What About Water?

Did you know that the earth is a “closed system”? That means, for one thing, that the water we drink and use today has been here for a very long time. It falls as rain; collects into streams, rivers, lakes, and oceans; and then evaporates back into the clouds and starts all over again.

So the water that comes out of your faucet might contain molecules that were once part of a lake that a dinosaur swam in! Or it might have been blown out of a whale’s spout hundreds of years ago! Or it might even be the same water that Jesus walked on in the Sea of Galilee. How cool is that?

Read on for some fun and interesting water facts and activities.

11 Easy Ways to

Use Less Water

1. Turn off the water faucet while brushing your teeth, instead of letting the water run. That can save 25 gallons every month.
2. Fix all leaky faucets (inside and outside)—a dripping faucet can waste 10 gallons of water a day (300 gallons every month)!
3. Take a shorter shower (even by a minute or two). That can save up to 150 gallons of water every month!
4. Save water that you use for rinsing fruits and vegetables and use it to water your houseplants.
5. Wash your pets outside, and you’ll water the lawn at the same time.
6. Use towels more than once instead of washing them each time.
7. Keep a pitcher of water in the refrigerator for drinking instead of running tap water until it’s cold!
8. While waiting for your bath or shower to warm up, catch the water in a bucket to use for plants or flushing the toilet.
9. Use a broom instead of a hose to clean the driveway.
10. Start a compost pile instead of using the garbage disposal

—this will save water, and you can use the compost to make your plants or lawn healthier.

1. Tell all of your friends these tips, and they’ll save water too!

—Facts provided by www.crwrc.org.

Water Facts Quiz

Q. What uses more water: a shower or a bath?

A. An average bath requires 30-50 gallons of water. Most showers use less water than a bath, but it really depends on how long the shower is—some people are in there for a REALLY long time! Next time you take a shower, plug the bathtub and see how full it is after you’re done. Is it less than the amount of water you use for a bath?

Q. What percentage of an average person’s body is made up of water?

    a. 25%

    b. 60%

    c. 98.6%

A. The answer is “b.” An average adult’s body is about 60 percent water. (But babies’ bodies are about 70 percent water! Why do you think that is?)

Q. True or False: The average person in North America uses about 80-100 gallons of water every day. 

A. That’s true. And that’s a lot of water!

Q. Which activity uses the most amount of water in one day?

A. Flushing the toilet.

Q. True or False: About 50 percent of all the water on our planet is in the oceans.

A. False! The oceans hold about 97 percent of all the water on earth. But since it’s salt water, it’s not good for drinking.

Q. True or False: Every day about 10,000 kids die from diseases that result from drinking unclean water.

A. According to the Christian Reformed World Relief

Committee, that’s true. To learn about how you and other kids can help collect money to provide clean drinking water for people around the world, ask your parents to contact the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee at 1-800-552-7972 in the United States or 1-800-730-3490 in Canada and ask about CRWRC’s Water of Life program.

Top-10 Reasons You Should Drink Water

1. We need water to live! People can survive for only about a week without water if it’s not too hot outside. The hotter it is, the more water you need.
2. Water helps move nutrients around in your body. Plus your blood is mostly water, so if you drink enough water, your blood moves around more easily.
3. Drinking enough water gives you more energy. When you’re dehydrated, you feel tired.
4. Your brain is about 70 percent water, and your lungs are about 90 percent water—so they both need water to work well.
5. Water has no sugar or caffeine in it, so it’s much better for you than soda.
6. Water from your faucet costs much less than other drinks.
7. Your body uses water to flush out toxins (bad stuff that your body doesn’t want).
8. It’s good for your stomach! Water helps your food digest properly.
9. Water helps stop headaches, since people who are dehydrated often get them.
10. God made it, and it’s good for you!

Make a Terrarium

You can make your own closed system so you can watch the water cycle at work.

Here’s what you need:

• Medium or large glass container (If you have one with a cover, that’s the best, but you can always use a goldfish bowl with plastic wrap on top.)
• Sand or gravel
• Potting soil
• Small plants
• Stones, plastic animals, or other things for decoration
• Spray bottle

Here’s what you do:

• Wash your container well with dish soap, inside and out. Rinse it well, and dry it.
• Put a 1-inch (3 cm) layer of sand or gravel in the bottom.
• Add a 1-to-2-inch (3-6 cm) layer of potting soil.
• Use a spoon to scoop out small holes for your plants. Plant them, and press the soil around them down lightly. Add decorations.
• Spray a few ounces of water onto the plants and soil.
• Cover the terrarium. Put it near a window but out of direct sunlight.
• Watch it for a few days. If the soil looks dry, mist it with more water. If it looks too wet, take the cover off for a few hours to let some water evaporate.
• After things look balanced, leave it alone! You shouldn’t have to water your terrarium for a long time. If any plants die, you can just remove them or add new plants.