Water Cycle Adventure

*Please note, early ClassVR headset models (155) may take longer to load this scene and performance could be affected.* Take your students on an unforgettable adventure through a stunning mountainous valley to follow the incredible journey of water molecules in the water cycle! As budding ecologists, they’ll follow water on its thrilling ride, rising from lakes, rivers, oceans, and trees into the sky, then cascading back down as rain. Witness the sun, trees, and changing temperatures work together to keep this endless cycle in motion in an engaging, immersive exploration of nature’s dynamic power!  **Note to Teachers:** The water cycle explorable scene models how water changes state through evaporation, transpiration, and condensation. Teachers can tailor the depth and detail of this concept and the water cycle to suit their students' age and understanding. # Learning Objectives 1. Observe how an increase in temperature causes water to evaporate{.info} 2. Observe how cloud formation leads to precipitation{.info} 3. Explore how water particles change state during the water cycle{.info} # Preparing for the Experience Before diving into the water cycle experience, start by asking your students what they already know about how water is recycled in nature. Explain that water is essential for all living things; it hydrates animals, helps them regulate temperature, encourages metabolic activity, supports photosynthesis in plants, and acts as a solvent for transporting nutrients. To ensure this vital resource remains available, it must continuously cycle through the environment. Understanding how water moves through nature is key to appreciating how living things depend on it. The water cycle involves a series of processes that transport water from reservoirs—such as lakes, rivers and oceans—into the atmosphere and back again. Along the way, water passes through plants, forms drinking sources for animals, and seeps underground into rock formations that store it for long periods before it returns to the reservoirs. The main processes of the water cycle include evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, infiltration, percolation and surface runoff. Temperature shifts drive the changes that cause water to transform between vapor and liquid states, influencing its movement throughout the environment. Now, let’s explore and uncover the fascinating journey of water! **Preparation Questions** Before entering the scene, ask your students to think about the following questions: 1. What is evaporation?{.task} 2. What is precipitation?{.task} 3. What is condensation?{.task} # Step-by-Step Experience Guide Teachers can use this step-by-step guide to lead students through the experience once they are in the headset. Alternatively, students can use the guide below independently or in a group. # Evaporation{.objective .objective1}  Welcome to the valley! As an ecologist, you've arrived to explore the fascinating journey of water through the environment. Look around, and you’ll see the processes that drive the water cycle in action. Whether it's lakes, rivers, oceans, trees or even underground reservoirs, water is constantly moving! Start by observing the lake in front of you. As the sky clears, notice how the sun’s warmth begins the evaporation process, which is when water changes state from a liquid into a gas (vapor). As the sunlight heats the lake’s surface, tiny water molecules rise into the atmosphere, invisible but ever-present. But water isn't just found in lakes! Trees play a vital role too. They absorb water through their roots, using it for photosynthesis, a process that produces sugars that keep them alive and growing. Some of this water escapes through the leaves in a process called transpiration. Take a look at the tree near the camp benches. As the sun beats down, water molecules are released into the air. So, what happens next? As water vapor builds up in the sky, it has to go somewhere. Any guesses on what comes after evaporation and transpiration? Keep exploring to find out! ## Quick Fire Questions 1. Describe the process of evaporation{.task} 2. What factor causes evaporation from water and trees?{.task} # Condensation and Precipitation{.objective .objective2}  As you make your way back to the lake and glance up at the sky, you notice how quickly the weather changes. That’s because once the water evaporates into the atmosphere, it doesn’t just disappear; it begins the next stage of its journey! As water vapor rises, it eventually reaches cooler temperatures high in the sky. Sometimes, winds push this vapor toward mountains, forcing it even higher into the atmosphere. This movement of water in the air is called transportation. When the vapor cools, something fascinating happens; it condenses, changing from a gas back into tiny liquid droplets, forming rain clouds. Look up to the sky! See how those water molecules huddle together as the temperature drops? Those growing clouds are full of tiny water droplets and when they become heavy enough, they fall back down, known as precipitation, better known as rain! This is