Homeschool 101: The Water Cycle Experiment
It’s been hot here in Vegas; not triple-digits hot, thankfully. Still hot, hot enough to feel like I’m doing laundry constantly from swim attire and towels. If the amigos aren’t out in the backyard swimming, they are complaining about the heat and attempting to veg in front of an electronic.
Deciding to create our own rain was definitely a time consumer for an hour. A lot of times kiddos learn about the basics of the water cycle beginning in kindergarten, and continue to learn the details as they grow. This particular experiment is super easy and only requires 3 things.
The Water Cycle Experiment
Equipment
- clear glass or cup
Materials
- Barbasol shaving cream
- water
- food coloring
Instructions
- Fill the glass jar up with tap water leaving at least 2 inches from the top of the glass.
- Spray the Barbasol shaving cream on the top of the water. You need a decent amount, but the more you add the harder it will be for the food coloring to go through.
- Drop food coloring on the shaving cream and watch as the food coloring seeps through the shaving cream.
The water is the air, the shaving cream is the clouds, and the food coloring is the precipitation that becomes heavy enough to fall through the air (water) down to the ground.
Now, this experiment only shows the precipitation part of the water cycle, not the evaporation. But that doesn’t mean you can’t talk about the whole water cycle as you do the experiment. In fact, we watched this video before doing the experiment.
Another amazing resource for learning about the water cycle is USGS’s website. They have a ton of information for all ages. Their site is even interactive.
We had a blast with this at home science experiment and my older boys were amazing in not only being a student but also helping teach since they’ve learned about the water cycle many times before. In fact, this is an experiment they could’ve planned and executed with minimal aid.
My younger two loved how the overall look of the food coloring was. I’d say this activity is definitely great for ages toddler all the way to middle school.
How has your week been? Staying cool? Do you have any activities pertaining to the water cycle that are a favorite in your home? Hope y’all have an amazing week.
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