Lesson 36 of 84 · Weathering and Erosion
Experiment⭐ 30 XP🌋 Rock RealmThe Water Cycle: Evaporation (Part 2)
Weathering and Erosion.
🎯 Your mission
Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.
⚡ The twist
The slowest changes are the biggest ones.
Mind = Blown
🪨 Every grain of sand on every beach used to be a mountain.
Make a hypothesis first
Predict: which will erode faster?
What You'll Learn
The water cycle describes how water moves through Earth's systems. Water evaporates from oceans, condenses into clouds, falls as precipitation, and flows back to the ocean.
Key Words
- water cycle
- evaporation
- condensation
Materials Needed
- magnifying glass
- newspaper
- spray bottle
- cups
- thermometer
Safety First
- Do not taste any materials.
- Wear safety goggles when mixing liquids.
- Wash hands after handling materials.
Steps
Read about Weathering and Erosion and write down three key facts.
Model erosion: tilt a tray of soil and pour water from a cup at the top. Observe how channels form. Try adding plants or rocks to slow the erosion.
Observe what happens and describe it in detail.
Record your observations in your science journal with measurements and descriptions.
Check Your Understanding
Question 1
1 of 3What is the water cycle?
Where you see this in real life
This is shaping the ground you walk on, slowly, every single day.
Stretch Challenge
Try this in real life this week.
Find a rock outside and try to guess how old it is.
For the dinner table
“What's the slowest change you can think of?”
Next Smart Experiment
We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.
Share this experiment
Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.
Checkout complete lesson on Weathering and Erosion for 4th Grade
Get the full Weathering and Erosion track as a printable PDF — all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.