Where Does Rain Go? The Journey From Puddle to Pond
Splash! After a big rainstorm, you spot a puddle in the driveway. By the next afternoon, it's gone. Where did all that water go? It didn't disappear — it just moved! Water is always traveling somewhere, from puddles to ponds to clouds and back down again.
What You'll Learn
Where puddle water goes after it dries up The difference between a puddle and a pond What evaporation means How rain fills up ponds and lakes
What Happens to a Puddle?
A puddle is a small, shallow pool of water that collects after it rains. Puddles don't last long. The sun warms the water and turns it into an invisible gas called water vapor — this is called evaporation. The water vapor floats up into the air and joins the clouds, ready to fall as rain again someday.
What Makes a Pond Different?
A pond is much bigger and deeper than a puddle, and it usually doesn't dry up completely. Ponds are fed by rain, streams, and sometimes underground water that seeps up through the soil. Because ponds hold so much more water, the sun can't evaporate it all in just one day like it does with a tiny puddle.
A single small pond can hold thousands of gallons of water — that's the same as thousands of bathtubs full! That's why ponds can last for years while a puddle disappears in a day.
Who Lives in a Pond?
Ponds are full of life. Frogs lay their eggs in the calm water, dragonflies zoom above the surface, and tiny fish called minnows dart between the plants. Puddles are too small and temporary for most animals to live in, but some water bugs and tadpoles use rain puddles as a quick pit stop.
Match each water word to what it means.
Terms
Definitions
Drag terms onto their definitions, or click a term then click a definition to match.
Why does a puddle disappear faster than a pond?
The Water Cycle: Round and Round
Water never really disappears — it just changes form and moves in a big loop called the water cycle. Rain falls, fills puddles and ponds, the sun evaporates some of it into clouds, and eventually it falls as rain again. Your puddle's water might end up as part of a cloud, a pond, or even someone's drinking water someday!
Which body of water is more likely to still be there next week?
After the next rain, find a puddle and mark its edge with a stick or chalk. Check it every few hours and see how long it takes to shrink and disappear!
Puddle Watch Journal
For three days after it rains, draw a picture of the same puddle each day showing how big it is. Underneath each drawing, write one sentence about what changed and why. On the last page, draw where you think the water went.
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