Intro: 10 min
Bugs on water: 10 - 30 min
Light refraction: 5 - 10 min
Ice: 30- 90 min
Bioswales & runoff: 20 - 40 min Total Lesson Time: 105 - 180 min (1hour, 45 min - 3 hours)
Introduction
Water is a wonder, and it’s all around you. There are so many things that make water cool (for real, that trick will amaze your adults and siblings alike)! Water covers two thirds of our planet, but how much do you really know about it?
Watch this video from NASA or check out this graphic from NASA to get an understanding of what all the sweet sweet liquid is doing on our planet!
Other Properties of Water
Experiment
What you’ll need:
Scissors
Index cards, cardstock, or cereal/cracker boxes
A large bowl, baking dish, or container of water (a bathtub or plugged sink could also work)
Cut your cardstock or cardboard into a rectangle that is 4 inches by six inches, or roughly into the size of an index card
Fold it in half horizontally (hotdog) style, and then fold each edge to the middle line you created
Cut leg shapes (like the green and yellow “bugs” in the picture)
When you have at least two with different body shapes, record their shapes in your table. Which of your bugs do you think will stay on the surface the longest? Make a prediction under your table in your nature journal.
Place them gently on the water and start your stopwatch, record the time that they finally sink into the water.
What design worked best? Why do you think that is? In your nature journal, discuss:
Was my prediction correct? Why or Why not?
How could I make this experiment better?
This also works with light objects like paperclips!
Light Refraction
Want to see a really cool trick? Try out this mini-experiment! Just because it’s a clear liquid doesn’t mean it’s not cool. Let this be your lesson reminder to stretch your legs and drink some good old H2O. Just remember the old outdoor school saying: Hydrate before you die-drate!
Want to try it for yourself?
What you’ll need:
A clear glass of water
A simple drawing on a white piece of paper (like an arrow or a word)
What you’ll do:
Place the picture behind the glass, then look through the glass at it! Does it look like you thought it would?
All About Ice
Ice is weird, even if you’ve never thought of it that way. When water freezes, it does things that most liquids wouldn’t dream of doing when it moves to solid form. It expands as it freezes and it floats. Ice is something we see and use all the time, but how does it work? And what makes it melt?
What makes the ice melt? Are there things that make ice melter faster or slower? Brainstorm for 1 min everything you know about ice on a new page in your nature journal. Draw the following table (don’t forget to label it!) and then try this experiment:
Time it takes to melt an ice cube in 1 tsp of kitchen ingredients
Sticky notes or scraps of paper and a writing utensil
What you’ll do:
Lay out your containers in a row and label them: Sugar, Salt, Water, Control
Measure out your salt, sugar, and water and pour each into their own separate bowls. You should have one bowl or container with salt, one with sugar, one with water, and one that is empty.
Make a prediction in your nature journal, which container’s ice will melt the quickest?
Having your stopwatch ready, place one ice cube in each container and watch! Record the time when there is no longer ice in each container, just water. Record any observations (did the ice melt faster where the salt or sugar touched it? Did it float in the water and melt slower? etc.).
Look at your results, did they match your prediction? What could make this experiment better?
Check out the Global Ice Viewer by NASA to see first hand just how much ice we’ve lost in the last decade.
So you’ve seen some of the cool things water can do and some of the many forms it can take, but did you know that water can be destructive too? You’ve probably heard of big disasters like hurricanes or tsunamis, but even little bits of water stuck on the road can cause damage too. Potholes, cracks in the roads, and even sinkholes can be caused from run off (and its best friend erosion) It’s important in places with lots of pavement, like cities, that the water has somewhere to go. So what can city planners do with all that water? Read this article from the EPA called Soak Up the Rain: What’s the Problem And then answer these questions:
After reading the article, watch this video to learn all about those weird gated off parks you might have seen in your neighborhood. It’s not just to keep you from playing, those “parks” are doing hard work!
Reflection Question: How can I protect the water around me and is it my job to reduce water pollution, or somebody else’s?
