Resources for Teachers

Have you ever wondered how people get water to their house when there is not a faucet in the kitchen or bathroom? If you lived in a remote village, how would you get your water? In small villages, children, and sometimes adults go to the public water source (river, stream or lake) and haul water every day for the family to use for cooking, cleaning and drinking. Through this interactive lesson kids (K – 4) can experience hauling the water for their families. The activity can be adapted for any age to include longer treks and added obstacles.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a drop of water?  What would your life be like out in nature?  One day you might be sipped up by a thirsty bear, then left behind for to water a plant, evaporated into the clouds, then precipitated down as snow to become part of a glacier.  In the fast paced activity students will moved from each location collecting beads to build their story.  The student then will share their story through creative storytelling to explain the journey that they took as a water drop.  This activity can be adapted for grades 2 – 6.

How did the Romans do their business?  What did they use for toilet paper?  Through interactive play we show the kids (K-4) how the Roman toilets worked and explain that thanks to the engineering of these toilets, we have advanced to flushing toilets that we have in our homes.  The activity can be adapted for any age by altering the process results and adding a short discussion on cleaning wastewater.

This hands-on activity allows students to build a basic water filter by repurposing a plastic bottle.  By simply adding cheesecloth, sand, gravel (and charcoal for grades 4 – 6) and a rubberband, students build a filter for dirty water.  We will discuss the importance of cleaning water and the processes used at the Water Renewal Facility.  We will talk about the different type of filters used and have some fun with experimentation.  This activity can be adapted for grades K-6.

What is a watershed?  Learn about head waters, tributaries, estuaries and how they all are important to our many watersheds.  How do seasons and weather affect the flow in the watershed?  Through this fast paced activity, students will “act out” the flow during storms/droughts and seasons to show the differences, then discuss how this impacts conservation and water usage.  We also discuss the value of conservation even in wetter years.  This is an activity that can be adapted for grades 2 – 5, or even older students as an icebreaker in conjunction with a presentation.

Have you ever thought what your personal impact is on the river? Through this interactive lesson we will have the kids help us pollute the river by taking on the role of different contributors. They may be an animal, business owner or a citizen recreating. Many other options are available. This activity will enlighten students (K – 5) of their impact on our river, and how to be a better stewards through collaborative care of our environment.

Is your school near a safe to access water source? River, stream, creek, pond, other? Through water sampling, students (grades 3 – 5) learn about Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen, Turbidity and Ph of the water around them. We discuss how climate and human factors can impact the results. Also, students will brainstorm and discuss the effects of these results on the animal and plant life.

Likewise, if the students are in high school, we can come to a water source near your school, or you can visit us at the South Platte for river sampling. We will complete the same tests of the water to determine Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen, Turbidity and pH. Included in this experience, we will attempt to capture and identify a variety of macroinvertebrates.

We can provide coloring books, activity books or pages on a variety of water related topics.

Let us bring the Plant to you! We have a PowerPoint presentation of the entire process from influent to effluent. This tour will allow students of all ages to experience the entire Plant without leaving the classroom. We will discuss each stage of the process and answer questions as we go along. By doing the virtual tour, it allows the students to see inside buildings that we are not able to share during a walking tour, for safety reasons. With our virtual tours, we bring samples from the stages of the process, so the students can see how the wastewater is cleaned and the vital resources are recovered.