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Science > Water
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Finally, a wonderful story about the water
cycle for young children without the big words: condensation,
evaporation, precipitation and the last one I always forget,
collection! These mouthfuls can be gently introduced after the
story at your discretion, for children 3.5 or maybe even 4+.
Children 5 and 6 can definitely have an expanded introduction and
presentation of these terms in a fun way.
Drippy the Raindrop is also a great introduction of how
wonderful and important is water as a resource. They will fall
in love with this wonderful character as they join him in his
wonderful adventure!
Activity #1: Online
Story: To the Mountain and Back - Drippy the Raindrop by - The
Water Cycle by Joel
Kimball (click on the link to meet the author)
The story of Drippy will speak very clearly to the children about what
happens in the water cycle.
Activity #2: Discuss the Water Cycle - Drippy the
Raindrop & The Water Cycle at Kidzone's (adaptable to 3.5
and older)
After reading the story, casually go over the four stages of the
cycle. For more specific information please visit KidZone:
The Water Cycle -- keep it very simple and for very young
children (2 - 4) you can even skip the big words and concentrate on
the process using Drippy as part of the discussion.
Materials: KidZone:
The Water Cycle Color Posters & Coloring Pages
For this discussion you may want to
use and display the KidZone's Water Cycle Posters found at the
bottom of the page in the link provided. Also read the
content of the display posters that suggest different activities
(boiling some water to see evaporation, for example) You can also
put some of the pages together for a fun coloring book!
1. Evaporation: Drippy evaporates.
Why? The heat of the sun causes him to evaporate and become a
vapor that goes up and he becomes part of the cloud.
(illustrate: boil some water in a kettle so children can see the
vapor rising).
2. Condensation: Drippy is now in the cloud and
meets another raindrop who has also evaporated -- Captain Salty.
While in the cloud, it is colder and Drippy is condensing and
turns into water again (read poster for activity that demonstrates
condensation).
3. Precipitation - What happens after a
while in the cloud? Yes, it starts to bounce and shake.
Why? It gets very heavy now that Drippy is water - (and all the
other raindrops that have accumulated have also turned into water) the
air cannot keep Drippy and the other raindrops up there . The
cloud bounces and shakes - (precipitates) and Drippy and all the water
in the clouds come down as rain drops or rainfall. Now sometimes
it comes down as rain, or it can be hail, sleet or snow, it just
depends on how cold it is.
4. Collection: Finally, Drippy ends up
falling on a stream and then unto the river, which carries him back to
the ocean and this will happen all over again -- this is called
collection. It is important to add that some of the rain will
fall on land and become ground water - the water we, animals, and
plants use.
Activity #3: Science - The Cotton Ball & Water Activity Ages 2+
This is a really easy and fun activity for the youngest children.
Materials: One cotton ball for every child, some flat pans or
containers filled with about an 1/2 inch of cold water.
1. Give each child a cotton ball to hold. Tell them to
pretend that they are holding a cloud.
2. Ask them how does the cloud feel: heavy or light, soft
or hard.
3. Instruct the children to place the "cloud" (cotton
ball) gently over the cold water. Explain that water that has
evaporated has traveled up to the cloud and it is a lot colder up in
the sky, so the vapor turns into water, and it is filling up the
cloud. Ask: Can you see the "cloud" (cotton ball)
filling up with the water.
4. Ask the children to gently pick up the "cloud"
(cotton ball) from
the pan. Ask: How does the "cloud" feel
now? Light or heavy. Warm or cold? What is happening
with the water? Yes, the water is dripping from the
"cloud". Why? The cloud cannot hold all that
water, is too, too, heavy. What do we call when water
falls from the clouds because they are too heavy with
water? Yes, you are right, rain! It is raining! And what
happens to the water? Yes, it is coming right back into the pan,
and the pan could be a stream, river, ocean or the ground.
Activity #4: Language Arts:
The water cycle activities present the opportunity to introduce or
reinforce alphabet letter and early handwriting skills related to this
topic.
Here are some suggestions and related lesson plans and printable
materials are:
* Letter I is for Icicle (is
a pike of ice formed by the freezing of dripping water)
* Letter S is for Snow (a type
of precipitation in the water cycle)
* Letter U is for Umbrella (rain
theme: to protect us from
the rain)
* Letter W is for Water
Activity #5: DLTK's
Bluster the Cloud Craft - Ages 2+
I love this craft, perhaps because every time I have presented it to
children they just love to do it and they love the results. Give
it a try and then make a beautiful blue sky bulletin board and fill it
with all this beautiful clouds!
I will suggest to print template 1 (cloud and hat) in white paper and
template 2 (facial features and limbs) using blue construction paper as
Leanne recommends.
Another important variation to Leanne's instructions is that I have
the children glue and fill the cloud with cotton balls after the arms
and legs are glued in place. Then glue the facial features
and hat over the cotton balls, it looks so cute!
Suggestion: If you happen to conduct this activity
and craft during the Winter holidays, dress up Bluster with glitter
and add a ribbon to the back to hang in the Christmas tree or dress a
gift package. Write a nice holiday sentiment and glue a small picture of
child in the back.
Activity #6: Nursery Rhymes:
Rain,
Rain Go Away or April showers bring May flowers
After the cloud craft is assembled, ask
the children to pretend the cloud is filled with water and it is going
to rain and sing:
* Rain,
Rain Go Away Nursery Rhyme
Color poster | Coloring
Page w/text
or
Discuss the rhyme > April showers
bring May flowers
Additional nursery rhyme activities:
A Rhyme a Week - Rain, Rain Go Away - Ages 4+
*Nursery rhyme poster | coloring page
External resources: Lesson Plans and activities by Laura B. Smolkin for Core Knowledge.
PDF Format Only
*Nursery
Rhyme Card/Poster
*Rain,
Rain Go Away Lesson Plans
*Ay
Picture Card Set
*Ay
Riddle Cards
Optional > Activity #7: Bible Stories - Water in the Bible
Incorporate W is for Water lesson
plan.
Here are online and off-line coloring pages with links to Bible
scripture that related to the significance of water in Bible stories:
* Noah
and the Great Flood (online coloring)
* The Baptism of Jesus - Passage: Matthew
3 coloring page with
text no
text
* Jesus
turns the Water into Wine (online coloring)
* Jesus
Walks on Water (online coloring)
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Activity #2
External links
kidzone.ws
The Water Cycle Color Posters & Coloring Pages (bottom
of the page)
Activity #3
*one cotton ball per child
*flat pans filled with 1/2 of water
Activity #4:
Alphabet
Select an alphabet lesson plan:
* I is for
Icicle
* S is for Snow
* U is for Umbrella
* W is for Water
Activity #5:
Crafts
Winter precipitation
Snow theme crafts
External link
dltk-kids.com
Rain theme >
Bluster
the Cloud Craft
Umbrella theme craft
Activity #6:
Nursery Rhyme: Rain Go Away
Color poster
Coloring page w/text
Activity #8
Water in the Bible - review links in the lesson plan
*scissors
*glue
*something to color with
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