The Hydrologic Cycle

The hydrologic cycle, or water cycle, explains how water never really goes away, it just changes form. This may sound like a complicated concept for a preschooler, but following along with a good conceptual diagram, it can be fun and interesting. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency provides a diagram to help demonstrate the cycle (included below). Print this picture out and as you discuss the process your preschooler can color in the corresponding part of the EPA diagram (a larger version of this diagram is avaialbe on the EPA site).

Where to Begin

Although no one really knows where the cycle starts, I suggest you start with rain. The precipitation concept is easy for a preschooler to grasp because they understand how it affects their daily lives.

Precipitation. Precipitation is water that falls from the sky. It can be in any form, such as rain, snow, sleet or even hail. Once the precipitation hits the ground, it is absorbed (runoff is for a different lesson). Color the rain.

Storage. The precipitation is stored in water bodies such as rivers, streams, lakes and oceans. Some is also stored in underground aquifers. Color the ground and below.

Vapor. The water that sits in water bodies is heated up when the sun comes out. Some of the water heats up and is turned into vapor or steam. Vapor is not something you can see. The water is now in a gas form. Color the vapor.

Clouds. The air cools down and the vapor turns into liquid water again, this is condensation. The condensation forms into clouds. When the clouds get too full, they precipitate and the cycle starts again. Color the clouds.

 

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