Have you ever been to the ocean? Or maybe you’ve seen a river or a lake? Do you know what they all have in common? That’s right, they’re all filled with water! Did you know that more than 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water? That means there’s a lot more water than land on our planet. Most of this water is in the oceans. In fact, ocean water makes up 96.5% of all the water on Earth. The rest is found in lakes, rivers, streams, and other freshwater places. Water is also in the air we breathe, inside our bodies, and even in ice caps and glaciers.
Water is super important. We can’t live without it! Everyone needs water to drink, but we also use it for other things like keeping clean, washing things, and having fun activities like swimming and fishing. Can you guess what makes ocean water different from the water in rivers, lakes, and streams? That’s right! Oceans have salt water, while lakes, rivers, and streams have fresh water.
Oceans are the biggest bodies of water on Earth. They are made of salt water. Oceans are very deep; the deepest part is 36,198 feet deep! That’s deeper than Mount Everest is tall. Many animals live in the ocean, like sharks, fish, dolphins, and whales. There are also lots of plants in the ocean that provide food and shelter for these animals.
Here’s a fun fact: Tiny algae called phytoplankton live in the ocean and make about 70% of the oxygen we breathe. Isn’t that amazing? Even though all the ocean water is connected, we divide it into five oceans: the Antarctic, Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Have you ever been to one of these oceans?
Lakes are surrounded by land and can be big or small. They are found all over the world. Most lakes are formed naturally when rainwater or water from the ground fills low areas called basins. Some lakes are man-made and are called reservoirs. Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world, with an average depth of 483 feet. That’s longer than a football field!
Rivers are flowing bodies of water that move toward an ocean, sea, lake, or another river. When rain falls or snow melts, the water flows downhill, creating rivers. The start of a river is called the source, and the end is called the mouth. Rivers can flow through mountains, valleys, and plains. Did you know the Colorado River helped carve out the Grand Canyon millions of years ago? Rivers are useful for food, transportation, power, and even bathing. The Amazon River in South America and the Nile River in Africa are the two longest rivers in the world, each about 4,000 miles long!
Streams are like small rivers. They flow from one place to another. Depending on where you live, you might call them different names like brook, creek, or wash. Streams are important because many plants and animals live in them, playing a big role in the environment.
Now that you know more about different bodies of water, let’s review! What is a flowing body of water called? That’s right, a river! Can you think of another name for a smaller river? If you said stream, you’re correct! Do you remember the names of the two longest rivers in the world? The Nile River and the Amazon River. Great job!
The world is full of water, from oceans and lakes to rivers and streams. Each one is special and important for life on Earth. We hope you had fun learning with us!
Water Detective: Go on a water exploration adventure! With the help of an adult, take a walk around your neighborhood or visit a local park. Look for different bodies of water, like ponds, streams, or fountains. Can you find any? Take a notebook and draw a picture of each water body you discover. Write down if it’s fresh water or salt water and what animals or plants you see nearby. Share your findings with your class and discuss why each water body is important to the environment.
Salt Water vs. Fresh Water Experiment: Let’s do a simple experiment to understand the difference between salt water and fresh water. You will need two clear cups, water, and salt. Fill both cups with water. Add a tablespoon of salt to one cup and stir until it dissolves. Taste a tiny drop from each cup (with an adult’s permission) to see the difference. Discuss how the salt water tastes compared to the fresh water. Why do you think ocean water is salty? Can you think of any animals that live in salt water and fresh water?
Water Cycle in a Bag: Create your own mini water cycle! You will need a clear plastic bag, a permanent marker, and some water. Draw the sun, clouds, and waves on the bag. Pour a small amount of water into the bag and seal it tightly. Tape the bag to a sunny window and observe what happens over a few days. Watch as the water evaporates, forms droplets, and then “rains” back down. Talk about how this is similar to the water cycle in nature. Can you explain how this cycle helps keep our rivers and lakes full?
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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[Music] Have you ever visited the ocean? What about a river or a lake? Do you know what they all have in common? That’s right, they’re all full of water! Did you know that over 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water? That means there is much more water on our planet than there is land. Most of that water comes from our oceans. In fact, ocean water contains 96.5% of all the water on the planet. The rest can be found in lakes, rivers, streams, and other freshwater sources. Things like the humidity in the air, the water inside your body, and frozen ice caps and glaciers all contain water too.
