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💧 The Water Cycle

Follow a water drop as it rises, floats in clouds, and rains back to Earth!

lessons

~15 min

to learn

🔬 Science

subject

Ages 6–12

level

Start the course →

What you’ll learn

Explain the first three stages of the water cycle: evaporation, condensation, and precipitation.The water cycle is water's endless journey powered by the Sun. Evaporation lifts water vapor into the air, condensation forms clouds, and precipitation returns water to Earth as rain or snow.
Describe collection, how water changes form, and why the water cycle is important for life.After precipitation, water collects in rivers, oceans, and underground, then the cycle repeats. Water changes between liquid, gas, and solid, all driven by the Sun. The cycle gives us fresh water, grows food, and shapes weather.

Questions this course answers

What is the process called when the Sun turns water into vapor that rises into the air?

Evaporation happens when the Sun heats water and turns it into water vapor that rises into the sky.

How are clouds formed in the water cycle?

Clouds form through condensation, when rising water vapor cools and turns back into tiny liquid droplets.

Which of these is a type of precipitation?

Precipitation is water falling from clouds, and it can be rain, snow, sleet, or hail.

During the collection stage, where can water go?

In the collection stage water gathers in rivers, lakes, oceans, and underground before the cycle repeats.

What provides the energy that powers the whole water cycle?

The Sun's heat drives evaporation and the winds, powering the entire water cycle.

Which three forms can water take as it moves through the cycle?

Water changes between liquid, gas (water vapor), and solid (ice and snow) as temperatures change.

Grounded in trusted sources

U.S. Geological Survey, "Water cycle" (usgs.gov/water-science-school/water-cycle)
NOAA, "The water cycle" (noaa.gov/education/resource-collections/freshwater/water-cycle)
NASA Science, "What Is the Water Cycle?" (science.nasa.gov/kids/earth/what-is-the-water-cycle/)
Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Water cycle" (britannica.com/science/water-cycle)

Every Wunder lesson is built from real, reputable sources — never invented.

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