Water Cycle, I Think So!

In class today, we started Project Wet!  Initial lesson was the water cycle.  We played an activity where we rolled dice to determine what station we would go to next (if we were water). The stations consisted of plants, animals, clouds, streams, oceans, and ground water.  On the dice it would direct you to another station or you would stay at the same station.  During this process, you had to determine the parts of water as well! This was a fun activity that really engaged thinking about how a water cycle really works! It is not as simple as the picture I was shown in elementary school.

While in class, I was thinking how I could make science FUN for my students.. I found the following lesson plans to assist with instructing the water cycle.

This activity would be fun for younger kids how are just learning the basics of water cycles.  Let the students make this during class (hint, hint you are adding ART to a Science lesson :) ) Add water, and observe over the next few days what happens to the water in the bag! Very cool for the kids to see the water changing! 

While searching for activities I also found an awesome site that I would like to share! Go check it out! There are tons of creative activities to use in a classroom! This one was my favorite activity to incorporate with a water cycle lesson: 

MAKE IT RAIN 

MATERIALS:

• glass mayonnaise or canning jar
• plate
• hot water
• ice cubes
• index cards

PROCESS:
Pour about two inches of very hot water into the glass jar.
Cover the jar with the plate and wait a few minutes before you start the next step.
Put the ice cubes on the plate.
EXPLANATION:
What happens? The cold plate causes the moisture in the warm air, which is inside the jar to condense and form water droplets. This is the same thing that happens in the atmosphere. Warm, moist air rises and meets colder air high in the atmosphere. The water vapor condenses and forms precipitation that falls to the ground.

Here is the website I found Make It Rain activity! This is one that you will need to keep for your future lesson plans! http://www.weatherwizkids.com/