The Water Cycle: a crucial component to our eco-system. This experiment is a fun way to address any inevitable questioning related to “Where does rain come from?” or “Why does it rain?”
Water Cycle (CPE) ::『水 サイクル』:: agua ciclo
Materials:
- Baggies (Of course – I had a stash of “Zip Locks” ♻️ – but moving forward, I’m definitely moving to stash the biodegradable!)
- Wet Paper Towel
- Dry Kidney Beans (or other)
- Marker to draw the water cycle (optional)
To produce “rain in a bag”: add about an inch of water to a sealable baggie and tape it to a sunny window. Then observe: from about a day to a week (kids can check every day <3), the heat from the sun will warm the water, causing it to evaporate into a fog or “cloud” inside the baggie. Rain droplets will form along the side of the bag, as the gas formation during evaporation has nowhere to go. The droplets drip down and return to the collection point, and the cycle continues.
We also tried using this technique to grow beans. Instead of using a pool of water, we used a moistened paper towel. The same effect was true: the water evaporated from the paper towel, formed a cloud, and then “rains” inside the bag. Our dry beans began to sprout. 🌱
♻️ –>> Terracycle Plastic Film
♻️ –>> {and finally – also, possibly, an email to “Zip-Lock” (SC Johnson) to tell them how you are not going to use any of their products, because their business has not yet attempted to transition to include recycling, nor sustainable materials. 👋}
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