This unit teaches students about
the entire hydrologic cycle.



  • Students will learn the three phases of water and be able to describe each one.
  • Students will understand each step in the hydrologic cycle and discover where each step occurs on Earth.
  • Students will gain a basic understanding of how the hydrologic cycle transports and recycles water throughout Earth.


1. Hydrology Introduction: Gives a brief overview of the hydrologic cycle.

2. Water: Amazing and Phasing: Uses experiments to describe the three phases of water and to demonstrate how these phases change from one to the other.

3. Where did it go? Evaporation?: Uses an experiment to explore evaporation in both freshwater and saltwater.

4. Suck it up, a study of Transpiration: Demonstrates how plants are an important part of the water cycle because they move water from the ground up into the atmosphere.

5. It's all Relative (Humidity): Uses a sling psychrometer (included in Discovery Chest) to measure relative humidity. It also explores how humidity affects local weather.

6. Cloud Formation and Precipitation: Uses a demonstration to make clouds and rain in a box. It also teaches about cloud types and different forms of precipitation.

7. Runoff: Running Through the Watershed: Uses experiments in sand to simulate runoff and demonstrate properties of water on Earth's surface.

8. Ground Water: Water Under Our Feet: Explores the water table and aquifers, and uses an experiment to demonstrate how to find the water table.

9. "The SLV (solid, liquid, vapor) game" : Is perfect for younger students, and uses the five senses to introduce the three phases of water to younger children.

GEODETECTIVE Home - Hydrology Discovery Chest - Hydrology Kids Page

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