Adventure #1:
The Water Cycle
Hello! I am Murphy the Meteorologist, and I'll be guiding you through Adventure #1!
Now that you've completed your introduction to becoming a scientist, as well as your first scientific drawing. It's time to learn how to think like a scientist! I will be teaching you briefly about the water cycle, but as you continue on your journey, you will complete a total of six adventures exploring the interactions between water and society.
The Scientific Method
The Scientific Method is a series of steps that all good scientists use in order to learn something new!
In the following activities, we will be using the Scientific Method to learn about the water cycle!
1. Scientists Ask Questions!
Where does water come from?
In your Field Journal, write about where you think water comes from using your existing knowledge of the world. Think about your answer, but don't worry if it ends up being wrong! Science is all about exploring the unknown. We have to make mistakes and guesses in order to learn more about the world around us.
Where does the water go?
In your Field Journal, write about where you think the water goes. The water comes from somewhere, so it must go somewhere too right? Again, don't be afraid to be wrong, scientists investigate all kinds of wild and creative ideas!
2. Research the Topic!
The Water Cycle
Water on Earth is always moving! Even when water appears to be completely still, all of the water particles are constantly vibrating around!
This constant movement drives the water cycle.
When water heats up, those water particles vibrate so much that they escape as a gas called "water vapor" and rise into the air through a process known as evaporation!
Eventually, water vapor begins collecting high in the atmosphere where it starts to cool off. As it gets colder, the particles vibrate less and condense into clouds!
Over time, some of the water vapor begins to turn back into a liquid, and when enough liquid water particles are in the air, they become too heavy and begin to fall back down to Earth as precipitation (rain or snow)!
Plants also play an important role in the water cycle! Their roots absorb the water from precipitation that soaks into the ground. Believe it or not, plants actually breathe too! When plants "breathe" they release water vapor back into the atmosphere from their leaves in a process called transpiration.
Now that you've learned the basics, watch the video to the right to dive deeper into the Water Cycle!
If you want to see some additional videos on the water cycle and even learn a song, here are a few optional videos!
3. Form a Hypothesis!
With your new knowledge of the water cycle, you know where the water comes from and where it goes!
In your Field Journal, answer the following questions again and think about how your answers have changed now that you've learned new information!
Where does water come from?
Where does the water go?
4. Experiment!
Now that you have formed a hypothesis and created a drawing, let's use an experiment to test your hypothesis! I'm excited to see what happens, experiments usually reveal interesting connections we didn't notice before!
For this experiment, you will need a cup, some water, and a few pieces of tape!
Step 1
Fill your cup with some water and place your tape on the outside of your cup.
Make sure the edge of your tape is lined up with the top of the water line.
If your cup isn't clear, it may be easier to put the tape on the inside of the cup.
Step 2
Place the cup somewhere around your house for 3 days.
You could place it behind a window, in the fridge, in a dark room, or even outside.
Each of these locations experiences very different weather conditions.
5. Collect Data!
After 3 days, measure the amount of water that is in the cup.
Is there more water, the same, less? Write all these observations in your Field Journal.
Try to tie your results to your hypothesis. Where do you think the water went? Why do you think there is a difference?
Are the experiments supporting your hypothesis? Why or why not?
6. Repeat the Experiment!
Now repeat the same experiment, but change it up! You only need to repeat steps 4 and 5!
You could place the cup in a different location, use a different liquid in the cup, or use a different amount of water. Make sure to keep track and record the changes you make each time you repeat the experiment.
Keep track of your results and observations in your Field Journal.
Repeat this experiment as many times as you like!
7. Draw Conclusions
Now it's time to decide if the results of your experiment aligned with your hypothesis!
In science, nothing can be "proven true" So we can't say that the experiments proved our hypothesis to be true. If it seems like your experiments supported your hypothesis, you can say "The experiment did not reject my hypothesis!"
If your experiments don't support your hypothesis, you can say "The experiment rejected my hypothesis!"
It's ok if your hypothesis was rejected by the experiment, that means you can create a new hypothesis and try again with more knowledge than you had before!
Well done! You have earned your first Adventure Puzzle, the Water Cycle Piece!
Just below this text, you can click on the puzzle piece, print it out, cut it out, and add it to your puzzle. If you need a new puzzle, feel free to print out a new one on the Home Page.
If you are doing this virtually, just right click on the picture and click copy image, then right click in your puzzle document and click paste. You should be able to move it to the correct spot on the document.
