May 1, 2024 •Josh Levig
We live in a world surrounded with water. More than 70% of the planet’s surface is ocean. And many of us live in homes where clean water is available with just a quick flip of a faucet handle. So, it can understandably be tough for kids to understand why water conservation is important. It might even be hard for us adults! But water is a precious resource. Only 1% of the planet’s water is drinkable, and that amount is evaporating quickly due to pollution, overuse, and leakage.
Below are some fun activities that parents and kids can do at home that will show them just how much water they use and encourage water-saving habits.
Bath vs. Shower: This experiment will help shed some light on the age-old mystery: What uses more water, the bath or the shower? You’ll need a drain plug, a ruler, and some eager family members to participate. Before each bath or shower, plug up the drain then measure the amount of water in the tub when you’re done. Generally, a 10-minute shower uses about 25 gallons of water. This activity challenges students to measure their family’s water use and consider how their own personal habits affect a natural, community-shared resource. Want to make it even more interesting? Compare how much water accumulates when using a regular showerhead versus an efficient showerhead.
Leaky Loo: Household leaks can waste up to 180 gallons of water per week – and usually it’s a leaky toilet’s fault. This activity calls for putting on your Sherlock Holmes cap and becoming a leak detective. You’ll need some food coloring or these Simply Conserve® leak detection dye tablets. Put one dye tablet or one teaspoon of food coloring in the toilet bowl. Wait 15 minutes without flushing. If the water in the bowl becomes dyed, you have yourself a leak. Fix it easily by replacing the flapper.
Rain Collector: Understanding one of our main sources of water – rain—can go a long way toward understanding conservation. One fun way to drive this lesson home is to collect rainwater. You can use anything from a rain barrel, to a rain gauge, to a milk jug with the top cut off. Kids will enjoy seeing the containers fill up and measuring just how much water every rainfall delivers. You can take the opportunity to explain the water cycle as well as the various ways you can reuse the water, like letting kids bring the rainwater indoors to nourish houseplants.
We hope you and the kids in your life had fun doing these activities and that they started turning the water wheels in your brains, too!
