How Does The water cycle | Ecology | Khan Academy Work?

The water cycle is like a never-ending game where water changes shapes and moves around the Earth.

Imagine you're playing with your favorite toy, you pick it up, move it from one room to another, drop it, and then pick it up again. That's kind of how the water cycle works!

When the sun shines on a lake or ocean, it warms up the water, making it turn into vapor, like when you blow on a cold drink and see steam rise.

This vapor rises high up in the sky, where it meets cooler air. Then it changes back to tiny drops of water, forming clouds.

When those clouds get heavy, they drop their water as rain or snow, just like how you pour water from a glass into a cup.

That water then flows down hills and into rivers, lakes, or even oceans, and the cycle starts again!

It's like your toy going back to its starting place so you can play all over again.