Below is an audio version of the text on this page.

Hello, science friends!  My name is Miss Puddle, and I am here to introduce you to the water cycle.  Did you ever walk to school in the morning and either jump over or splash through a gigantic puddle?  Did you ever wonder what happened to the puddle when you returned home after school to discover that the puddle magically disappeared?  This appearing and disappearing act is part of the water cycle.  During your travels through this website, you will learn that I, along with many of my other puddle friends, have been around for billions of years.  Do you know anybody or anything else that has been around that long?  The processes of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection have kept me alive and well for this length of time. Did you ever hear the word cycle?  I bet you have seen this word in words like bicycle, tricycle, and motorcycle.  You might ask, "What do all of these words have in common?"  Think about it!  All of these terms have wheels that go round and round.  The same is true of the water cycle.  The processes of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection continue to go round and round so that the same water in my puddle sticks around forever and ever. Being a puddle, I love the ocean.  Do you know why?  Believe it or not, if it weren't for the ocean which covers most of the Earth's surface, I might not be around.  Once again, it is that cycle of evaporation, condensation, precipitation, and collection that makes the ocean one of my best friends.  It's the same with the clouds.  They are also good friends of mine.  You might ask, "Why?"  They cradle me in their fluffy bodies before I arrive on the ground as a puddle you so love to splash through.  Many times, I become a puddle through one of the types of precipitation called rain.  Click on the following link to enjoy a rap that explains how the water cycle affects my life as a puddle:  "Water Cycle Jump".