Make Your Own Water Cycle Activity

This is a multi step activity that will need a little help from an adult. When you’re done you will get to see the water cycle in action!

Supplies:

• A gallon sized sealable baggie
• Crayons or colored pencils
• Black permanent marker
• Blue permanent marker
• Scissors
• Tape
• A small paper cup
• Cloud coloring sheet Download Cloud Coloring Sheet Pictures
• Blue food coloring (optional)

Instructions:

1. Collect all the supplies and print the coloring sheet
2. Color and cut out clouds [If you don't have access to a printer, you can draw and cut out your own clouds.]
3. Tape clouds on to bag, following example pictured above and in the video below
4. Label bag by following example pictured above and in the video below

• Black print – evaporation, condensation, precipitation, accumulation and Water Cycle
• Blue arrows

1. Fill your cup halfway with water. Stir 1 to 2 drops of food coloring in the water and stir. (Food coloring is optional.)
2. Mark where the water level is on your cup with permanent marker.
3. Place the cup carefully in the bottom corner of the bag that is labeled accumulation.
4. Seal your bag, making sure to leave some air in the bag to represent the atmosphere.
5. Carefully tape the top corner of your bag to a sunny window, while keeping the cup from spilling.
6. Leave your experiment there throughout the day.
7. Check your experiment to see what has happened with the water in the bag and the water cup!

Watch this video and follow along:

What happened?

The water in the cup represents surface water, like rivers, lakes and the ocean. The heat from the sun causes the surface water to evaporate, changing the liquid water to vapor, then collection as condensation. Precipitation is shown by the water droplets on your bag as the vapor turns back into liquid just like rain.

This activity comes from https://www.1001gardens.org/diy-tutorial-fog-water-rain-create-your-own-water-cycle-in-a-plastic-bag/