ACTIVITY |
DESCRIPTION |
KEY MESSAGES |
ABORIGINAL VOICES
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Students gather to find out the prominent role that water plays in native culture and practice now and in ages past. This activity is run by teacher/elders from Chippawa's of Nawash. |
- Water is sacred.
- All life needs water to survive.
- We need to respect and live in harmony with all of nature.
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BUCKET BRIGADE
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Students work together to simulate medieval & pioneer life, including firefighting methods. They also have the opportunity to talk to local firefighters and see modern firefighting technology such as fire trucks and fire hoses. Students line up and pass buckets full of water to put out a "fire". |
- Water is important not only for health but also for safety (e.g. fire fighting).
- Historically, fire fighting required teamwork and an available water supply.
- Today, much of the water for fire fighting comes from the Municipal Water Supply.
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DRIPIAL PURSUIT
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Teams of students can engage in a friendly game of not so "trivial" water facts. |
- These water facts are not so "trivial".
- This is a game, winning isn't everything but we can all learn something from the game.
- There is a lot to learn about water.
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HEALTHY STREAMS...HAPPY PEOPLE
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Students will review the food chain in a stream ecosystem. Using a "gravity puzzle", students will learn that all the organisms in the stream are connected and that humans are part of the chain. Ultimately, humans can have both a positive and negative influence on streams, so if the streams stay healthy, so will humans. |
- Anglers (people who fish) are part of the food chain.
- Humans can do both good and bad things to these important habitats.
- The future of these special places depends on all of us.
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ACTIVITY |
DESCRIPTION |
KEY MESSAGES |
OFF I GO
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In Southern Ontario we have many nearby sources of water. In many countries people must travel far distances to obtain clean water. Students participate in a relay obstacle course to simulate the act of carrying water over difficult terrain and long distances. Likewise, water travels long distances through pipes to get to our homes. They will be encouraged to imagine what it would be like if we did not have water piped into our homes? |
- In Canada we have a steady supply of water and we therefore tend to waste a lot.
- In many countries people have to go long distances to find water and they therefore conserve much more.
- Think about children in other countries on their water fetching journeys and try to conserve water whenever possible.
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PIONEER WATER RACE
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How did pioneers collect all of the water that they needed for their daily lives? Students participate in a race using buckets of water and pose questions and make observations to gain an understanding of the difference between Canadian communities in the early 1800s and modern life in their community. How did people function differently without our technology? |
- A fresh, clean water supply is necessary for survival so it is very important that we conserve it for future generations.
- In Canada, we are very lucky to have clean water piped directly into our homes. In pioneer times, and even today in some countries, water had to be carried in buckets from the source and, in some cases, was not even clean.
- Canadians waste a lot of water because it is so readily available. Imagine having to haul all of the water you use and perhaps you can begin to use less.
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WATER HOGS MAKE SMOG
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This hands-on activity shows students the connections in how using water can create air pollution. Students learn through pumping water from a "lake" model, the process of getting water to your house. Each step of the process from cleaning, heating, and treating waste water creates air pollution. Acid rain created from air pollution makes water an unsuitable habitat for animals and plants to survive. |
- Municipal water treatment is an energy intensive process.
- Most energy consumption (fossil fuels) results in release of pollutants into the atmosphere.
- Pollutants released through burning of fossil fuels cause acid rain.
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