Join our Earth Day 2026 – Live Lesson on Wednesday, 22 April at 11:00 on this page.
Click play to watch the Live Lesson now
Please note that this lesson was published in April 2025 and we are no longer reviewing emails and messages from schools for inclusion in the lesson or on the page.
Join us for an expedition deep into the rainforest where we'll learn all about the water cycle and its vital role in sustaining life on our planet.
What is Earth Day?
Earth Day is marked on 22 April each year and aims to highlight the importance of protecting the environment.It became a global event in 1990, and now involves over one billion people of all ages in nearly 200 countries, according to organisers.
What to expect in the Live Lesson
We are following the journey of the water cycle, in this science and geography Live Lesson filmed at the Eden Project.
Children solve riddles as they are challenged to put the different stages of the cycle in order whilst learning about the endless movement of this precious resource.
Hosted by Naomi Wilkinson and Lizzie Daly, the lesson will take pupils on a trip deep inside the Rainforest Biome, which contains over 1,000 varieties of plants.
The 30 minute Live Lesson is available to watch now at the top of this page.
It will remain online afterwards, and on BBC iPlayer, to be used as a teaching resource whenever you need it.
Curriculum links
- National Curriculum, England - Key Stage 2 – Science
- National Curriculum, Northern Ireland - Key Stage 2 – The World Around Us
- Curriculum for Excellence, Scotland - 1st and 2nd Level – Sciences
- Curriculum for Wales - Progression steps 2 and 3 – Science & Technology
Learning objectives
- Learn that water can change state when heated or cooled.
- Understand the key processes of the water cycle: evaporation, condensation, precipitation, run off and collection.
- Identify the importance of water as a limited resource and think about practical ways to conserve it.
How to get involved:
This programme was accompanied by a live website commentary feed for schools.
We read all your messages and added as many as we could to this live commentary page throughout the day.
Please note this live commentary page is now closed. document
Click or tap here to see if your school had a shout-out
Teaching guide and activity sheets
These resources can be downloaded or printed to use alongside the Live Lesson.
Teaching Guide. document
For downloading/printing
Water cycle diagram - blank. document
Water cycle diagram
Water cycle diagram - completed. document
Water cycle diagram with labels completed
Useful links
Where next?
BBC Live Lessons for 2025/2026. collection
Information about our 2025/2026 Live Lessons for 7-11 year olds.
Earth Day 2026 – Live Lesson
This curriculum-linked lesson will explore how we can make a difference when it comes to protecting our planet.
KS1 / KS2 Geography: The water cycle. video
Help your pupils prepare for the lesson with this short animation explaining the water cycle.
