A shallow puddle on the playground is smaller after a warm sunny afternoon. Which water cycle step is happening to the puddle water?

On a cool morning, tiny drops appear on the outside of a cold glass. Which water cycle step changed water vapor into drops?

Dark clouds move over a town, and rain begins falling onto roofs and streets. Which water cycle step is the falling rain?

After a storm, rainwater gathers in a pond at the bottom of a field. Which water cycle step is this gathered water?

Snow on a hillside melts and flows downhill into a stream. What is the moving water called before it reaches the stream?

Rain falls on loose soil and slowly soaks in. It fills tiny spaces between bits of soil and rock below. What is this water called?

Mist rises from a warm lake, then a low cloud forms above the water. Which two water cycle steps are happening?

Air above a cool mountain changes water vapor into tiny droplets that make a cloud. Which step is this?

White flakes fall from clouds during a winter storm. Which water cycle step is the falling snow?

Water runs across a parking lot after heavy rain and enters a storm ditch. Which step best names the water's movement?

A wet towel dries on a clothesline while the Sun shines. Which water cycle step removes water from the towel?

Rain falls into lakes, rivers, and oceans, and the water collects there. Where on Earth is most of the water collected?

Ocean water evaporates on a warm day. What usually happens to that water vapor next as it rises and cools?

Tiny cloud droplets join together and grow heavy. What happens next in the water cycle?

Rain lands on a grassy hill during a storm. Where can the water go next?

Water has collected in a lake after several storms. On the next sunny day, where can some lake water go next?

Snow piles up on a mountain all winter and does not melt until spring. What is the snow doing in the water cycle all winter?

A cloud looks white and puffy in the sky. What is a cloud mostly made of?

Water vapor is rising from a warm pond into the air. Where did that water vapor most directly come from?

Rain soaks into the soil and becomes groundwater. Where might that water move later?

Runoff enters a river after a storm. What can happen to that river water later in the cycle?

Rain soaks into garden soil, and plant roots take up some of the water. How does some of that water get back into the air?

Two shallow dishes hold the same amount of water. One is in shade and one is in sunlight. The sunny dish dries faster. Why?

On a warm day, ocean water becomes invisible water vapor above the surface. What supplies the energy for this step?

Water vapor rises from a lake, and a cloud forms high above it. Why does the vapor turn into cloud drops up high?

Ocean water is salty, but rain that falls from clouds over the ocean is not salty. Why?

If sunlight stopped warming Earth's oceans, which water cycle step would slow down first?

After rain fills a birdbath, the water level drops during several sunny days. What step did the Sun help drive?

What is the Sun's main role in the water cycle?

Wet garden soil dries after a hot sunny day. What happened to much of the water near the surface?

Morning sunlight warms the ocean before clouds form near the shore. Which sequence depends on the Sun's energy?

During a long dry spell with no rain, a small pond like this one still keeps some water. Where is new water most likely coming from?

A glass of water on your desk may include water that was once in a river, cloud, or ocean. What idea explains this?

Rain falls onto the schoolyard after forming in clouds. Where could that rainwater have been before?

A river keeps flowing, but its water moves on to lakes, oceans, air, and clouds. What does this show?

On a cool, still morning, a low gray mist hangs just above a lake. What is this mist?

Water collected in the ocean can later fall as rain over land. What path makes that possible?

During a dry week, pond water seems to disappear, but it is not gone forever. What most likely happened?

Water soaking into the ground today might later be pumped from a well. What cycle idea does this show?

Snow on a mountain may have once been ocean water. What water cycle path explains this?