Sources of water
2 Minutes
Sources of water and the water cycle for kids explained through the journey of a water drop named Jiffy. A short science lesson in English.
- How water drops form ponds, lakes, rivers, and the sea
- Snow falling in cold regions and forming glaciers or ice sheets
- Melted ice flowing through streams to the ocean and evaporating
What this lesson teaches
Water on Earth exists in many different places and forms, including ponds, lakes, rivers, and the open sea. All of these bodies of water are made of countless small water drops that continuously travel and change form across the planet.
Different water bodies on Earth
Water droplets come together across the planet to form distinct water bodies such as ponds, lakes, rivers, and the ocean. Even though these environments look different and exist in separate locations, they are all composed of the same substance: water. When the hot light from the sun strikes the surface of any of these water bodies, the liquid warms up and turns into vapor, which rises to create clouds in the sky.
Snow and the formation of glaciers
- In cold regions such as the Himalayas, water does not fall from the sky as liquid rain, but pours down as snow.
- Fallen snow settles on the ground, where the pieces roll together and pile up on top of one another.
- Over time, the layers of snow stick together tightly to become large, strong structures known as glaciers or ice sheets.
- Glaciers can remain frozen for a very long period, providing a home for cold-climate animals like polar bears and penguins.
Flowing through streams and human use
When sunlight eventually shines upon a glacier, the solid ice warms and turns back into flowing liquid water. This melted water travels through small natural pathways known as streams or brooks, sometimes tumbling down steep mountain paths. Along these channels, many people depend directly on the running water for their daily lives. People bathe in the flowing streams, use the water for farming crops, and carry it home in pots.
Returning to the ocean and repeating the cycle
After flowing through mountain paths and passing through communities, streams continue on their course until they reach the ocean. The ocean acts as the final gathering place for all these traveling droplets. When sunlight falls across the ocean surface, the water warms up and evaporates into the sky once again. This continuous movement from vapor to clouds, snow or rain, streams, and back to the sea forms an unbroken cycle on Earth.