Activity Inspiration: Act Out the Water Cycle
As part of the CACFP Meal Patterns update that was implemented October 1, 2017, providers must offer drinking water in addition to making it available. It can often be challenging to get kids to drink the right amount of water they need throughout the day. This fun STEM activity pairs well with a science lesson and encourages interest in drinking water too! Enjoy!
What you’ll need
- Your children
- Blue ball of some sort to act as “water”
How to play
- Divide your kids into four groups or pairs, depending on how many children you have (you can also do each role as a group). Give each group a role to play: Rain, Cloud, Ocean, Sun.
- Start the ball with the Rain group. Have the Rain group wriggle their fingers and move their arms/hands downward, resembling rain.
- Rain group will pass the ball to the Ocean group.
- Ocean group, with their arms out wide to their sides, wave their arms in a wave-like motion to resemble the ocean. The ocean collects the rain.
- Ocean will pass the ball to the Sun group next.
- Sun group will first make a big circle with their arms above their heads, resembling the sun. Then they will do the opposite of rain by wiggling their fingers/arms upward, resembling vapor.
- Cloud group is next. The Cloud group will get the ball and pretend they are floating in the air. Then drop lower and lower to the ground as if they are getting heavy.
- Then the ball returns to the Rain group. Repeat as many times (cycles) as you want until your children understand the process of the water cycle.
