GLENWOOD CANYON, THE WATER CYCLE, AND FLOWERS

To start the day we heard from our Reporter of the Week.  Will shared the details about the current Glenwood Canyon closure. We learned that no one was hurt.  The rock slide was huge!  The detour to Denver through Steamboat adds 146 miles and increases driving time by almost 3 hours. Yikes! It's a good weekend to hang at home! 

I-70 closed until Thursday after Glenwood Canyon rock slide

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Since we didn't get to go cross country skiing we took the day to study the water cycle.  We learned the words:

evaporation          condensation          precipitation          run-off

Then we made the water cycle in a bag.  We hung the bags in the window and we'll be observing them over the next few days.

You can see the water vapor forming on the sides of the bag to represent condensation and droplets on the sides to represent precipitation.  The evaporation is still invisible, but the bags squish around if you play with them and we can make the water run down the mountains!

We wrapped up our study of the water cycle with a letter to a snowman.  We were given a challenge to tell a snowman why he shouldn't be worried that summer is coming and the days are getting hotter.  Here's some of what we came up with.  We are very clever!

Dear Mr. Snowman,
Don't be worried.  I know it's almost July and you want to go to my birthday.  But that's OK, because I will put you on Mount Everest in the sky.  But you will still get hot and evaporate into the sky.  Then you will condensate and become a cloud.  But then you will precipitate as snow and I will build you again!
Love, Siena

Dear Mr. Snowman,
Springtime is coming, but don't be worried because... Snowmen move in a cycle, yes they do!  Snowmen move in a cycle, yes they do! They go up as evaporation.  Form a cloud as condensation.  Fall back down as precipitation. Yes they do!
Love, Hayleigh

Dear Mr. Snowman,
I know that it is almost spring and don't be worried.  I will make you on top of a mountain, give you a hat, and sun block.  In July you will melt.  You will evaporate and get to ride in a cloud.  You will condensate into a cloud. Then you will precipitate and I will build you again!
Love,
Gavin

Dear Mr. Snowman, 
Summer is coming.  I heard that you were worried, but don't worry because you will go in the water cycle.  First you will do the run-off then you will do the evaporation and then you will come back as precipitation and I will build you again!
Love, Lily

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Lastly, we were so excited to get to take a look at the flowers Malcolm brought in last week. Here's what we found.  They all soaked up some color. Different kinds of flowers soaked up water differently. The flower with the split stem became two colors split down the middle.  And the flower in plain water looks the healthiest.