Muddy Water Pollution

TIME REQUIRED: Implement this activity during open centers time or free play. Provide 30 minutes the first day for preparation and exploration. Allow 15 minutes the second day to observe overnight changes.

SCIENCE INFORMATION:  Water! We use it daily and even though it is one
substance that is most familiar to students, they never tire of exploring it. There is much second-level students can learn about water.

Young children can develop an awareness of what water pollution is by observing how familiar substances can make water impure or unclean. Bodies of water may become polluted from both natural and artificial sources.  This increases the number of water supplies becoming too polluted to be used for drinking water.

 

A reservoir itself treats water by holding it long enough to allow the settling of sediments. As a result, water from reservoirs requires only a minimum of treatment to kill bacteria and other harmful organisms.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this activity is to develop an awareness in young students of water pollution.

OBJECTIVES: The learner will be able to:
1. Observe and infer how soil pollutes water.
2. Observe how soil and water mix.
3. Predict changes in the mixture when left undisturbed.
4. Describe what happens to the water after it is stored for a period of time.

PROCESSION SKILLS:  Observing,  communicating, inferring and predicting.

TEACHER PREPARATION:

What to use:

• newspaper
• 2 buckets
• paper towels
• soil
• tub, plastic, large

Fill a bucket with soil from the playground. You will need a water table or two large plastic tubs and a bucket filled with clean water.

Provide paper towels or newspapers to facilitate cleaning of the center.

INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

• Have students fill the water table/tubs with soil.  Discuss how the soil feels and looks prior to adding water.
• Observe the water before adding to the soil. Ask how does the water look, feel, and smell? Slowly pour the water into the table, adding enough water to cover the soil by at least 3 inches.
• Ask the students to make predictions about what will happen to the water once they start to play in it.
• Encourage the students to explore the water table. You will want to restrict the number of students at one time in the center. Encourage all students to have a turn.
• Have students observe what happens to the water after they have explored it for awhile. Ask the same questions as before about how it looks, feels, and smells.
• During large group time discuss with the students their predictions and observations. Write the word pollution on the visual board. Discuss the meaning of pollution. Encourage the students to give you their views on the subject. Allow the water table to remain undisturbed overnight and encourage the students to observe how it has changed.

WHAT DID YOU LEARN?
1. How can soil pollute water?
Soil pollutes water by making it unclean.

2. What happens to muddy polluted water?
The water clears as it stands.

APPLIED LEARNING
1. When is water safe to drink?
Water is safe to drink when it is clean and not polluted.

Please stress to the students that while water may look clean, it may contain harmful, invisible germs which could cause illness.

2. When is polluted water safe to drink?
Polluted water is never safe to drink.

EXTENSION IDEAS:
1. Go on a field trip to a pond and observe the water plants and wildlife that lives in the pond. Discuss how the water is polluted and what effect it has on the animals and plants.

2. Encourage the students to bring pictures of rivers and lakes. Discuss how the water comes to the local storage area.

3. Add other substances to the water table such as cooking oil and food coloring. Observe what happens to the water. Focus on how each substance changes the water. Its messy, fun and informative. Go for it!!