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Lesson 8 of 13 · Earth Systems

Experiment30 XP🌋 Rock Realm

Types of Precipitation

🧪Lab Brief #8

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

Precipitation is water that falls from clouds to the ground. It comes in several forms—rain, snow, sleet, and hail—depending on the temperature of the air the water passes through as it falls.

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

Step 1Read

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

Step 2Do

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.

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 precipitation?

🌍

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?

Types of Precipitation

Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.

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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Types of Precipitation — Earth Systems | 4th Grade Science | LittleActivity