Water is essential. It is so important that we cannot live without it. Everyone needs drinking water to survive, but we use water in many other ways too. Water is used for keeping our bodies clean, washing the things around us, and even activities like swimming and fishing. Can you guess what makes ocean water different from the water found in rivers, lakes, and streams? Yep, you guessed it! Oceans are filled with salt water, while bodies of water like lakes, rivers, and streams are made up of fresh water.
Let’s talk about the different bodies of water and what makes each of them unique.
**Oceans:** Oceans are the largest bodies of water on the planet. They are made up of salt water. The ocean is deep; in fact, only recently have scientists been able to explore its depths. Did you know the deepest part of the ocean is 36,198 feet deep? That’s so deep that if it were a mountain, it would be taller than Mount Everest, which is the tallest point on Earth. Many different types of life forms make the ocean their home. In fact, scientists think that there are about one million species of animals that live in the ocean, like sharks, fish, manta rays, dolphins, whales, and more. Oceans also have a lot of plant life, many of which provide food for the creatures in the ocean as well as shelter.
Here’s a fun fact: Did you know that in our oceans live tiny algae called phytoplankton? These phytoplankton produce about 70% of the oxygen on Earth. Can you believe that microscopic algae can produce that much oxygen? Even though all the water in the ocean is connected, it is technically divided into five separate oceans based on where they’re found. They are called the Antarctic, Arctic, Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Have you ever visited one of those oceans? If you haven’t been to an ocean, how about a lake?
**Lakes:** A lake is surrounded by land on all sides and can range in size from a few square miles to thousands of square miles. They are scattered all around the Earth, and many are the remains of old glaciers from long ago. Most lakes are formed naturally when water from rain or water from underneath the ground finds its way into lower areas of land called basins. Lakes can also be man-made; these are typically called reservoirs and are formed by damming up a river. Lakes can vary in depth, but none are nearly as deep as the ocean. Lake Superior is the largest freshwater lake in the world, with an average depth of 483 feet. That’s over 100 feet longer than a football field! Its surface area of 31,700 square miles is just shy of being the same size as the entire state of South Carolina.
Now let’s talk about rivers.
**Rivers:** A river is a natural flowing body of water that runs toward an ocean, sea, lake, or another river. When rain falls or snow melts, it needs a place to go, taking a downhill path. This flow of water forms a pattern in the landscape, which is one of the ways that rivers are made. The beginning of a river is called the source, and the end of a river is called the mouth. The characteristics of a river change from the source to the mouth. Rivers can flow down mountains, through valleys, and along plains; they can even create canyons. Want to hear another fun fact? Scientists believe that the Colorado River may have carved out the Grand Canyon beginning five or six million years ago. Rivers aren’t just beautiful to look at; they’re also incredibly useful to people. They can provide food, transportation, power, and even a place to bathe. The two longest rivers in the world are the Amazon River, which runs through South America, and the Nile River, which runs through Africa. Both rivers are around 4,000 miles long, which is about twice the length of the United States from coast to coast.
Ready to learn about one more body of water? Let’s talk about streams.
**Streams:** A stream is a body of water that’s similar to a river; it also flows from one place to another. Depending on where you live, you might even call a river a stream and a stream a river. In fact, there are lots of different names for streams, like bayou, branch, brook, creek, wash, and others. But no matter what you call them, streams are very important. Many living plants and organisms call a stream their home and all play an important role in ecosystems around the world.
Now that you know a little more about the different bodies of water, let’s review. What is this body of water called? That’s a river! Can you think of another name for a smaller type of river? If you said stream, you’re absolutely right! Can you remember the names of the two longest rivers in the world? The Nile River and the Amazon River. You’re awesome!
The world is full of water, from oceans and lakes to rivers and streams. All are important in their own special way and are necessary for life on Earth. Hope you had fun learning with us! Visit us at learnbright.org for thousands of free resources and turnkey solutions for teachers and homeschoolers.
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