The Water Cycle

The Water CycleSaturday, April 22, 2023

What is the water cycle made up of?This cycle is made up ofa few main parts :• Evaporation(and

transpiration)• Condensation• Precipitation• Collection

P.1

EvaporationEvaporation is when thesun heats up water inrivers or lakes or theocean and turns it intovapor or steam. The watervapor or steam leaves theriver, lake or ocean andgoes into the air.

Condensation:   Water vapor in the air gets cold and

changes backinto liquid, forming clouds. This is calledcondensation. You can see the same sort of thing at

home... pour aglass of cold water on a hot day and watch

whathappens.  Water forms on the outside of

the glass. That water didn't somehow leak through

the glass!  Itactually came from the air.  Water vapor in

theWarm air, turns back into liquid when it

touches thecold glass.

Precipitation: 

Precipitation occurs when so much

water has condensed that the aircannot hold it anymore.  The

cloudsget heavy and water falls back to

theearth in the form of rain, hail,

sleetor snow.

Collection: 

When water falls back to earth as precipitation, it may fall back in the oceans, lakes or rivers or it may end up on land.  When it ends up on land, it will either soak into the earth and become part of the “ground water” that plants and animals use to drink or it may run over the soil and collect in the oceans, lakes or rivers where the cycle starts

Diagram of the water cycle

Fun Water Facts For Kids• Water is composed of two elements, Hydrogen

and Oxygen.• 5% of the human brain is water and 75% of a

living tree is water.• A person can only live one month without food,

and only one week without water.• Each persons total home water usage in the U.S.

is about 50 gallons per day.