The water cycle

Ages 6 to 8 Read together, then try alone · about 20 minutes

Read together

Water moves around the Earth in a cycle.

The sun warms water, and it rises as vapour. High up it cools and forms clouds. Then it falls as rain or snow.

The water runs into rivers and seas, and the cycle starts again.

Do it

1. Put a little water in a clear zip bag. Seal it and tape it to a sunny window.
2. Watch it over the day. Drops form at the top and run down, like rain.
3. Draw the cycle: sun, sea, cloud, rain, river. Label each step: evaporation, condensation, precipitation.
4. Look for the cycle outside: puddles drying, clouds forming, dew on grass.

Talk about it

• Where does the rain come from?
• Where does the water go after it rains?

For the grown-up

The water on Earth is used again and again. The same water that fell as rain long ago may now be in a river or a cloud. This is a good time to thank God for rain and talk about not wasting water.

Mark as done

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Where this comes from

• U.S. Geological Survey, Water Science School, “The Water Cycle”
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Earth Observatory, resources on the water cycle

Written with AI assistance and checked against the sources listed. Please read it before sharing it with a child.