The Water Cycle

Well, Holy Week and Easter Day is over, so now is the time to get some serious schoolwork done.

We have been working on a pioneer unit in history which I will post on soon, and for science we have been learning about water and the water cycle.

Along with Mark's Abeka 2 science text, we have enjoyed the books shown above. Our favorite, which is perfect for early elementary learners, is The Science of Water (The Living Science Series).

I found these great printables at KidZone. They are very easy to understand and included is directions for a very easy water cycle experiment that my (easily amused) young learners enjoyed. I have now printed sheets out and they are displayed of our "learning wall".
The following photos show our "experiment" which shows each step in the water cycle.

COLLECTION

We put water in a pot and put it on the stove. This represents groundwater and water in lakes, rivers, and the oceans.

EVAPORATION

We turned on the heat and waited for the water to begin to evaporate. The heat of the stove represents the sun. We saw the water turn to steam and water vapor(which we have learned is invisible).

CONDENSATION

In another pot we put ice. We had also kept this pot in the freezer while we got started. We placed the cold icy pot over the water vapor(steam). The water vapor turned back into liquid on the outside of the cold pot-just like water vapor outside turns into liquid as it cools high in the atmosphere.

PRECIPITATION

When enough water vapor turned into liquid on the pot, the drops got so heavy, they dropped(rained) back into the "lake" where collection of the water takes place-thus completing the water cycle.

Pretty simple, but very entertaining for easily amazed children.