In Science class, students learned about the water cycle. In the first experiment, they observed how collected water evaporates and condenses inside a glass jar representing our earth and its atmosphere. We observed how the water droplets pull together and become heavy falling to the ground. Students learned the key terms accumulation (collection), evaporation, condensation, and precipitation. In the next experiment, students observed the accumulation process in a plastic bin with a sand landscape, which expanded into observations of erosion.
The class discussed how water is the only form of matter that can exist naturally as a liquid, solid, and gas, and how these three states are part of the water cycle. Students also discussed how water is not created or destroyed but continuously cycles through different forms.
To explore this further, we built a sand-based water filter to demonstrate the process of cleaning and filtering water. In the final experiment, students examined how water is used by living things, focusing on how plants use water through the processes of cohesion and adhesion.