A Cloud in a Jar

Fourth grade has been learning a lot about condensation and evaporation. Students have had such fun studying the water cycle and the process of water vapor evaporating into the atmosphere to then form clouds in the sky. We know that heat from the sun provides solar energy, and we need heat energy and a body of water for evaporation to occur. Water molecules then heat up, move and spread around, and they rise into the atmosphere. As the water molecules rise, they begin to slow down due to the cooler temperature of the atmosphere. When the water molecules evaporate into the cooler atmosphere, they slow down and stick together and dust particles in the air to form clouds. We know that clouds are made up of tiny water particles and dust. The condensation from the atmosphere changes the gas molecules to liquid because of cold air. Fourth graders know that the process of making a cloud is condensation. It was such fun today in the lab putting our knowledge of how clouds form in the sky to a real life experiment observation! We conducted an experiment and made a cloud in a jar by using a model. We used warm water to represent what happens to a body of water as it heats form the sun. Hairspray was used to spray into the jar with warm water. The hairspray represented dust particles (the water molecules stuck to the dust/hairspray). Students then closed the jars tightly with lids and placed a few ice cubes on top. The ice cubes represented the cold air from the atmosphere. It was exciting to see a cloud form in our jars! It was even more exciting to see the cloud escape from the jar when we removed the lids! This hands on water cycle lab experiment was exciting and fun!