Guidelines for Presenting
The Incredible Journey
With the roll of the die, children become water molecules simulating the
movement of water in the hydrologic cycle.
Objectives
 Students will identify all the places water can go in the natural
earth system
 Identify the state of water as it moves through the water cycle
 Expand their mental picture of the water cycle
 Describe the movement of water within the water cycle
Materials
 9 cubes
 9 bead holders with station signs
 9 different color beads
 suede string knotted at one end
 flip chart with bold markers
Warm Up
Ask students: What do you know about the water cycle? What is the
picture that comes to mind? (students will probably think about the cloud
over the ocean with the arrow pointing up and then raining down on the
land). In this activity, we are going to expand that picture of the water
cycle.
Activity
In this activity, students become water molecules traveling through the
water cycle. Where are all the places water can go in the Earth System?
Make a list of all the places water can go in the water cycle:
River (streams)
Lake (ponds)
Ocean
Groundwater
Soil
Glacier (icecaps)
Cloud (air)
Plant
Animal
Try to have students guess all the places water can go, if they cannot
guess, ask them questions such as “What other forms of water are there
other than liquid?” “ Where is water found in our community or state?”
Water can be found as a solid, gas (vapor) or liquid. When all nine places
have been written, number the list from 1-9.
Have students count off from 1-9 until all students have a number. This
number identifies the station where they will start their incredible water
journey. Ask the students assigned to each station to identify the places
water can go from their station (a direct path). (For instance, from the
ocean, water can only evaporate into clouds.) Ask students “ What
conditions would cause water to move?” Go thru each of the nine stations
this way. Where in the water cycle do students think water molecules
would stay the longest?
Give each student a piece of suede string knotted at the end. Tell the
students that they will be demonstrating water’s movement from one
location to another. As the students move from one location in the water
cycle to the next, they collect a bead at each station that signifies the
place they have traveled to. Each station has a different colored bead.
Have students line up at their station and begin the game. The student
first in line will roll the dice and go where the dice dictates. If they roll
STAY, they will take that colored bead and go to the end of the line in
their area.
Students may end up staying at certain areas a long time-most won’t get
to all the stations. What matters is their individual journey.
Allow 10 minutes to talk about the student’s water cycle journeys.
Students will require help tying the slip knot. Show the chart to match
up bead color with each station:
River (streams)- baby blue
Lake (ponds)- royal blue
Ocean- turquoise
Groundwater- orange
Soil- brown
Glacier (icecaps)- clear
Cloud (air)- white
Plant- green
Animal- red
Follow Up
Ask students the following questions:
1. Did each water molecule (student) follow the same path?
2. Where were the places you got stuck? Where were you the most?
3. Why do you think you stayed longer in this area? (Oceans or seas
cover about 70% of the earth’s surface. It makes sense for many
water molecules to get “stuck” in these areas)
4. Did any of you go from the ocean to the clouds and back to the
ocean for more than one roll? (this is called cycling)
5. Did some of you get stuck in the groundwater? (Water takes
longer to move through the ground than it does to move over the
land surface. It would make sense that some students get “stuck”
there, too.)