School › Water cycle › Ages 6–7
Where does the rain come from?
Follow a drop of water from a puddle up into a cloud and back down as rain. Then make a tiny water cycle in a bag.
Read
Water is always on a journey. The same water goes from the sea up into the sky and back down again, over and over. We call this journey the water cycle.[1][4]
The Sun warms the water in seas, lakes and puddles. Some of the water turns into an invisible gas called water vapour and floats up into the air. This is called evaporation.[2][4]
High up in the sky the air is cooler. The water vapour cools down and turns back into tiny drops of water. Lots of tiny drops together make a cloud![3][4]
Inside the cloud, tiny drops join together and get bigger and heavier. When they are too heavy, they fall down as rain. When it is very cold, they can fall as snow or hail.[4][2]
Rain runs into rivers, and rivers flow back to the sea. Some rain soaks into the ground. Then the journey starts again![2][5]
Plants help too: they let out water vapour through their leaves.[4]
Try it: A water cycle in a bag
You need
- A clear zip-lock bag
- Water (a few spoonfuls)
- A little blue food colouring (optional)
- Sticky tape
- A marker pen
- A sunny window
Safety
Close the bag well and tape it so it cannot fall. Don't drink the water.
What to do
- Draw a sun, a cloud and some waves (the sea) on the bag with the marker.
- Put a few spoonfuls of water in the bag. Add one drop of blue colouring if you like.
- Close the bag tightly and tape it to a sunny window.
- Look at the bag after a few hours, and again the next day. Where are the little drops now?
Play: Up or down?
Is the water going up into the sky, or coming down to the ground? Tap the right group.
Your best score is kept only on this device. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Quiz
Other ages: Ages 10–11 · Ages 15–16