The water cycle is the path water takes again and again. The sun warms water in oceans and puddles, and it rises as a gas. High up it cools into clouds. Then it falls as rain or snow and runs back to the sea.
Peabody: Hi, I am Peabody! Water never goes away. It goes around and around. The sun warms the sea, and some water evaporates. That means it turns into a gas you cannot see.
Crumb: I am Crumb! Is the gas going up, like my balloon? Yes! Warm water vapor rises high into the sky.
Peabody: Up high, the air is cold. The vapor cools and condenses. That means it turns back into tiny drops. Billions of tiny drops make a cloud.
Crumb: Uh oh, the cloud is full! Drops join up and get heavy. They fall as rain, or snow when it is very cold. We call that precipitation.
Peabody: The water runs down hills into streams and rivers. It soaks into the ground too. Most of it collects in the sea again.
Crumb: And then the sun warms the sea again! It is a cycle. It has no start and no end. The water in your cup has been around for a very long time.
Crumb: Here is a recap! The sun warms the water, and it evaporates. It cools and condenses into clouds. Then it falls as precipitation and collects again. Now you can explain the water cycle to a friend!
Quiz: five questions
Tap an answer. Stuck? Tap the hint. Nothing is scored or saved.
Question 1 of 5
What makes water evaporate?
The words
evaporate
to turn from a liquid into a gas
condense
to turn from a gas back into a liquid
precipitation
water that falls from clouds, like rain or snow
water vapor
water as a gas in the air
cycle
something that goes around and starts again
Make it: put the explainer in order
Tap the scenes in the order they happen. Which comes first?
Try it without a screen: A cloud in a jar
You need: a clear jar, hot tap water, a plate, ice cubes.
A grown-up pours an inch of hot water in the jar.
Put the plate on top and set the ice on the plate.
Watch the inside of the jar. Tiny drops form near the plate.
Say which part of the cycle you just saw.
For the grown-up
This explainer covers the four steps of the water cycle: evaporation, condensation, precipitation and collection. Ask your child to retell it with the words, then spot it in real life: a puddle drying, a fogged mirror, a rainy day. Common slip: thinking clouds are smoke or steam. They are tiny drops of water. Nothing here is saved or shown to anyone.