Lesson 7 of 11 · Earth Systems
Experiment⭐ 30 XP🌋 Rock RealmHow Clouds Form
Earth Systems.
🎯 Your mission
Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.
⚡ The twist
The slowest changes are the biggest ones.
Mind = Blown
🪨 Every grain of sand on every beach used to be a mountain.
Make a hypothesis first
Predict: which will erode faster?
What You'll Learn
Clouds form when water vapor rises, cools, and condenses on tiny particles in the atmosphere. Different cloud types—cumulus, stratus, cirrus—indicate different weather conditions.
Key Words
Tap a word to see its definition.
Materials Needed
- rocks
- water
- plastic tray
Safety First
- Wash your hands thoroughly afterwards and keep the material away from your face.
- Mop up spills straight away so nobody slips, and keep liquids away from sockets.
Steps
Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.
Model erosion: tilt a tray of soil and pour water from a cup at the top. Observe how channels form. Try adding plants or rocks to slow the erosion.
Use your senses (except taste) to describe what you notice.
Write a summary of your findings in 3-5 sentences.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 3What is the ozone layer?
Where you see this in real life
Today's weather, tomorrow's beach, next century's coastline — all this.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Look at the sky for 5 minutes and try to predict tomorrow's weather.
For the dinner table
“What's the slowest change you can think of?”
Next Smart Experiment
We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.
Share this experiment
Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.
Ready?
How Clouds Form
Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.
Full screen — no distractions
Checkout complete lesson on Earth Systems for 3rd Grade
Get the full Earth Systems track as a printable PDF — all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.