Introduction
The Water Cycle is the journey water takes as it circulates from the land to the sky and back again. The Sun's heat provides energy to evaporate water from the Earth's surface. Plants also lose water to the air.
Task
Your task today it to recreate the water cycle, using eveyday household items.
- a large metal or plastic bowl
- a pitcher or bucket
- a sheet of clear plastic wrap
- a dry ceramic mug (like a coffee mug)
- a long piece of string or large rubber band
- water
Process
- Put the bowl in a sunny place outside.
- Using the pitcher or bucket, pour water into the bowl until it is about ¼
- Place the mug in the center of the bowl. Be careful not to splash any water into it.
- Cover the top of the bowl tightly with the plastic wrap.
- Tie the string around the bowl to hold the plastic wrap in place.
- Watch the bowl to see what happens.
full.
Conclusion
The "mist" that forms on the plastic wrap will change into larger drops of water that will begin to drip. (You can speed up the dripping by carefully moving the bowl – don't splash! – into the shade.) When this happens, continue watching for a few minutes, then carefully peel back the plastic. Is the coffee mug still empty? Water from the "ocean" of water in the bowl evaporated. It condensed to form misty "clouds" on the plastic wrap. When the clouds became saturated it "rained" into the mug!