Water

I start as a tiny drop in a big, fluffy cloud. I can tickle your face as rain or cover the world in a soft, white blanket of snow. I can be a mighty river rushing to the sea, or a quiet pond where frogs sing their songs. You can freeze me into fun shapes for your drink, or you can boil me into steam that whistles happily from a kettle when it’s time for tea. I can be gentle or powerful, but I am always moving and changing. What am I? I am Water, and I am everywhere you look!

Since the beginning of people, I have been their most important friend. The very first big towns and cities were built right next to me. Around 3100 BCE, the ancient Egyptians built their homes along my friend, the Nile River, because I helped them grow all their yummy food in the sandy soil. People in a land called Mesopotamia also settled by the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. They were very clever and learned to dig little canals, which are like tiny rivers, to guide me to their thirsty crops so they could grow big and strong. Later, the clever Romans wanted to bring me into their cities. Starting in 312 BCE, they built amazing bridges called aqueducts. These aqueducts were like special slides just for me, carrying me for miles so everyone in the city had fresh, clean water to drink and bathe in.

For thousands of years, people thought I was just one single thing. But I have a secret recipe! In 1781, a scientist named Henry Cavendish was doing experiments and finally figured it out. He discovered that I am made of two super-tiny parts called hydrogen and one tiny part called oxygen. That’s why some people call me H₂O! People also had to learn that I need to be clean to keep them healthy. On August 31st, 1854, a kind doctor in London named John Snow made a very important discovery. He figured out that dirty water was making people sick. His discovery was a huge deal and helped cities all over the world learn how to clean me up, so I could be safe for everyone to drink.

Today, I'm still your partner in everything you do. I help spin big machines called turbines to generate electricity that powers your lights and video games. I grow the fruits and vegetables on your plate, and I'm the best thing to drink when you're thirsty after playing outside. I travel on a never-ending journey called the water cycle—from the sea, up to the sky to form clouds, down to the land as rain, and back to the sea again. I connect every plant, animal, and person on Earth. Taking care of me means taking care of our beautiful world and everyone in it.