The water you drank today may once have been in an ocean, a cloud, or a glacier. This is the water cycle.

The sun heats seas, lakes and rivers, and water rises into the air as invisible vapour. This is evaporation.

High up, the air is cold. The vapour cools into tiny droplets that gather together as clouds. This is condensation.

When the droplets join and grow heavy, they fall as rain, snow or hail. This is precipitation.

The water runs into rivers, soaks into the ground, and flows back toward the sea, ready to rise again.

The same water has been travelling around this loop for millions of years, and it is still going.

1. 0:00Scene 1

   Hook: Drinking ancient water

   The water you drank today may once have been in an ocean, a cloud, or a glacier. This is the water cycle.

   Stick figure drinks from a glass of water and lowers it with wide curious eyes as ocean and glacier icons drift around.

   water glassglobe icon
2. 0:08Scene 2

   Phase 1: Evaporation

   The sun heats seas, lakes and rivers, and water rises into the air as invisible vapour. This is evaporation.

   Stick figure shields eyes near a lakeshore as wavy golden heat lines lift water vapour upward into the sky.

   sun symbolwater surface
3. 0:15Scene 3

   Phase 2: Condensation

   High up, the air is cold. The vapour cools into tiny droplets that gather together as clouds. This is condensation.

   Stick figure shivers up in the cold air as floating water droplets draw together into a fluffy cloud.

   cloud propthermometer
4. 0:23Scene 4

   Phase 3: Precipitation

   When the droplets join and grow heavy, they fall as rain, snow or hail. This is precipitation.

   Stick figure opens an umbrella as heavy raindrops and snowflakes tumble out of the swollen cloud.

   umbrellarain cloud
5. 0:29Scene 5

   Phase 4: Collection and runoff

   The water runs into rivers, soaks into the ground, and flows back toward the sea, ready to rise again.

   Stick figure walks alongside a winding blue stream as water filters through soil and flows into the wide sea.

   winding streamsoil layer
6. 0:36Scene 6

   Payoff: The endless loop

   The same water has been travelling around this loop for millions of years, and it is still going.

   Stick figure stands in the center of an orbiting circular loop arrow, raising their water glass with a proud smile.

   circular arrowwater glass

Format

16:9 YouTube

Scenes

6

Narration

English, studio narrator

Captions

Off

Quality

Standard 720p

Style

Chalkboard, classic line

These are the only choices made. The scenes, drawings, narration timing and captions were all generated from the script.