Educators can help children remember the water cycle by employing a water-cycle necklace. Select different color beads to represent the steps in the water cycle. Blue beads may be used to represent ground water, such as lakes and rivers. Evaporation and transpiration from plants is represented by clear beads. Use white beads to remind students that condensation in the clouds is the next step in the cycle. Brown beads may stand for return of water to the soil and mountains by precipitation. The entire water cycle can be represented by the order blue, clear, white and brown.
Teachers can help students create a representation of the water cycle by making a collage on poster paper. Students can cut pictures of clouds, mountains, lakes, rivers, rain, snow and oceans from old nature magazines. The pictures are glued on the poster board to demonstrate the water cycle. Students can draw arrows that connect each step of the water cycle which forms a complete circle. Other items, such as cotton ball clouds or grass, can be glued on the poster board to create a mixed-media collage.
Clouds help move water around the planet. A cloud mobile can help students remember the importance of clouds in the water cycle. Students will tie small sticks together in a cross-pattern with yarn or string. Clouds may be created using cotton balls glued on white paper. Students can create a rain cloud by gluing or suspending a paper raindrop cut from blue construction paper from one cloud. Snowflakes can be suspended from another cloud. Balance the mobile by adding more clouds or extra snowflakes and raindrops.
Educators can finish a segment on the water cycle by helping students to create a laminated place mat that students can take home. Teachers can provided pre-printed coloring book style sheets which the students color or students can draw their own representation of the water cycle. Students can write vocabulary words from the water cycle lesson on the back of the paper. The students' artistic rendering of the water cycle is laminated so that the art can be used as a place mat at home.