 Droplet of Life - Water
Water droplets hanging from a twig after the morning rain.
A droplet of water is a thing of beauty and mystery. I look, and questions arise: Where did it come from? How did it form? What does it hold? Where will it go from here? Where did the water in my body come from?
Without water, none of us, nor any life on Earth, would exist. Each one of us, at birth, was about 78% water. As we age and our bodies change the amount of water that makes up our bodies decreases to about 60-65%. The percentage of water in each kind of animal and plant is unique. Each is adapted to maintaining a healthy water balance based on the environment in which they live.
Like people, no two water droplets are ever exactly alike. The may all be H2O but they can hold different substances - tiny specks of dust, or salts - and even microscopic life!
Interesting Facts
- A tiny speck of dust, commonly called a rain seed*, is the very beginning of a raindrop. (*scientifically called a “cloud condensation nuclei”)
- The water you drink today may have once passed through the stomach of a dinosaur!
- Water, when it freezes, floats. This is extremely important. (Ponder this - If ice sank what would happen to all waterways in the wintertime?)
Water Fun!
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How many water droplets can fit on a penny? Record the guess of each player, then provide a penny on a plate, a pipette or eye-dropper, and a small glass of water to each player. Each player uses the pipette to gently add water droplets, one at a time, to their penny – counting or recording the number as they go. Each player stops adding droplets once the water overflows the penny. The last drop before the overflow is the final number. What did you observe that can help you explain the number of drops you were able to place on a penny?
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Make a Water List. Write down all the ways you use or rely on water. Then, add all your questions about water.
- Read A Drop of Water by Walter Wick. Amazing photos, experiments, and very interesting water facts make this a great book for kids, parents, and teachers to share.
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Riddle: “Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink.” Where might the person be who said this? (Multiple answers are correct. Original location hint: quote is from a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.)
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What is your favorite water activity? Can you think of a way to show your appreciation of water?
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Ponder this: What is meant by clean water? Where is it found? Who gets to drink it?
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