We offer three activities below that we adapted for our students. Age ranges are suggestions; feel free to add in elements depending on students' interests/abilities.
For questions and ideas, feel free to email us, or to connect with us on Twitter or Facebook (both are @UrbanAdvSquad).
Impervious Surfaces (Younger Children)
Suggested age range: kindergarten through grade 2 (see below for grades 3-5, which includes more measurement activities)
(Source: definitions are from http://glaquarium.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/A-Very-Impervious-Situation-Lesson-Plan.pdf)
A pervious surface is a surface that allows for the passage of water. Pervious materials permit water to enter the ground by virtue of their porous nature. For example: gardens, forested areas, and loosely packed gravel or soil. Water that soaks into the ground is called groundwater, and can eventually become surface water, ending up in streams and rivers. To read more about the water cycle, the U.S. Geological Survey has resources for all ages.
An impervious surface is a surface that does not allow surface water to soak into or pass through it. Examples of impervious surfaces are concrete, asphalt, packed soil, packed gravel, and roofs. When rainwater or any other kind of precipitation hits an impervious surface, it will not soak through the ground. It will become stormwater runoff and spill to the lowest point.
The water that does not soak in and washes over land after a rain or snowstorm is called stormwater runoff. In developed watersheds, it flows off roofs and pavement into storm drains that may feed directly into a stream. Stormwater runoff can pick up soil and pollutants from the land and carry them to a body of water such as a stream, lake, or ocean.
Think about your school. How many different kinds of surfaces can you think of? (Examples: pavement, grass, wood chips, roofs, and more.) Let’s split into groups to go through the scientific method together.
Supplies for each group:
Clean up: Return all materials to where they belong and wipe down containers and surfaces with paper towels so everything is clean and dry.
Conclusion:
Impervious Surfaces (Older Children)
Suggested age range: grade 3-5 (see above for grades K-2, without the measurement activities)
(definitions from http://glaquarium.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/A-Very-Impervious-Situation-Lesson-Plan.pdf)
Supplies for each group:
Clean up: Return all materials to where they belong and wipe down containers and surfaces with paper towels so everything is clean and dry.
Conclusion:
Trash Timeline
Appropriate for all ages
Source: Urban Adventure Squad learned this game through "Adopt-a-Stream" training given by the Alice Ferguson Foundation, the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment, and Rock Creek Conservancy.
OBJECTIVE: Through guided discussion and hands-on activities, we explore the impact of litter on our local environment. We identify different materials and discover the length of time it takes each material to decompose.
To extend this activity outside, talk a walk in your community and collect data -- what kinds of trash do you see, and how much of each item? You can collect data on the number of plastic straws, plastic water bottles, takeout containers, and other items. Each person or team can have a tally sheet. To do this as part of a litter cleanup, one person can record data, some volunteers can hold trash and recycling bags, and others can pick up trash with gloved hands or trash grabbers.
Educator: Here in many parts of D.C., our streams and creeks lead right to the Anacostia River. Many parts of the city’s sewer system lead to the Anacostia River, too. If you’re looking at the Anacostia River and see a soda can floating, it most likely didn’t get end up in the river because someone who stood there before you threw it in. More likely, it was dropped along the side of a road in a different neighborhood and was carried by stormwater runoff into the sewer, then into the river.
Let's play a game called "Trash Timeline"! The goal is to try to figure out how long it takes for different materials to decompose.
What do you think decompose means?
Decompose means to break down. When we talk about organic matter, like fruits or plants, we use words like "decay" or "rot."
You can split into groups/teams for this activity.
Each team lines up its items from the item that decomposes the quickest to the item that decomposes the slowest. Work together to guess:
Time limit: 5 minutes
ANSWERS:
The reality is that styrofoam never actually decompose, which is why local governments have begun banning styrofoam. You can read about the ban on styrofoam in DC and other cities across the country here.
Make Your Own Watershed (simulation)
Source: www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/sites/default/files/medias/documents/Make%20Your%20Own%20Watershed.pdf
Educator: What is a watershed?
Listen to students’ answers, then summarize and add to them so your definition is close to this:
A watershed is all the land and waterways in a certain area. Some watersheds cover more land than others and they may contain streams, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and underlying groundwater that are hundreds of miles inland. Water from creeks and streams flow from higher ground down to streams which lead to rivers that eventually lead to a larger waterbody, like a river, bay, and eventually ocean.
Educator: Let’s make our own watersheds to see what happens.
MATERIALS
• paper
• shallow pan
• water-based colored markers
• sprinkles (symbolic of litter)
• spray bottle of water
DIRECTIONS
1. Take the sheet of paper and crumple it. Next, partially smooth it out, leaving some ridges.
2. Use the markers to color along the edge of the creases. You may want to use different colors to represent a variety of pollutants, such as fertilizer, oil, pesticides, etc.
3. Lay the paper out on the shallow pan to represent a watershed. Use the creased lines to show elevated land areas. Sprinkle some sprinkles over the top for the litter.
4. Using the bottle of water, gently spray the top of the watershed. Keep spraying the paper until the colors begin to run.
