy to evaporate

What happens in the distillation process?

In the distillation process, water is heated until it becomes water vapor. The water vapor rises and enters into a special tube that allows the vapor to cool and become liquid once again.