Welcome to the amazing world of the water cycle! The water cycle is nature's way of recycling water all around our planet. Water travels in a never-ending journey from the oceans to the sky and back again. This incredible process happens every single day and helps provide fresh water for all living things on Earth.
The first step of the water cycle is evaporation. When the warm sun shines on oceans, lakes, and rivers, it heats up the water. This heat turns the liquid water into invisible water vapor that rises up into the sky. You can see this happening when steam comes from your hot soup or bath water!
The second step is condensation. As the water vapor rises higher and higher into the sky, it gets colder. When the vapor gets cold enough, it condenses back into tiny water droplets. Millions of these tiny droplets come together to form the fluffy white clouds we see in the sky!
The third step is precipitation. When clouds become too heavy with water droplets, gravity pulls the water back down to Earth. This water can fall as rain if it's warm, or as snow and ice if it's cold. The water lands on the ground, fills up rivers and lakes, and eventually flows back to the ocean to start the cycle all over again!
The water cycle is an amazing process that never stops! Water evaporates from oceans when heated by the sun, rises up to form clouds, and falls back down as rain or snow. This incredible cycle provides fresh water for all living things on our planet and happens every single day around the world!
The first step of the water cycle is evaporation. When the warm sun shines on oceans, lakes, and rivers, it heats up the water. This heat turns the liquid water into invisible water vapor that rises up into the sky. You can see this happening when steam comes from your hot soup or bath water!
The second step is condensation. As the water vapor rises higher and higher into the sky, it gets colder. When the vapor gets cold enough, it condenses back into tiny water droplets. Millions of these tiny droplets come together to form the fluffy white clouds we see in the sky!