Activity
American Chemical Society

The Energy of Evaporation

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Do all liquids evaporate at the same rate? Young scientists observe the evaporation rate of three different liquids. They measure the time, the temperature, and the change in energy. After comparing the chemical formulas, scholars...
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US Environmental Protection Agency

Water Purification by Evaporation and Condensation

For Teachers 4th - 7th
This easy-to-perform demonstration shows students how the water cycle, specifically the processes of condensation and evaporation, purifies Earth's water supply. Just mix up some water, dirt, and gravel in a glass bowl, place a cup in...
Activity
UNESCO

The Water Cycle

For Teachers 4th - 6th Standards
Young scientists get their feet wet as they learn about the water cycle in this series of activities. Whether they are observing how evaporation causes puddles to dry up, or how plants put water into the atmosphere through...
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National Park Service

The Water Cycle Game

For Teachers 4th - 7th Standards
Take young scientists on a trip through the water cycle with this interactive science activity. After setting up a series of ten stations representing the different places water can be found, children use the included printable dice...
Activity
Exploratorium

The Dipping Bird

For Teachers 6th - 9th
If you have or want to order the dipping bird demonstration, it is useful for showing how evaporation and changes in the pressure of a closed system cause cyclical motion. After teaching about pressure, consider setting this little guy...
Lesson Plan
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Curated OER

Exploring the Water Cycle

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
The water cycle is one of earth's most easily observable processes, but demonstrating each step within classroom walls can be a challenge. Through a series of videos and quick demonstrations, cover each aspect of the hydrologic cycle in...
Activity
Discovery Education

Smoke on the Water

For Teachers 6th - 8th Standards
How do clouds form? Learners demonstrate the formation of clouds and the water cycle by testing four different setups in a plastic bottle. They identify the key components of a cloud to help them understand the process of cloud...
Activity
Discover Earth

Weather Stations

For Teachers 3rd - 8th Standards
Transform your classroom into a fully functioning weather station with this series of hands-on investigations. Covering the topics of temperature, precipitation, wind patterns, and cloud formation, these activities engage young...
Activity
US Department of Energy

Solar Distiller

For Teachers 4th - 10th
Explore the sun's ability to distill contaminated water with this simple set of classroom experiments. After filling two glass bowls, one with muddy water and the other with salt water, they are covered with plastic wrap and placed...
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NOAA

The Climate Team: Make a Solar Heat Engine

For Students 6th - 8th Standards
Learners investigate how solar energy is converted into heat in part two of the 10-part Discover Your Changing World series. They build and test homemade solar cookers to boil water and cook rice. Pupils consider the impact of heat...
Activity
University of Waikato

Building a Water Cycle

For Teachers 3rd - 6th
Bring the water cycle to life with in the classroom. Young scientists use household materials to create and monitor a water cycle model. They record changes in the water levels and make observations of where and how fast precipitation...
Activity
K-State Research and Extensions

Crystal Shapes

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Of quartz I love geology! The chapter offers five activities at three different levels. It features hands-on activities that cover crystal shapes, cleavage and fracture, hardness scale, specific gravity, and mineral...
Lesson Plan
Forest Foundation

Forest Watersheds

For Teachers 4th - 6th
Where does the water we use come from? To understand the concept of a watershed, class members study the water cycle and then engage in an activity that simulates a watershed.
Lesson Plan
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University of Wisconsin

Conjunction Function

For Teachers 1st - 12th
As part of a unit, this lesson familiarizes youngsters with components of a rain garden. They speculate about the role of an assigned component in contributing to a rain garden, and ultimately, in the health of the local watershed. Each...
Activity
Royal Society of Chemistry

Weathering and Erosion: Simulating Rock Attack in the Lab

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Into each life some rain must fall, but how can that change rocks? Young geologists' understanding of weathering and erosion increases throughout the activities. The lesson includes five short activities to be completed...
Activity
Weather Wiz Kids

Cloud in a Bottle

For Students 4th
This resource provides a short experiment for students to explore how clouds are formed.
Activity
Nuffield Foundation

Maintaining and Preparing Cultures of Bacteria and Yeasts

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Don't let your bacteria go to waste. A tutorial explains how to properly store and maintain bacterial stock cultures. It describes the purpose and preparation of a permanent stock, as well as a working stock for use in experiments.
Activity
American Chemical Society

Combustion and Burning

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
On Earth, a candle flame points up, but on the International Space Station, it forms a sphere. Young scientists practice their skills by recording observations before, during, and after a candle burns. Chemical and physical...
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Teach Engineering

Dress for Success

For Teachers 6th - 8th
Dressing for success is not always about looking sharp. Sometimes it is about staying warm and dry. Present your class with an activity that challenges groups of pupils to design a layered material for blizzard conditions. The teams test...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Keep Your Candy Cool With the Power of Evaporation!

For Students 3rd - 5th
Did you know that your body has a built-in cooler? And it might not be what you think. Sweat is produced when you are hot, but its purpose is actually to cool your body as the water in it evaporates from your skin. In this science fair...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: What's the Fastest Way to Cool a Soda?

For Students 9th - 10th
When you are craving an ice cold drink of soda, the last thing you want is to be stuck with a bunch of soda cans at room temperature. This fun science experiment sends you on a discovery to find the fastest way to cool soda with...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Just Keep Cool How Evaporation Affects Heating and Cooling

For Students 9th - 10th
When we get hot, we sweat. The physiological role of sweat is to cool us down. When the water evaporates, it removes energy from our bodies. This sort of evaporative cooling can also be used to cool homes, using what are referred to as...
Activity
Science Buddies

Science Buddies: Weathering the Windchill: How Does Wind Speed Affect Objects?

For Students 9th - 10th
With this science fair project measure the effect of wind speed on how quickly an object cools. The Science Buddies project ideas are set up consistently beginning with an abstract, objective, and introduction, followed by a section on...
Activity
American Geosciences Institute

American Geosciences Institute: Earth Science Week: Water: A Never Ending Story

For Students K - 1st
Students carry out a number of activities that demonstrate the concepts of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and soil moisture and runoff. Then students construct a terrarium as a way to observe the water cycle. Immediately...