Air and water (Pages 18-19)
KS2/ KS3
- Initiate a discussion about where the school’s water supply comes from. Help the pupils to work out the possible route the water travels, from the point where it first falls as rain to the point that it emerges from the tap. How far does it travel? How is it processed? How much of the route is affected by human engineering? As a follow on activity, ask them to compare our access to clean water with the way people acquire water in a remote village in a poorer continent like Africa. The activities in the Learn Zone section on the WaterAid website are an excellent way to do this: www.wateraid.org.uk
KS2/ KS3
- Ask the pupils to keep a detailed diary of the amount of water they use in 24 hours. Some approximate figures are as follows:
|
Washing machine |
95 litres |
|
Bath |
90 litres |
|
Dishwasher |
50 litres |
|
Shower |
30 litres |
|
Toilet flush |
8 litres |
|
Sink of water |
5 litres |
|
Glass of water |
1/2 litre |
This exercise could be expanded to include other members of the family, and the results shown as a graph.
KS2/ KS3
- Simulate a water collection exercise by having pupils carry full buckets of water across the playground or field. Impress upon them the importance of not spilling any of it and ask them to talk about how difficult or easy it is to complete the task. Explain that in many parts of the world women and girls spend around 60% of their time each day collecting and carrying water.
KS2/ KS3
- Invite the pupils to keep a record of the weather over the course of five days. They can use weather forecasts on the television to find information for temperature, rainfall, wind direction, wind speed and cloud cover. Compare the weather where you live with weather in another place by looking up weather details on the Internet. The BBC is a good source of weather information: www.bbc.co.uk/weather
Previous activity
