Learn about the water cycle

The water cycle

Water on Earth is constantly moving. It is recycled over and over again. This recycling process is called the water cycle.

1. Water evaporates into the air

The sun heats up water on land, in rivers, lakes and seas and turns it into water vapour. The water vapour rises into the air.

2. Water vapour condenses into clouds

Water vapour in the air cools down and changes back into tiny drops of liquid water, forming clouds.

3. Water falls as precipitation

The clouds get heavy and water falls back to the ground in the form of rain or snow.

4. Water returns to the sea

Rain water runs over the land and collects in lakes or rivers, which take it back to the sea. The cycle starts all over again.

Evaporation moves water from where it’s collected on land to the sky. In this game, your team must be the fastest to move water from one bucket to another with a sponge.

1. Fill two buckets with water, and give one to each team. These are the land.
2. Each team should stand behind their land bucket, in a line.
3. The other two buckets are the sky. Place one sky bucket in line with each team, a short distance away.
4. Give each team a sponge.
5. When the game begins, the first player in each team should put the sponge into the land bucket, and fill it with as much water as they can.
6. They should run to their team’s sky bucket with their full sponge, and squeeze as much water as they can into the sky bucket.
7. Once the sponge is empty, the first player should run back to their team, and pass the sponge to the next player.
8. Teams continue to soak and squeeze their sponges until time runs out. The team with the most water in their sky bucket is the winner.

Condensation is the opposite of evaporation. It’s when vapour in the air turns back into a liquid and gathers in clouds. Each team must move water along the cycle into the clouds.

1. Pour all of the water back into one bucket – this is the vapour bucket.
2. The other two buckets are the cloud buckets. Place one cloud bucket in line with each vapour bucket.
3. Teams should form a line between the vapour and sky buckets. You may need to change the distance between the buckets, so everyone can fit.
4. When the game begins, the person closest to the vapour bucket should put their team’s sponge in the bucket, and soak up as much water as possible. They should use their hands to put the sponge between their chin and their chest, then put their hands behind their backs.
5. The team should pass the sponge down the line, without using their hands – everyone should keep their hands behind their back.
6. The last person in the line can use their hands to take the sponge from under their chin, and squeeze it into the cloud bucket. They should run to the vapour bucket (taking the sponge with them), and everyone should shuffle up a space in the line.
7. Teams should continue to pass their sponge until time runs out. The team with the most water in their cloud bucket is the winner.

Precipitation is when water rains down to earth from the clouds. Your team must pass water backwards from the cloud bucket to the land.

1. Pour all of the water back into one bucket – this is the cloud bucket.
2. The other two buckets are the land buckets. Place one land bucket in line with each cloud bucket.
3. Teams should form a line between the cloud and land buckets, facing the cloud bucket. You may need to change the distance between the buckets, so everyone can fit.
4. Give everyone a cup.
5. When the game begins, the person closest to the cloud bucket should fill their cup with water, and hold it on top of their head.
6. Without turning around, they should bend backwards to pour the water from the cup on top of their head into the person behind them’s cup. The person behind them might need to bend down, so their cup is low, and move to ‘catch’ the water.
7. Each person in the line should repeat this action.
8. When the water reaches the final person in the line, they should pour it from their cup into the land bucket, without turning around.
9. The last player should then run to the cloud bucket at the front of the line, and everyone should shuffle backwards one space.
10. Teams should continue to pour water backwards until time runs out. The team with the most water in their land bucket is the winner.

Just like fallen water collects in oceans, rivers, and lakes, your team must be the first to collect enough water in a bottle.

1. Two people from each team should sit back to back on the floor. They should each hold a plastic bottle on their head.
2. The other members of their team should stand in a circle around them.
3. The person leading the game should put buckets filled with water a short distance away from the teams – they should be the same distance away from each team.
4. Give a cup to one person in each circle.
5. When the game begins, they should run to a bucket, fill their cup with water, and run back to the circle.
6. They should pour the water from the cup into one of the water bottles on their team member’s head.
7. The player with the cup should return to their space in the circle, and pass the cup to the player next to them.
8. Players should take it in turns to fill the cup and pour it into the bottles until time runs out, or until a team’s bottles are full. The team with the most water in their bottles is the winner.