With this simple and magical experiment, your kids can create the water cycle and watch it play out right before their eyes.
Today’s we’re bringing the wonders of the water cycle right into your living room – or, well, to your window, to be precise.
Let’s dive in!
Materials Needed
- A sturdy ziplock bag (make sure it’s leak-proof!)
- A permanent marker (for your inner artist)
- Plain water (the star of our experiment)
- Blue food coloring (for that dramatic ocean effect)
- Clear tape (our trusty assistant)
Fun Fact! Did you know that the water cycle is nature’s way of recycling water? It’s a journey that water has been going on for billions of years!
Step-by-Step Guide
- Let’s Draw: Grab your permanent marker, and let’s get creative on the upper half of your ziplock bag. Sketch a lively scene with clouds and a bright sun. This will be the backdrop of our water cycle drama. If you want to get really creative, use colored sharpies!
- Color Me Blue: Take a cup of water and jazz it up with a few drops of blue food coloring. Stir until you get a mesmerizing shade of blue. This makes our water easy to spot and adds a pop of color to our experiment.
- Water, Meet Bag: Carefully pour the blue water into the ziplock bag. Seal it up tight—we wouldn’t want any of our precious water escaping!
- The Sun’s Spotlight: Find a window that basks in the sunlight and hang our little project there. Use clear tape to secure the corners. Now, our water cycle stage is set!
- Observation Time: Keep an eye on the bag over the next few hours and then again after about a day. You’ll notice tiny droplets forming and moving around. Some droplets will gather in the “clouds,” while others will “rain” down. It’s showtime!
Science Behind the Magic
As the sun heats up the water, it transforms into vapor (that’s evaporation!), rising up only to find that it’s a bit too cozy in our sealed bag. With nowhere else to go, it decides to cool down and turn back into liquid, forming droplets (hello, condensation!).
This mini spectacle in our ziplock bag mirrors the endless dance of water between the Earth and its atmosphere, powered by none other than the sun!
Extra Tip
Feeling creative? Try this experiment with different colored food coloring for various effects, or draw different weather scenes on the bags. The sky’s the limit!
Wrapping Up
And there you have it—a captivating glimpse into the water cycle right from the comfort of your home. Not only is this experiment a blast to do with your kids, but it’s also a fantastic way to make science tangible, showing them the extraordinary processes that sustain our planet.
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Calie Herbst, Editor-in-Chief of Milwaukee With Kids, has spent over a decade combining her experiences as a parent of three to create a hub for Milwaukee’s family adventures.
Her decade-long teaching career in Milwaukee Public Schools and academic background, including a Master’s in Teaching from Marquette University and dual B.A.s in Sociology and Spanish from the University of Wisconsin – Madison, fuel her passion for inclusive and engaging family content.
Calie is also a recognized voice in local media, contributing to WISN Channel 12 News, WTMJ Wisconsin Morning News, Fox 6’s Real Milwaukee, and B93.3.
Discover more about Calie’s journey and editorial approach on her About Page and Editorial Policy Page.
