Earth science Episode 1 · October 26, 2026
Am I Drinking Dinosaur Pee?
Plays from YouTube in privacy-enhanced mode.
The big question
Where does rain come from? And are you really drinking dinosaur pee?
Where does rain come from? Pip the puffin follows one drop of water from the ocean to the clouds and back again, and finds out why the rain on your window might once have been a dinosaur’s drink.
Words to know
evaporation
Say it: ee-vap-uh-RAY-shun
When the sun warms water and some of it turns into an invisible gas called water vapor, which floats up into the sky.
A puddle slowly disappears on a sunny day.
condensation
Say it: kon-den-SAY-shun
When water vapor cools down and turns back into tiny drops of water. Millions of those droplets make a cloud.
Drops appear on the outside of a glass of ice water.
precipitation
Say it: pri-sip-ih-TAY-shun
Water falling from clouds as rain, snow, sleet or hail, once the cloud droplets bump together and get heavy.
Rain on your window, snow on your mittens.
collection
Say it: kuh-LEK-shun
Water gathering in oceans, lakes and rivers, or soaking into the ground, until the sun warms it and the cycle starts again.
Rain running into a river and out to the sea.
Bonus words: water vapor, water cycle
Quiz time!
Try it at home: Make your own condensation
⏱ 5 minutes
You need
- 2 glasses
- Ice water
- Warm tap water (not hot)
- A towel
Steps
- Fill one glass with ice water and one with warm tap water.
- Dry the outside of both glasses with the towel.
- Wait five minutes. No peeking with your fingers!
- Now touch the outside of each glass. Which one is wet?
What’s going on? The cold glass gets wet on the outside. Water vapor in the air touched the cold glass, cooled down and turned back into tiny drops. That’s condensation, the same thing that makes clouds!
⚠️ Use warm water from the tap, not hot water.