The Drain Game (page 36) (click to access the lesson) - Women in Science Learning Series (Wonderwise)
Student Objectives:
Students will:
build a model representative of a watershed and demonstrate what happens with water in the watershed
gain awareness of why it is important to maintain a healthy watershed
Time: 30 minutes
Materials:
2 sheets of 8.5x11 bond paper
water-soluble pens in green, yellow, red, brown, and blue
tape
spray bottle of water
pen or thin permanent marker
paper towels
Description: What We Know. Most people can tell you what town they live in. But hardly anybody can tell you what watershed they live in. In fact, few people can explain what a watershed is. Yet, if a watershed disappeared tomorrow, everyone would notice. There are many ways to describe a watershed. A watershed is the crucial dividing point or backbone for rivers and streams. All the water flowing down from the mountains into your area is considered your watershed. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, watersheds are nature’s boundaries. They are the areas that drain into water bodies such as lakes, rivers, estuaries, wetlands, streams, and the surrounding landscape. A watershed can also be described as a geographical area in which water, solids, sediments and dissolved materials flow to a common outlet. If the watershed changed, you might literally be up a creek. Life can’t survive without water, and life doesn't thrive without a healthy watershed. Take some time to meet a watershed up close.