The water cycle is nature’s way of moving water around the Earth! It's a process that repeats over and over, helping water travel from the ground to the sky and back again. Here’s how it works in a few simple steps:
Evaporation: The sun heats up water from rivers, lakes, and oceans, turning it into invisible water vapor. This vapor rises into the air.
Condensation: As the water vapor rises, it cools down and changes back into tiny droplets, forming clouds. This step is called condensation.
Precipitation: When clouds get heavy with water, they release it as rain, snow, or hail. This is called precipitation, and it falls back down to Earth.
Collection: The rainwater flows into rivers, lakes, and oceans or soaks into the ground. It gathers in these places, ready to start the water cycle all over again!
The water cycle is super important because it gives us fresh water to drink, helps plants grow, and keeps our environment balanced!