Why is water so precious?

The water cycle Condensation Precipitation Transpiration Evaporation Did you know that there’s actually the same amount of water on Earth today as when the Earth began! The reason for this is the water cycle, which is how the Earth’s water recycles itself. Turn to Page 3 of your worksheet. You will need to draw a line from each word to the stage of the water cycle it fits with. What is the water cycle? Collection – Dams, rivers, oceans, etc. Evaporation - The heat from the sun causes collected water to turn from liquid into vapour – what is vapour? Transpiration - The heat from the sun causes water held in the ground and plants to turn from liquid into vapour Condensation – The reverse of evaporation – changing from gas back into liquid. The vapour forms clouds. Precipitation (rain) – When the clouds get full and can’t hold anymore they burst into rain   The water cycle is an extremely important process because it ensures the availability of water for all living organisms and it regulates weather patterns on our planet. Let’s create a model of the water cycle. I will need 12 volunteers (3 per experiment). Use ‘Stage 2 Program – Experiment 1 – Make a Miniature Water Cycle’ (HW2016-112/2/1.001) Collection Water is continuously recycled on earth through the water cycle. In fact, there is the same amount of water on earth now as what there was when the earth began. However, due to changes in weather patterns and human use of land and water the amount travelling through the cycle isn’t as abundant as it once was.

Water Wise Rules Everyone who uses water sourced from Hunter Water must be water wise All hand held hoses must have a trigger nozzle attached Watering with a sprinkler, irrigation system or hose is permitted any day before 10am or after 4pm No hosing of hard surfaces such as concrete, paths and driveways. Use a broom instead Complete Question 5 on Page 5 of your worksheet – some of the answers given are wrong, be careful to pick the right answer Because such a tiny amount (only 0.7%) of the water in the world can be used by us for drinking, we shouldn’t take water for granted. To help manage that water and to ensure that we have sufficient water to use in the future, Hunter Water introduced a series of rules – the Water Wise Rules. Hand up if you’ve heard or seen anything about the Water Wise Rules either in the newspapers or TV? People can be fined if they are doing the wrong thing. So what are the rules – Allow time for kids to guess based on the pictures then **Reveal Rules on screen.** All hand held hoses must have a trigger nozzle attached. This is a nozzle or wand fitted to the end of your hose that you control with a trigger. Having a trigger nozzle on your hose helps to save water because water only flows from the hose when you pull the trigger. Most gardening shops these days only sell trigger nozzles. Watering with a sprinkler, irrigation system or hose is permitted any day before 10am or after 4pm. Q: Why do you think you can only water the garden at these times? A: The answer of course is that between 10am and 4pm is the hottest part of the day when water evaporates at a faster rate. If it is too hot, watering the garden won’t actually have any impact as the water won’t be absorbed by the plants. No hosing of hard surfaces such as concrete, paths and driveways. Use a broom instead. Q: What’s the benefit in using a broom, why wouldn’t you use a hose? A: The water is just going down the stormwater drain. It’s better to get the exercise and use a broom instead. It has been estimated that these rules will save enough water to fill an Olympic sized swimming pool every day. DISCUSS the wrong points on the activity sheet and why they are wrong.