• Home
  • Cooking
  • Frugal Living
  • Home Management
  • Homeschooling
  • Real Life

The Happy Housewife™ :: Home Schooling

homeschool tips, printables, curriculum reviews, and more

  • Printables
  • Themes
  • Projects
  • Life
  • Our Curriculum
  • Curriculum Reviews

Learning About the Water Cycle (Experiment)

by Toni Herrbach

140shares
  • Pin
  • Share

Learning About the Water Cycle (with Experiment) | The Happy Housewife

By contributing writer Marci

Water is essential for life. Nothing can survive without it.

The water that we drink today is the same water that has kept living things alive since living things were created! The water that dinosaurs drank might have been the same water that rained upon the Mayans while they built their great temples, or maybe the same water Columbus sailed upon.

The point is that water is very important and we only have a finite supply. We need to take care of that supply.

Water Pollution

The biggest threat to our water supply on earth is water pollution. Water pollution occurs when harmful substances are released into water. This can be caused by sewage, industrial waste, or agriculture.

Pollution can be intentional or accidental. Factories might knowingly dump their waste products into water supplies to get rid of it. On the other hand, rain water can carry toxic substances from roads, work sites, and gardens into water streams.

Learning About the Water Cycle (water pollution) | The Happy Housewife

This polluted water can be harmful to the organisms in the water causing fish and water plants to die. People who drink this water can get sick and possibly die, also. That is why it is so important to both reduce the amount of pollutants that enter our water supply and to remove what pollutants do get into our water.

Nature’s Water Purification System

In our homes, we might have water filters or buy filtered water. Municipalities have water treatment facilities that clean sewer water before releasing water back into nature. These facilities and filters clean water by removing harmful substances and leaving pure water behind.

Nature has it’s own water purification system. It is called the water cycle.

Learning About the Water Cycle | The Happy Housewife

Water on the earth in oceans, lakes, streams, and even plants, evaporates and forms water vapor. As the water vapor forms, it leaves minerals and pollutants behind. As the water vapor rises into the atmosphere, it cools and turns back into tiny water droplets. These droplets form clouds.

The rain that falls from these clouds is essentially pure and free from pollutants.When the rain falls to earth, it starts the whole water cycle again.

Water Cycle Experiment

You can create a small model of the water cycle and see nature’s water purification system in action.

Supplies needed:

  • a large glass bowl
  • 2 quarts of water
  • 4 cups of dirt
  • a cup or glass shorter than the sides of the bowl
  • plastic wrap
  • a rock or two
  • the sun

Mix the water and dirt in the large bowl and stir it well. In the middle of this mess, place the cup or glass. If the cup floats, place a clean rock or other small weight in the cup.

Learning About the Water Cycle (Experiment) | The Happy Housewife

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place a rock in the middle of the plastic wrap just above the bowl. Put the bowl in the sun for a few hours.

After the time has passed, you should see water droplets formed on the plastic wrap. The rock should have directed some of the condensated water into the cup.

Carefully, remove the plastic wrap from the bowl and gently remove the cup. Pour the contents of the cup or glass into a glass or jar. Look at the water. Does it look like the dirty water from the bowl?

Learning About the Water Cycle (Experiment) | The Happy Housewife

The water in the bowl evaporated and left the pollutants behind. The water vapor cooled and condensed on the plastic wrap turning back into water. The clean water was collected in the cup.

That’s just how nature does it!

You might also like…

  • How Much Water is Your Home Wasting?
  • Turn Down Your Hot Water Heater
  • Sink or Float Experiment
  • Salt and Ice Experiments
  • More Homeschool Science from Marci
140shares
  • Pin
  • Share

Comments | 4 comments

« Hands-On Volcano Activities
Free Educational Resources: Christian-based Preschool Curriculum, Mammal Themed Math, Books + More »

Comments

  1. Katie | The Surly Housewife says

    at

    Thanks for sharing! My kids ask a lot of nature questions when we are outside during the warmer months. This experiment will be perfect for them!

    Reply
    • Marci@TheHomeschoolScientist says

      at

      This is a great experiment for all ages. It really is effective in teaching how the water cycle cleans our water. Have fun with it!

      Reply
  2. Amanda says

    at

    Hi Marci! I love this experiment for learning about the water cycle! Thanks for sharing! I put a link to this project in my latest blog post to share with my readers. Thanks again for sharing!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Learning About The Water Cycle and Experiment - The Home School Scientist says:
    at

    […] Learn about the importance of the water cycle to our water supply on Earth and get an water cycle experiment idea to try at home today at The Happy Housewife!  […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




STAY UPDATED!

Get every article delivered to your inbox!

CONNECT WITH ME

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Homeschool Projects & Experiments

Homeschool Projects & Experiments

Homeschool Garden Ideas on Pinterest

STAY UPDATED!

Get every article delivered to your inbox!

Snow Day Activities for Kids

101 Things to Do on a Snow Day with Kids

By Toni Herrbach 2 Comments

Tips for Planning Your Homeschool Day

By Toni Herrbach 11 Comments

homeschool curriculum reviews

CONNECT WITH ME

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Copyright © 2023 · Tasteful theme by Restored 316

HOME | CONTACT | ADVERTISING & PR | DISCLOSURE | PRIVACY POLICY

© 2023 – TheHappyHousewife.com. All rights reserved. | Design by Joy @ Five J's Design | Site maintenance by Klong Designs