Educator: Describe what happened. (Call on a few different students)
Educator: Did the different pollutants mix together?
Where did this happen in the watershed?
This is an example of a watershed in action, with water flowing downhill picking up pollution as it goes. Not all water flows directly to a bay or ocean, however. When rain falls on dry ground, it can soak into the ground. This groundwater remains in the soil, where it will eventually seep into the nearest stream.
When we get a lot of rain or snow, it doesn’t have a chance to soak into the soil and seep into the nearest stream. Instead, it rushes into storm drains. Most of our storm drains here in D.C. lead to our rivers.
What can we do, at our school, at home, and in our communities, to reduce litter? What choices can we make at home that will help?
Examples:
For questions and ideas, feel free to email us, or to connect with us on Twitter or Facebook (both are @UrbanAdvSquad).
Impervious Surfaces (Younger Children)
Suggested age range: kindergarten through grade 2 (see below for grades 3-5, which includes more measurement activities)
(Source: definitions are from http://glaquarium.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/A-Very-Impervious-Situation-Lesson-Plan.pdf)
- When rain falls on a grass field, where does the rainwater go?
- What about when rain falls onto a paved street?
A pervious surface is a surface that allows for the passage of water. Pervious materials permit water to enter the ground by virtue of their porous nature. For example: gardens, forested areas, and loosely packed gravel or soil. Water that soaks into the ground is called groundwater, and can eventually become surface water, ending up in streams and rivers. To read more about the water cycle, the U.S. Geological Survey has resources for all ages.
An impervious surface is a surface that does not allow surface water to soak into or pass through it. Examples of impervious surfaces are concrete, asphalt, packed soil, packed gravel, and roofs. When rainwater or any other kind of precipitation hits an impervious surface, it will not soak through the ground. It will become stormwater runoff and spill to the lowest point.
The water that does not soak in and washes over land after a rain or snowstorm is called stormwater runoff. In developed watersheds, it flows off roofs and pavement into storm drains that may feed directly into a stream. Stormwater runoff can pick up soil and pollutants from the land and carry them to a body of water such as a stream, lake, or ocean.
Think about your school. How many different kinds of surfaces can you think of? (Examples: pavement, grass, wood chips, roofs, and more.) Let’s split into groups to go through the scientific method together.
Supplies for each group:
- [1] pitcher or bottle of water
- [1] cup
- [1] container with holes (like a produce container for tomatoes or strawberries)
- [1] 8 oz. measuring cup
- Aluminum foil
- Gravel or gravel alternative: marbles, packing peanuts, or caps from apple sauce pouches
- Dirt
- A large baking dish or roasting pan to capture the falling water
- Tupperware container for wet dirt when experiment is done
- Paper towels/rag for cleanup
- Pitcher for refilling cups of water
- Fold and press your aluminum foil into the bottom of the container with holes. This is your “roof.” One student holds the container over the roasting pan while another slowly pours one 8 oz. cup of water in the center of the foil. Observe where the water goes.
- Remove the foil. Put a couple handfuls of the gravel or gravel alternative into your container. One student holds the container over the roasting pan while another slowly pours one 8 oz. cup of water in the center of the container, over top of the gravel or gravel alternative. Observe where the water goes.
- Remove the gravel. Put a couple handfuls of dirt into your container. One student holds the container over the roasting pan while another slowly pours one 8 oz. cup of water in the center of the container, over top of the dirt. Observe where the water goes.
Clean up: Return all materials to where they belong and wipe down containers and surfaces with paper towels so everything is clean and dry.
Conclusion:
- List the materials from most pervious to most impervious.
- Think about the surfaces around your school/home/neighborhood. Which ones are pervious? Which ones are impervious? Head outside with refillable bottles of water on a warm day and test them.
Impervious Surfaces (Older Children)
Suggested age range: grade 3-5 (see above for grades K-2, without the measurement activities)
(definitions from http://glaquarium.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/A-Very-Impervious-Situation-Lesson-Plan.pdf)
Supplies for each group:
- [1] pitcher or bottle of water
- [1] cup
- [1] berry or tomato container with holes
- [1] large disposable roasting pan
- [1] transfer pipette
- [1] 8 oz. measuring cup
- aluminum foil
- gravel or gravel alternative: marbles, packing peanuts, or caps from apple sauce pouches
- Dirt
- Tupperware container for wet dirt when experiment is done
- roll of paper towels
- Pitcher for refilling cups of water
- Fold and press your aluminum foil into the bottom of the produce container. This is your “roof.” One student holds the container over the roasting pan while another slowly pours one 8 oz. cup of water in the center of the foil. Observe where the water goes.
- Use your pipette to transfer the water back into the 8 oz. cup. Did all 8 oz. run off the roof? Record your results: ______
- Remove the foil. Put a couple handfuls of the gravel or gravel alternative into your container. One student holds the container over the roasting pan while another slowly pours one 8 oz. cup of water in the center of the container, over top of the gravel or gravel alternative. Observe where the water goes.
