The Water Cycle

Our Science topic this term is all about the Water Cycle. 

Firstly, we learned that water is a type of matter made up of lots of tiny particles in the form of a solid , liquid or gas. Water can change states from a solid to a liquid then gas through the Water Cycle, by heating and cooling. 

Water can change from a solid (ice) to a liquid by heating and this is known as 'melting'. It can then change from a liquid into a gas through heating and this is known as 'evaporation'. Water then cools down and 'condenses' into a liquid again. A liquid can be turned into a solid by freezing it. 

This is known as the Water Cycle as this process will keep on repeating itself. We learned that there is never new water and  the water we drink could have been walked on by the dinosaurs! 

In class we created our own mini Water Cycle to see this process in action. We placed boiling hot water inside a plastic cup and put it inside a large, clear plastic bowl. We covered it tightly with cling film and observed the water evaporating to form condensation. We had a look at our bowls the next day to discover that the water had cooled, the condensation had disappeared and there was a puddle of water at the bottom of our bowl! 

We then tested the Water Cycle outdoors as there were lots of puddles in our playground. We drew round these with chalk and checked them only 1 hour and 30 minutes later to discover some of the puddles had completely evaporated. We were amazed at how quickly the water had started to evaporate already! 

Before

After