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What are we learning?
What are we learning?
Creating the drawing reinforces basic vocabulary & concepts of the hydrologic cycle.
Once on display, water molecules from the water source at the bottom of the bag will gain energy from the light through the window, causing them to speed up, separate, and become water vapor that will fog up the bag or accumulate as small droplets on the plastic, demonstrating evaporation & condensation (shown in the "cloud" drawing).
When the vapor starts to accumulate enough to make water droplets, gravity draws it back down to the bottom of the bag as precipitation (in this case, rain) - it will be visible dripping down the inside of the bag and accumulating once more in the water source (puddle, pond, lake, ocean).
Bags can be kept on display for a period of time to continue to observe the cycle in action.
How is it done?
How is it done?
Gather materials for each student or work in small groups.
Start with drawing the water cycle on the outside of the zipper bag using colorful permanent markers.
Follow the example shown above, but each students' water cycle bag can be unique in its design so long as the key vocabulary and water cycle steps are included accurately. (Teacher may choose which vocabulary to include based on grade level.)
Make sure to leave an area in the bottom of the bag for the accumulated source of water (a puddle, lake, or even the ocean).
An optional cluster of brown paper towel can also be included in a section at the bottom of the bag to represent land/soil, showing how it absorbs water and also allows it to evaporate.
When the drawing is complete, water is added to fill the bottom of the bag.
The bag is carefully sealed with some air space included to allow room for evaporation, and then taped to hang in a window.
Water Cycle in a bag can be observed & analyzed in the days to come.
Materials Needed
Materials Needed
Zip type bag (quart or gallon)
Permanent markers (magic markers will run/wipe off)
Water
Tape (clear packing tape works well)
Display window
Ruler (optional extension)
Making a water cycle in a bag is easy!
Making a water cycle in a bag is easy!
Water Cycle in a Bag Observations.pdfFor older grades, adding a measuring device and tracking the amount of water that has evaporated may help learners draw new conclusions about what they are seeing in their bags. This can even be extended further to graph the data that your learners have collected over the course of the week.
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