37

Lesson 37 of 84 ยท Climate

Experimentโญ 30 XP๐ŸŒ‹ Rock Realm

The Water Cycle: Condensation and Precipitation (Part 2)

๐ŸงชLab Brief #37

The Water Cycle: Condensation and Precipitation (Part 2).

๐ŸŽฏ Your mission

Set it up. Test it. Be amazed.

โšก The twist

The slowest changes are the biggest ones.

๐Ÿคฏ

Mind = Blown

๐Ÿชจ Every grain of sand on every beach used to be a mountain.

๐Ÿ”ฎ

Make a hypothesis first

Predict: which will erode faster?

What You'll Learn

Weathering breaks rocks into smaller pieces through physical processes (like freezing water expanding in cracks) and chemical processes (like acid rain dissolving limestone).

Key Words

  • tectonic plates
  • erosion

Materials Needed

  • rain gauge
  • cotton balls
  • food coloring
  • clear container
  • rocks

Safety First

  • Wear safety goggles when mixing liquids.
  • Wash hands after handling materials.

Steps

Step 1 โ€” Read

Look at the vocabulary words and write a definition for each in your own words.

Step 2 โ€” Do

Create a model of the water cycle in a bowl: place warm water in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, put ice on top, and observe condensation and precipitation.

Step 3 โ€” Observe

Watch carefully for any changes and note the time.

Step 4 โ€” Record

Create a data table to organize your measurements.

Check Your Understanding

Question 1

1 of 3

What powers the water cycle?

๐ŸŒ

Where you see this in real life

Today's weather, tomorrow's beach, next century's coastline โ€” all this.

๐Ÿ†

Stretch Challenge

Try this in real life this week.

Look at the sky for 5 minutes and try to predict tomorrow's weather.

๐Ÿ‘จโ€๐Ÿ‘ฉโ€๐Ÿ‘ง

For the dinner table

โ€œWhat's the slowest change you can think of?โ€

๐ŸŽฏ

Next Smart Experiment

We'll pick an experiment that matches exactly how you're thinking right now.

๐Ÿ’งShare card

Share this experiment

Send it to a parent who's looking for a 10-minute kitchen science win.

๐Ÿ–จ๏ธ

Checkout complete lesson on Climate for 8th Grade

Get the full Climate track as a printable PDF โ€” all lessons, worksheets, and answer keys.

View in Shop

Your Cart (0)

Your cart is empty

Browse our shop to find activities your kids will love