At-home and at school learning resources from Learning for a Sustainable Future
Week 26: World Water Day 2022 -Groundwater – Making the Invisible Visible
World Water Day celebrates water and raises awareness of the many people living without clean drinking water. This year's theme is Groundwater – Making the Invisible Visible. Groundwater is invisible, out of sight, but it must not be out of mind. Groundwater is the water we drink and the water that grows our food, the water that replenishes our lakes and rivers. The water we drink can be at risk of pollution and overuse. As climate change gets worse, groundwater will become more critical. We need to ensure our water supply is clean and sustainable for the future.

Groundwater will play a critical role in adapting to climate change. While groundwater pollution can occur naturally, most groundwater contamination results from human activity. Contamination occurs when manufactured products such as gasoline, oil, road salt and chemicals penetrate the groundwater and cause it to become unsafe. Exploring, protecting and sustainably using groundwater will be central to surviving and adapting to climate change and meeting the needs of a growing population. We need to work together to manage this precious resource sustainably. 

March 22 is World Water Day, where we celebrate water and raise awareness about the groundwater crisis. The activities below introduce students to the need to protect and explore groundwater.
Water is the first medicine. It affects and connects us all. When a black snake threatens to destroy the Earth and poison her people's water, one young water protector takes a stand to defend Earth's most sacred resource. Inspired by the many indigenous-led movements across North America, this bold and lyrical picture book issues an urgent rallying cry to safeguard the Earth's water from harm and corruption. 




Activities
What did you think of We Are Water Protectors?
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Grades 3-6
The resource activities aim to increase students understanding of the various causes of water pollution and to raise awareness of the global inequality of access to safe water around the world



Activities
  • Read or listen to One Well: The Story of Water on Earth. Access the teacher's guide for discussion questions and activity suggestions to enhance the learning
  • Use this lesson plan to teach students about World Water Day and the specific right of children to safe drinking water
  • Learn What is Groundwater an animation story about groundwater
  • Learn how much water is on the planet and where it is stored with There's No New Water
  • Contamination on the Move gets students outdoors to learn how contamination can spread and pollute groundwater 
What did you think of Clean Water for All?
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The lessons in this resource are designed to raise awareness of the problems facing children with inadequate access to clean water or sanitation facilities. 



Activities
  • Watch the video Groundwater and Surface Water and see why they matter
  • Take the Clean Water Challenge by using different materials to attempt to clean the sample water
  • Have students create a media campaign to raise awareness about the importance of protecting groundwater and assess the impact of human activities and technologies on the sustainability of water resources
  • Leap into Groundwater engages students in learning about groundwater, taking action to protect their water resources, and making a difference in their community
What did you think of Water and Sanitation for All: Bringing the Issue Home?
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This video explores key water issues, the water cycle, groundwater depletion, and some technology and techniques used to conserve water. The video describes how we consume water, like agriculture, manufacturing, and ecosystems. It explains how we use groundwater and how it could be depleted in the next sixty to a hundred years. The video also explains what an aquifer is and how they are being threatened.




Activities
  • Groundwater contamination occurs when materials get into groundwater and cause it to become unsafe; try Contamination Clues and observe how a contaminant affects an aquifer
  • You Be the Judge is a problem-solving activity where students make decisions that affect the environment
  • Learn more about groundwater contamination and remediation with this hands-on activity, Clean it Up
  • Access Exploring Our Growing Need for Water to learn more about water sustainability issues we are facing around the world
What did you think of How Do We Meet the Growing Need for Water?
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About Learning Inside Out

Above you will find a selection of activities, broken down by various grade levels. These guides will be released weekly and archived on our Learning Inside Out page, so you can always access the full catalogue.

All activities have been modified from resources on our R4R database, simplified and adapted for both outdoor learning in the school yard or at-home as needed. The activity descriptions above should contain all the information and links that you need!

If you'd like to view the full original resource on R4R, including curriculum connections for every province/territory, click the activity title.

We want this guide to work for you, so your feedback is invaluable to us.
Use the feedback button at the bottom of this Guide, or email us at info@LSF-LST.ca. We would also love to see photos of students engaging in the activities, please e-mail us any pictures or videos you have!
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Learning for a Sustainable Future (LSF) is a Canadian charity with over 25 years of experience working within the education system. Our Resources for Rethinking (R4R) database is an award-winning collection of resources that are peer-reviewed by certified teachers and connected to curriculum in all provinces and territories. R4R is recommended on many Ministry of Education websites.
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