One day, the sun shone so brightly that I started to evaporate. I turned into a tiny gas molecule and floated up into the sky.

In the image: The water drop evaporating into the air.

I traveled through the air with the other gas molecules until we cooled down and turned back into liquid water droplets. Together, we formed a fluffy white cloud. 

In the image: The water drop condensing into a cloud.

One day, the cloud became too full of water droplets and we started to fall to the ground as rain. I  landed on the ground and in a lake.

In the image: The water drop precipitating as rain.

The plant sucked me up and used me to make food. I traveled through the plant's stem and leaves until I reached a tiny leaf opening. Then, I evaporated into the air again.

In the image: The water drop being transpired by a plant.

And so my journey began again. I evaporated, condensed, precipitated, and transpired over and over again. I traveled all over the world, from the ocean to the mountains to the clouds. I saw many amazing things and met many new friends.

In the image: The water drop repeating the cycle.

The water cycle is a beautiful and important process that keeps all life on Earth alive. I am proud to be a part of it.

Vocabulary Used: Evaporation, Condensation, Precipitation, Transpiration, Solar Radiation (sun's radiation)

How Gravity and the Sun's Radiation Drive the Water Cycle :

Gravity pulls water down towards the Earth's surface. This is why water flows from lakes and rivers to the ocean. Gravity also pulls water droplets down from clouds as precipitation.

The sun's radiation heats up the Earth's surface. This causes water to evaporate from lakes, rivers, and oceans. The sun's radiation also heats up the air in the atmosphere. This causes warm air to rise and cool air to sink. As the warm air rises, it cools and condenses into clouds.