Most of the earth is covered in water, and more than half of our body weight is made up of water. It’s impossible to imagine life on this planet without this precious resource. But have you ever stopped and asked yourself, “where does water come from?” This Earth Day we wanted to draw attention to the amazing way our planet recycles its water.
Did you know that the water you drink has been up in the sky?
Imagine this: the sun shines on a puddle of water. Over time, this water heats up and changes into vapor. This vapor rises into the sky. As it goes further up, the vapor starts to cool down. When it cools, it changes back into a liquid and forms a cloud. Sometimes this cloud becomes so full of liquid that the liquid starts to fall to the ground as rain. The rainwater then flows into lakes, rivers, or the ocean.
This process is called the water cycle. All the water on Earth has gone through this cycle. And it continues to go through it over and over again. So next time you hold a glass of water, you can think about how that water has a bit of history. Maybe it was once in an ocean across the world, or in a cloud hovering above another country.
Looking for other Earth Day activities, we have plenty of resources to share:
- Dive into our kids magazine! Explore the ecosystems of different countries, the ocean, and recycling in our educational resources.
- Listen to our podcast Anytime Now. We recommend the episode about Rachel Carson and her fight to protect our planet.
- Or read our previous blogposts celebrating Earth Day, including our Earth Day DIY crafts.
