Water is always on a journey. It flows down rivers, floats up into the sky, and falls back down again. Let's follow the amazing adventure of a drop of water!
The journey of a river
A river begins high up, often in the hills or mountains. The place where a river starts is called the source. From there the water flows downhill, getting bigger as more streams join it. The sides of a river are called the banks. At the end of its journey the river reaches the sea at its mouth.
| Feature | What it means |
|---|---|
| Source | Where the river begins |
| Bank | The side edge of the river |
| Mouth | Where the river meets the sea |
The water cycle
Water travels round and round in a never-ending loop called the water cycle. Here is how it works:
Condensation: High up the air is cold. The water vapour cools and turns back into tiny droplets, which join together to make clouds.
Precipitation: When the clouds hold too much water, it falls back down as rain, snow or hail.
Put the water cycle in order:
- Evaporation — water rises as vapour
- Condensation — vapour cools into clouds
- Precipitation — rain, snow or hail falls
- Collection — water flows to rivers and the sea
Why rivers matter to people
People have always lived near rivers, which give us fresh water to drink and to grow food. They are used to travel by boat, and they are home to fish, birds and many other creatures.