Category: Ultramarine

4th-6th Grade

Before you create work for the contest, please learn about the water cycle, the world water crisis, and rain barrels using the materials below!

The Water Cycle

Think about all the water you interact with in your daily life. Regardless of whether it's water from your kitchen faucet, your shower head, or the rain outside your window, all of it interacts with the water cycle.

Learn more about the water cycle by watching this short video.

The World Water Crisis

Did you know that less than 1% of all the water on Earth can be used by people? The rest is salt water or is permanently frozen and we can't drink it, wash with it, or use it to water plants. Water is a limited resource and as the population increases, the number of people who need water also increases.

Around the world, every 1 in 10 people lack access to clean drinking water. In the United States, around 1.6 million people do not have access to running water or indoor plumbing. This problem is made worse by climate change.

Specifically, climate change has increased the number of droughts in California. California’s droughts not only affect humans, but also the plants and animals that share the land with us.

How You Can Help

Humans are intimately connected to the water cycle and the world water crisis! Not only are we affected by these problems and systems, but we play a role in causing them. However, there are ways that you can help!

Many of our daily actions play a big role in the amount of water we use. Some questions you can ask yourself to identify areas in which you can reduce the amount of water you are using include: do I leave the water running when I brush my teeth? How long are my showers? How often do I eat meat? Are there any leaks in my house? Does my house have water efficient toilets, shower heads, or washing machines? When does my family water our plants?

Here’s a list of ways that you can help!

By simply turning off the tap water while you brush your teeth in the morning and before bedtime, you can save up to 8 gallons of water!
Aim to shower in less than 5 minutes!
Eat less water intensive food. You can explore this carbon footprint calculator to find out how the food you eat impacts our environment and how much water it takes to produce.
Fixing leaks around your house could save nearly 200 gallons of water a day. Look around your house for leaks! Are they in the bathroom? The kitchen? With a parent or guardian, try to fix them or call a professional.
Switch your current appliances to water efficient ones.
Water your yard early in the morning. Watering plants in the middle of the day when it’s sunny outside is wasteful because the heat causes the water to evaporate.

There are many other ways that you can help that we haven’t listed, and we encourage you to explore alternative solutions in your art. These actions may seem small, but when taken together, they can make a big difference!

Another solution to these problems is to install rain barrels in your home. Rain barrels capture water from rain during the wet season. The rainwater collected can then be used during dry seasons or droughts to water the plants and vegetation. Additionally, rain barrels preserve local watersheds, including the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir, which we get our drinking water from, by preventing rain from pushing litter and debris into our water bodies.

Optional Activity

This activity can be completed in class or individually.

The term water footprint refers to the amount of water used by an individual person or service.

Calculate your water footprint.

Questions to consider or to discuss with your peers and family:

What was one thing you found surprising?
The average U.S water use is 1,802 gallons per person per day! Is your amount higher or lower and why do you think that is?
What are some ways you can start reducing your water use?