Pre-school Play-n-Learn The Water Cycle Water is the single most abundant element on the planet.

Everything living relies on water in order to survive. You can take a just few minutes each day to teach toddlers, preschoolers, and kindergarteners the importance of water through simple science activities that are fun and exciting for them and learn about the water cycle at the same time. The water cycle is a continuous cycle that has four stages. These stages are evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection. There is no start or end to the cycle; these steps are continuous in the earth ability to continually reuse its own energy. The water cycle can be a difficult topic to teach preschool children since it relies more on abstract ideas than on concrete evidence. We know that water does evaporate and condense, but it is hard to give solid examples. With easy hands-on activities, teaching different steps of the water cycle, preschoolers can understand this concept. 1. Sing the song The Itsy Bitsy Spider, which describes the water cycle, and discuss the meaning with your child (rain is precipitation that is evaporated by the sun; once the sun dries up all the rain, the itsy bitsy spider climbs up the spout again starting the entire cycle over). 2. Make a water cycle bracelet. Use string, yarn, ribbon, pipe cleaner, or other item to make a bracelet with the following colors of beads, in order, to represent each stage of the water cycle and help preschoolers remember the steps of the water cycle. A light blue bead represents rain; a green or brown bead represents grass or ground that the rain falls to; use a dark blue bead to represent puddles of water left after the rain; a yellow bead represents the sun that evaporates the puddles; a clear bead represents evaporation; and a white bead represents a cloud. 3. Use a cotton balls and water to help children understand the water cycle. Hand cotton balls to each child and explain to think of the cotton ball as a cloud. Discuss with children how the cotton ball feels (soft or hard, heavy or light). Next, place the clouds to float in a pan of cold water, and explain what is happening as the water evaporates/is soaked-up into the clouds (cotton balls). Have the preschoolers describe what they are seeing, and have them pick up the clouds again and describe how they feel in comparison to before being placed into the

water (heavy or light, soft or hard). Watch as the clouds drip water (rain) back into the pan, and explain that this is how puddles are created and how the water in streams and other bodies of water is replenished. As the clouds rain, the water rejoins the water on the land. We dont usually see the changes of water levels in streams, but we do see puddles. 4. On a sunny day, take a bucket of water and large paintbrushes outside. Paint the sides of buildings, concrete, and other items with water. Notice the change in color when water is applied to the concrete, buildings, and other items, then watch as the water disappears/evaporates. You can also spray these items with a water hose and observe the changes in color. 5. Place a small amount of water in a shallow dish on the ledge of a sunny window and observe how many days it takes to evaporate. Be sure and mark the starting level of the water. 6. Pre-school and kindergarten level books about the water cycle include A Drop of Water Walter Wick, The Drop Goes Plop: A First Look at the Water Cycle by Sam Goodwin and Simone Abe, The Magic School Bus Wet All Over: A Book About the Water Cycle by Pat Relf and Carolyn Bracker, and The Snowflake: A Water Cycle Story by Neilf Waldman. . A free story, To the Mountain and Back Drippy the Raindrop by Joel Kimball is available at drippytheraindrop.com 7. Set a range gauge outside during the rainy season and check it each day. Encourage children to record the results and discuss the concepts of evaporation and precipitation as the rain gauge levels increase or decrease. 8. Explain to your child that rain is not the only type of precipitation. Discuss other types of precipitation observed in weather including snow, sleet, and hail/ice. 9. Look at photographs and pictures that show the importance of water in our daily lives. Pictures of people brushing their teeth, drinking water, etc. can help children understand the many ways water is used and its importance. Also, show pictures with images of the water cycle, such as oceans, rivers, streams, and other bodies of water; the sun; clouds; mountains; snow; and rain.