how water returns to the land, lakes, and rivers, completing its endless cycle. ## Quick Fire Questions 1. What factor causes water to change from a vapor to a liquid{.task} 2. What is the name of the process of water vapor changing back to a liquid{.task} # Water Returns {.objective .objective3}  As rain falls, the water doesn’t always land exactly where it evaporates from. For example, water evaporated from a lake might fall as precipitation over mountains. But what happens next? Rainwater returns to its source by following different paths, continuing the water cycle in fascinating ways! **Infiltration** – Some of the rain seeps into the ground, soaking through soil and cracks in rock formations. Eventually, it reaches underground reservoirs called aquifers, where water is stored. **Percolation** – Water stored in aquifers doesn’t always stay put. Sometimes, it moves through the ground, emerging into lakes, rivers or even the oceans. Plants, like the trees you see around you, can also absorb this water, fueling transpiration. **Surface Runoff** – When the ground is already saturated, excess rainwater flows across the surface, making its way into streams and rivers. This moving water eventually makes its way back to lakes, rivers and oceans, completing another leg of the water’s journey. Look across the lake as it rains. Notice how the water doesn’t immediately settle? That’s because it’s soaking into the soil! But when the rain is heavy, large puddles form on the surface. Once the water returns to the reservoirs it came from, the cycle starts again. Head back to the camp benches and check out the board. Can you spot all the stages of the water cycle on the diagram? ## Quick Fire Questions 1. What process describes water running along the ground?{.task} 2. When water percolates, where does it get stored{.task} # Water Cycle Ride{.objective .objective4}  Now that you've explored the different stages of the water cycle and seen how water molecules travel, it's time for a new adventure—the water ride! Walk through the wooden hut and step into the ride. This time, you won’t just observe the water cycle; you’ll experience it from a water molecule’s point of view! As the ride begins, look around and imagine yourself as a tiny water molecule on a wild journey. As you move from place to place, think about which stage of the water cycle you’re in. Are you evaporating into the sky? Drifting through a cloud? Rushing down a river? Hold on tight and enjoy the ride! # Quiz 1) What process in the water cycle describes water changing state from a liquid to a vapor? a. Condensation b. Percolation c. Runoff **d. Evaporation** 2) What process in the water cycle describes water soaking through the ground? a. Runoff **b. Percolation** c. Precipitation d. Evaporation 3) What causes water vapor to condense and precipitate? **a. When water is transported to a cooler region of the atmosphere, changes state to a liquid forming rain droplets, and when they are heavy enough, they will fall** b. When water is squashed together due to the smaller space in the mountain valley to form water droplets, and then clouds push the droplets to the ground 4) What is the name of the process where plants like trees cause water vapor to build up in the atmosphere? a. Percolation b. Evaporation **c. Transpiration** d. Runoff 5) Put these processes of the water cycle in order from start to finish: **Percolation, Evaporation, precipitation, transpiration, condensation**. **A. Evaporation, transpiration, condensation, precipitation, percolation** # Extended Learning Now that students have explored the processes that cause water to change state and move between its reservoirs as a liquid and the atmosphere as a vapor (gas). Students can create a water cycle diagram to illustrate the processes. They should use the particle model to show the change in the state of water in the cycle and add notes on the diagram to describe what is happening. For the higher age range, students should add information explaining why the temperature change causes water to change state in the water cycle. # Cross-Curricular Links ### Geography Use the water cycle to think about the impact water has on landscape formation. As water moves and runs on land surfaces, how does it impact the shape of the landscape? Think about the role of water in the physical erosion of mountains, rocks, riverbanks and more. Create an infographic to describe and illustrate physical erosion by water. ### Art and Design Create a 3D model of the water cycle using a mixture of resources and materials. ### Literacy Use the key terminology and information about the water cycle to write a poem about the water cycle. # Teacher Resources ### Download the Teacher Notes Below [](https://avnfs.com/TJJQCmCLLqigAmJ5AOlqhHCLdF6wRt501beSyvqGwtQ?size=7608457&type=application%2Fpdf&name=Water+Cycle+Adventure+REBUILD+Teacher+Notes+-+Teacher+Version.pdf) ### Download the Student Notes Below [](https://avnfs.com/EyldS0X_Wmo-zd1kRgT60IXEOzM347o8Mot3uGS2V4A?size=5695553&type=application%2Fpdf&name=Water+Cycle+Adventure+REBUILD+Teacher+Notes+-+Student+Version.pdf)