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Lesson 1 of 13 · Earth Systems

Experiment30 XP🌋 Rock Realm

The Water Cycle

🧪Lab Brief #1

Earth Systems.

🎯 Your mission

Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).

⚡ The twist

Today's mountain was yesterday's ocean floor.

🤯

Mind = Blown

🌋 There are 1,500 active volcanoes on Earth right now.

🔮

Make a hypothesis first

Guess: where will the water go first?

What You'll Learn

The water cycle describes how water moves through Earth's systems. Water evaporates from oceans, condenses into clouds, falls as precipitation, and flows back to the ocean.

Key Words

Tap a word to see its definition.

Materials Needed

  • water
  • plastic tray

Safety First

  • Mop up spills straight away so nobody slips, and keep liquids away from sockets.

Steps

Step 1Read

Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.

Step 2Do

Create a model of the water cycle in a bowl: place warm water in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, put ice on top, and observe condensation and precipitation.

Step 3Observe

Look for patterns in your observations.

Step 4Record

Make a graph or chart showing your results.

Check Your Understanding

Question 1

1 of 3

What is the water cycle?

🌍

Where you see this in real life

Today's weather, tomorrow's beach, next century's coastline — all this.

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Stretch Challenge

Try this in real life this week.

Look at the sky for 5 minutes and try to predict tomorrow's weather.

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For the dinner table

What's the slowest change you can think of?

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Next Smart Experiment

We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.

🌱Share card

Share this experiment

Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.

Ready?

The Water Cycle

Predict it first. Then prove yourself right (or wrong).

Full screen — no distractions

🖨️

Checkout complete lesson on Earth Systems for 4th Grade

Get the full Earth Systems track as a printable PDF — all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.

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The Water Cycle — Earth Systems | 4th Grade Science | LittleActivity