The Incredible Journey of a Raindrop From Cloud to Ocean

Meet Ruby the raindrop. She starts her journey as a tiny bit of water vapor floating high up in the sky. When the air gets cooler, Ruby joins billions of other water droplets to form a fluffy white cloud. The cloud drifts across the sky, growing darker and heavier as more droplets gather together.

Soon the cloud can't hold all that water anymore. Ruby and her friends tumble down as rain, splashing onto a mountain slope. Some raindrops soak into the soil to feed thirsty plants, but Ruby rolls downhill into a babbling brook. She rushes over rocks and around bends, joining other streams that flow into a bigger river.

The river carries Ruby past forests, farms, and towns on her way to the sea. After days of traveling, she finally reaches the wide open ocean. But Ruby's adventure isn't over. The warm sun heats the ocean water, and Ruby evaporates back into the air as water vapor once again.

Up she goes, rising higher and higher until she cools down and joins a new cloud. This amazing cycle happens over and over, and it's called the water cycle. The same water has been traveling around Earth for millions of years. Every raindrop that falls on your head has an incredible story to tell.