Water is a part of our everyday life, these 20 experiments and lessons can teach your Middle School students all about the water cycle!
Looking for fun ways to teach your Middle School students all about the water cycle and types of precipitation? Tired of reading long, boring passages out of a textbook? Look no further than these 20 hands-on water cycle activities for middle school to get them to join in the fun and learning.
From creating Winter snow to learning about Spring showers; From making your rain measuring device to creating your own water cycle. We have an activity to fit each step in the cycle.
1. Make Your Own Instant Ice
Hail is a big part of the water cycle. This is the perfect activity to teach you how to make an instant ice structure using a jar, ice cubes, a bottle of purified water, and a plate.
Learn More: Steam Sational
2. Make a Water Cycle Poster
This colorful water cycle diagram will help middle school students learn about types of water bodies, groundwater storage, groundwater depletion, mountain slope, water conservation, and cloud formation.
Learn More: Pinterest
3. Learn all About Evaporation
This experiment will teach your students how and why evaporation occurs. You'll need a cup of water, food coloring, a coffee filter, a metal mesh strainer, a pan, and a stove. The green water vapor will be seen on the coffee filter as the water shifts from liquid to gas.
Learn More: Capri Plus
4. Causes of Condensation
This hands-on activity will help your students learn all about condensation, a form of water vapor, and how water moves. All you need is glasses, ice, and warm water!
Learn More: Laura Candler
5. Make Your Own Rain Gauge
With this easy project, your students will learn about the relationship between weather and fresh water supply. This simple tool has helped many people determine amounts of water from rain and is a great tool if you are a farmer to measure agricultural water.
Learn More: A Reason For Homeschool
6. Pumpkin Jack Life Cycle Teaches You Concepts of the Water Cycle
This Pumpkin life cycle lesson is fun for all grade levels and will teach your students about evaporation from plant leaves. Watch as the water molecules move from the pumpkin and form liquid water droplets on the container.
Learn More: Kelly's Classroom Online
7. National Geographic Teaches You the Water Cycle
This educational website teaches you about the different parts of the water cycle, water shifts, and the different phases of water.
Learn More: Nat Geo Kids
8. Resources For Lessons About Weather
Every lesson plan will help teach your students about the weather, aspects of weather forecasting, accurate weather predictions, weather maps, air quality activities, and details of cloud formation.
Learn More: Teach Engineering
9. Interactive Lessons to Help You Teach Different Concepts of Water
These pre-made digital activities will give your students information on concerns about water availability, water analysis, distribution of water, and water use. This is the perfect resource for differentiating teaching for your gifted students. It's also a great resource to teach your students about their water footprint and how to be responsible with water.
Learn More: The Water Project
10. Cloud Types Sorting Games
This interactive resource will help students with cloud classification and additional resources about cloud types and how they form.
Learn More: Teachers Pay Teachers
11. Teach Your Students the Cause and Effect of Water Pollution
This hands-on activity poses thought-provoking questions about the causes of water pollution and what effect it has on access to fresh water. This is the perfect opportunity to teach students to be responsible, take care of their resources, and how they can help reduce water pollution.
Learn More: More Time 2 Teach
12. Learn All About the Rate of Evaporation
This experiment allows students to explore how water evaporates using real-time student data and determine if water molecules evaporate faster when heated.
Learn More: Middle School Chemistry
13. Blow Your Own Frozen Snow Globe
This simple yet fun activity only requires freezing temperatures and some soap bubbles. Blow a bubble onto the snow or ice and watch as beautiful ice crystals start to form all around. You'll feel like Elsa after this experiment!
Learn More: Lori Grimmett
14. Become a Cloud Spotter With This Experiment
Before cloud formation can occur, water needs to evaporate. In this hands-on activity, using a jar, hot water, and ice will make a visible cloud and teach your students about the cycle of precipitation.
Learn More: Research Parent
15. Watch These Short Videos About the Water Cycle
This educational blog post with fun short videos about the water cycle will give your students a good understanding of the water cycle.
Learn More: Learning Online
16. Make a Cloud in a Jar
This miniature water cycle experiment will teach your students how clouds hold water up until they are full, and then they form drops of rain and it starts to drip. You'll need two jars, water, and blue food coloring.
Learn More: Cool Science Experiments Headquarters
17. Learn About the Earth's Atmosphere
This simple experiment will help your students understand the different layers that are found in the Earth's atmosphere, in which layers our weather and clouds can be found, and where surface water and other types of water bodies can be found.
Learn More: Homeschool Rebecca Reid
18. Learn All About the Greenhouse Effect
Global Warming is an ongoing issue, especially in today's times. This experiment will help your middle school students understand the cause and effect of greenhouse gasses and the key processes of greenhouse gases.
Learn More: Pinterest
19. Learn About the Water Cycle in a Bag
This interactive water cycle diagram will teach your student how the water cycle works while teaching them how water moves from clouds to different types of water reservoirs.
Learn More: Rookie Parenting
20. Make a Snowstorm in a jar
This experiment is not just fun, but beautiful too! All you need to make a Winter Wonderland is a mason jar, baby oil, glitter, white paint, and Alka Seltzer.
Learn More: One Little Project
These twenty experiments, lessons, and activities with curated resources will make your middle school classroom fun, engaging, and informative. These different science topics and science games will teach your middle school students about the water cycle in no time.
20 Engaging Eclipse Activities for Middle School