- Use your pipette to transfer the water back into the 8 oz. cup. Did all 8 oz. end up in the pan? Record your results: _____
- Remove the gravel. Put a couple handfuls of dirt into your container. One student holds the container over the roasting pan while another slowly pours one 8 oz. cup of water in the center of the container, over top of the dirt. Observe where the water goes.
- Use your pipette to transfer the water back into the 8 oz. cup. Did all 8 oz. end up in the pan? Record your results: _____
Clean up: Return all materials to where they belong and wipe down containers and surfaces with paper towels so everything is clean and dry.
Conclusion:
- List the materials from most pervious to most impervious.
- Think about the surfaces around your school/home/neighborhood. Which ones are pervious? Which ones are impervious? Head outside with refillable bottles of water on a warm day and test them.
Trash Timeline
Appropriate for all ages
Source: Urban Adventure Squad learned this game through "Adopt-a-Stream" training given by the Alice Ferguson Foundation, the D.C. Department of Energy and Environment, and Rock Creek Conservancy.
OBJECTIVE: Through guided discussion and hands-on activities, we explore the impact of litter on our local environment. We identify different materials and discover the length of time it takes each material to decompose.
To extend this activity outside, talk a walk in your community and collect data -- what kinds of trash do you see, and how much of each item? You can collect data on the number of plastic straws, plastic water bottles, takeout containers, and other items. Each person or team can have a tally sheet. To do this as part of a litter cleanup, one person can record data, some volunteers can hold trash and recycling bags, and others can pick up trash with gloved hands or trash grabbers.
Educator: Here in many parts of D.C., our streams and creeks lead right to the Anacostia River. Many parts of the city’s sewer system lead to the Anacostia River, too. If you’re looking at the Anacostia River and see a soda can floating, it most likely didn’t get end up in the river because someone who stood there before you threw it in. More likely, it was dropped along the side of a road in a different neighborhood and was carried by stormwater runoff into the sewer, then into the river.
Let's play a game called "Trash Timeline"! The goal is to try to figure out how long it takes for different materials to decompose.
What do you think decompose means?
Decompose means to break down. When we talk about organic matter, like fruits or plants, we use words like "decay" or "rot."
You can split into groups/teams for this activity.
Each team lines up its items from the item that decomposes the quickest to the item that decomposes the slowest. Work together to guess:
- What material each item is made from.
- How many months or years each kind of item takes to decompose.
Time limit: 5 minutes
ANSWERS:
- NEWSPAPER, about 4 months
- CARDBOARD, about 5 months
- COATED CARDBOARD (juiceboxes) 5 years
- STEEL CANS (beans, soup), 80 years
- ALUMINUM CANS (soda), 100-150 years
- PLASTIC, 200-500 years depending on thickness
- GLASS, Thousands of years.
- STYROFOAM/expanded polystyrene foam, Thousands and thousands of years.
The reality is that styrofoam never actually decompose, which is why local governments have begun banning styrofoam. You can read about the ban on styrofoam in DC and other cities across the country here.
Make Your Own Watershed (simulation)
Source: www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/sites/default/files/medias/documents/Make%20Your%20Own%20Watershed.pdf
Educator: What is a watershed?
Listen to students’ answers, then summarize and add to them so your definition is close to this:
A watershed is all the land and waterways in a certain area. Some watersheds cover more land than others and they may contain streams, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, and underlying groundwater that are hundreds of miles inland. Water from creeks and streams flow from higher ground down to streams which lead to rivers that eventually lead to a larger waterbody, like a river, bay, and eventually ocean.
Educator: Let’s make our own watersheds to see what happens.
MATERIALS
• paper
• shallow pan
• water-based colored markers
• sprinkles (symbolic of litter)
• spray bottle of water
DIRECTIONS
1. Take the sheet of paper and crumple it. Next, partially smooth it out, leaving some ridges.
2. Use the markers to color along the edge of the creases. You may want to use different colors to represent a variety of pollutants, such as fertilizer, oil, pesticides, etc.
3. Lay the paper out on the shallow pan to represent a watershed. Use the creased lines to show elevated land areas. Sprinkle some sprinkles over the top for the litter.
4. Using the bottle of water, gently spray the top of the watershed. Keep spraying the paper until the colors begin to run.
Educator: Describe what happened. (Call on a few different students)
Educator: Did the different pollutants mix together?
Where did this happen in the watershed?
This is an example of a watershed in action, with water flowing downhill picking up pollution as it goes. Not all water flows directly to a bay or ocean, however. When rain falls on dry ground, it can soak into the ground. This groundwater remains in the soil, where it will eventually seep into the nearest stream.
When we get a lot of rain or snow, it doesn’t have a chance to soak into the soil and seep into the nearest stream. Instead, it rushes into storm drains. Most of our storm drains here in D.C. lead to our rivers.
What can we do, at our school, at home, and in our communities, to reduce litter? What choices can we make at home that will help?
Examples:
- Use refillable bottles for cold drinks and end or reduce the use of single-use plastic or glass bottles.
- Use refillable cups for hot drinks
- Make trash-free lunches (use reusable containers instead of plastic bags or aluminum foil