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Watch this video to get started on learning about the water cycle!

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The Water Cycle | Educational Video for Kids

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In this video, Dr. Binoc takes us through the water cycle. Here is a message from him: "Hey kids! Ever wondered how it rains? Where does the water vapor disappear? Don't worry, Dr. Binocs is here with all the answers."

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The Water Cycle | The Dr. Binocs Show | Learn Videos For Kids

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This is a visual representation of the stages of the water cycle we will learn about in this lesson!

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Get up and get to moving along with this fun GoNoodle dance/song break pertaining to the Water Cycle!

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Water Cycle | Songs For Kids | Sing Along | GoNoodle

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This occurs when the sun heats up the waters in oceans, lakes, rivers, and other bodies of water! When the water gets hot enough, it changes into a gas that evaporates into the air! You can see this happen if you leave a cup of water outside on a hot day!

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0:00 / 2:51•Watch full video

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Transpiration is the process of plants losing water in the form of water vapor. Water is released through the plant's leaves. It is similar to evaporation and helps that stage out because the water from the plants is released into the air and then evaporates!

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This occurs when the water vapor in the air becomes cold and changes back into a liquid. This is how clouds are formed! The moisture builds up in the clouds causing a release in the form of rain. We can see condensation when our cups full of drinks appear to be "sweating" or when we get out of the shower and our mirror is fogged up!

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Condensation and it's forms  | Dew, Fog, Frost and Mist | Video for Kids

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This is rain, snow, sleet, or hail that falls to the ground. This happens when the air can no longer hold the evaporated water. The clouds have to release the water through precipitation.

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After precipitation occurs through rain, snow, sleet, or hail, the water released gathers or accumulates in the bodies of water, plants, and ground. This restarts the water cycle!

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Instructor: Amanda Robb Show bio

Amanda has taught high school science for over 10 years. She has a Master's Degree in Cellular and Molecular Physiology from Tufts Medical School and a Master's of Teaching from Simmons College. She is also certified in secondary special education, biology, and physics in Massachusetts.

Accumulation in the water cycle refers to the collection of water from rivers, oceans, and other bodies of water. Learn about the definition and purpose of accumulation, the steps of the water cycle, and the importance of water to humans and ecosystems. Updated: 12/15/2021

What Is the Water Cycle?

As you're studying and learning about the water cycle, you probably have a drink nearby. Cool, refreshing water is necessary for our brains to function. In fact, we are made of more than 50% water ourselves. Water is all around us, in precipitation like rain and snow; in bodies of water, like lakes and oceans; and in other living things, like trees and animals. Water moves between all living and non-living things in a process called the water cycle. Today, we'll look at one particular step called accumulation. But before we zoom in, let's get a general overview of the whole water cycle.

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Steps of the Water Cycle

The water cycle starts from bodies of water on Earth, like lakes, streams, and oceans. As water is heated by the sun, it evaporates into the atmosphere. When it does, it collects in clouds, condenses, and eventually returns to Earth as precipitation. The precipitation runs off from mountains and other surfaces and accumulates in existing bodies of water and on land. Water is also stored as glaciers in colder areas of the earth, and in groundwater sources. Evaporation not only comes from bodies of water but also trees and plants. Trees and plants go through a process called transpiration, where water is sucked from the ground and evaporates through their leaves, returning water from the soil to the atmosphere. Now that we have the basics, let's look at the process of accumulation.

Accumulation is the process of water collecting in rivers, lakes, streams, oceans and other bodies of water. When water condenses and precipitates, it eventually runs off of surfaces and collects again in bodies of water. From there, the water evaporates, and the cycle begins again. Accumulation is important for a number of reasons, both in ecosystems and for humans.

Importance for Ecosystems

All living things are dependent on water. Plants make their own food and form the basis of most ecosystems. Plants use water, carbon dioxide, and sunlight to make food. Without water, both from precipitation and groundwater stores in the earth, they would be unable to make food, and thus animals that depend on plants for food would also die off.

Water stores that result from accumulation create aquatic ecosystems of their own. Rivers, lakes, and streams are home to many species of fish, which in turn support birds, mammals, and reptiles. Oceans cover nearly 70% of the globe and provide a home to tens of thousands of species of plants and animals. Ocean levels are kept constant through the cycle of evaporation and accumulation.

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Watch this video to review the stages and content about the Water Cycle!

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The Great Aqua Adventure: Crash Course Kids #24.1

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The link provided to this website contains multiple games to practice concepts taught in this lesson on the water cycle!

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In this series of games, your students will learn about the stages of the water cycle and the factors that drive its processes. The Water Cycle learning objective - based on NGSS and state standards - delivers improved student engagement and academic performance in your classroom, as demonstrated by research.

Scroll down for a preview of this learning objective's games and the concepts they drive home.

Concepts Covered

The water cycle includes all of the world's water in all its forms, including liquid, solid (ice), and gas (water vapor). Driven by the sun's energy and by gravity, water transforms between these states of matter and moves among the atmosphere, land, living things, oceans, and other bodies of water throughout the processes of the water cycle.

Water evaporates from the land and bodies of water and is then transported through the air as water vapor, which condenses to form ice crystals and droplets in clouds. When those particles grow too heavy to stay in the air, they fall as rain, snow, and other forms of precipitation.

Once on the ground, water flows downhill, some returning to rivers and oceans and some percolating into the ground to be transpired by plants and consumed by various forms of life, eventually released back into the stages of the water cycle.

A preview of each game in the learning objective is found below.

You can access all of the games on Legends of Learning for free, forever, with a teacher account. A free teacher account also allows you to create playlists of games and assignments for students and track class progress. Sign up for free today!

Tags: water cycle, precipitation, condensation, evaporation, sublimation, crystallization, clouds, runoff, watershed, aquifer, water vapor

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The Water Cycle Science Games | Legends of Learning

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Curriculum games and lessons for the water cycle, based on NGSS & state standards. Learn the factors that drive the stages of this critical natural process.