Rain, Rain...Learning More About Water

Suggestions and ideas...opportunities for learning about water. This is a little all over the place and very general but I think we'll have fun with it.

Books and Videos
The magic school bus at the waterworks
Biotrackers [juvenile DVD] : explore habitats of the world!
Air, weather & water [juvenile DVD]
The way things work [juvenile DVD] floating
The water cycle [videorecording]
Explore the ocean

Maps Skills

Locate the 5 oceans on world map
Look at map and try to estimate how much of the earth's surface is covered with water

Vocabulary Words to Discuss
Habitat - the place an organism normally lives
Surface film - habitat for certain beetles, bugs and plants
Conservation - the process of preventing loss, injury or change
Distillation - the process of purifying water by boiling it and condensing it's vapors
H2O - define hydrogen and oxygen (intro to periodic table)
Evaporation - conversion of a liquid to a vapor state

Creative Writing
make a list of where we think our drinking water comes from
Record our water usage for one 24 hour period
Write a story as if we were one of the boys in the art print below

posters.com

Art Appreciation or Application
learn more about Homer Winslow and his painting pictured above
nature art journaling while visiting the lake

Hands on Activities and Field Trips
Make a rain gage

Create and Observe a Solar Distiller

Conduct Water Cycle Experiment

visit a local lake -

• talk about what might live in the water


• use nets and bug boxes to collect specimen of water and see what living organisms are visible


• use microscope to look at samples of lake water


• return water along with all living organisms to the lake

Bonus Activity from KONOS unit study on Africa:

Pretend your back yard water faucet is your only water source. Put signs at all the faucets in the house to remind you not to use them for one whole day. Take a bath using only one bucket of water. Discuss the need of clean water, hygiene and sanitation training and how we can be part of the solution. Click here and here for more info.