water is magic

 

Here’s some cool stuff to help you learn about one of Earth’s most precious resources -- WATER!

 
Kids Water Conservation Project...

When Mom or Dad turns on the sprinkler to water the grass, do you know how to figure out how much water the sprinkler “delivers”?

The next time the lawn needs watering, place some empty cans or jars in several places around the lawn. Turn on the frog in jarsprinkler and let it run for half an hour. Add the total amount of water captured in all the receptacles (in inches), and then divide by the number of jars to get the average. Simply multiply by two if you want to know how much water is “sprinkled” in an hour.

In the Houston area, experts recommend watering every five days to apply .75 to 1 inch of water (subtracting any rainfall) during summer months. This amount will wet the soil to a depth of 4-6 inches.
 
 

An experiment you can do at home in the kitchen sink!

Here's what you need:

  • a steady trickle of water from the kitchen faucet (more than droplets),
  • an inflated balloon,
  • a head of hair or a nylon/ acrylic flat surface.

TRY THIS:

water bendingAdjust the water flow from the faucet so it's a trickle. Notice it is a straight line. Let it run. Rub your balloon in one direction over your hair or across the nylon/acrylic surface numerous times.

Quickly place the balloon close to the trickle of water but DO NOT touch the water. Watch carefully!  What happens? (If you don't see anything happen, try again. It may take a couple of attempts before
enough static electricity is available to affect the path of the water.)

 

HOW DID YOU DO THAT????

Water molecules are made up of atoms that are made up of protons (+) and electrons (-) that have electrical charges (static electricity).

These atoms also have a positive and a negative end, and move in response to other atoms' electrical charges. When you put the balloon (+ charge) close to the trickling water, the water's atoms turn to align themselves so that their negative end reaches out to the balloon's positive atoms. This water experiment is a great example of the scientific rule that OPPOSITE ELECTRICAL CHARGES ATTRACT EACH OTHER

the water cycleDo you know how the
Water Cycle works?

This is the neverending circulation of water from clouds to earth to the ocean and back to the clouds again.

  1. The sun heats the earth’s water (lakes and streams) so it evaporates or changes its form to a vapor.
  2. As the air rises and cools, the tiny water droplets in the vapor get back together and form clouds.
  3. Water is returned to earth in the form of rain or snow.
  4. The rivers and streams also get water from melting mountain snow, and rivers ultimately flow into the oceans -- and the cycle continues.
  5. Most of the earth’s water is underground in the tiny cracks and spaces in the rocks and soil.  Large amounts of underground water are called “aquifers” that get “recharged” from rain, too.

woodlands water tower“How does the water get all the way up in the water tower?”

There are many tall towers in our neighborhood. Some even have designs painted on them. Do you know what they are for?

These towers store our drinking water. They are so tall to provide pressure necessary to help move the water when it is needed by our homes and businesses.

A water tower can hold a lot of water...sometimes as much as 50 backyard swimming pools full! Each water tower is designed to hold about a one-day supply for all the people it serves.

Big pumps help to move the water to where it is needed.  Sometimes, everyone uses water at once, like in the mornings to flush toilets, brush their teeth, and take showers. At other times, like at night when we are sleeping -- and hardly use any water at all -- the pumps replenish the supply of clean water in the tanks.  The water towers are an important part of our water system.  They help make sure that when we turn on the faucet to wash our  hands, the water we expect will be there.