| Make Your Own Water Cycle
To demonstrate how the water cycle works, get a clean, wide-mouth jar (like a
pickle jar), a cup of water, some blue food coloring, a teaspoon of salt, plastic food
wrap, a rubber band, and a sunny windowsill. First, make an “ocean” by mixing the
water with a few drops of the food coloring and the salt. Next, place plastic wrap
over the mouth of the jar, stretch it tight, and place the rubber band around the top
to hold it in place. Last, place your ocean on a sunny, warm windowsill and leave it
for a few hours.When you return to your ocean, what has happened? Make some
observations about what you see in the jar and on the plastic. Is there still water in
the bottom of the jar? Is there any on the plastic wrap? What color is it? What does
it taste like? What has happened is that the water has evaporated from the “ocean”
because of the heat of the sun (just like in real life), and it has condensed on the
plastic wrap. Notice that the condensate is clear and most likely does not taste like
salt. Why is this? How does this relate to the world’s water cycle? This is a simple
experiment, but it tells you a lot about the water cycle. Share your experiment with a
family member!
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