Water conservation

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1. Video

1. Discussion after video

The questions that can be used to further discuss on the topic of water conservation are the following:

• What did you learn on this video that you want to share with someone else?
• Who will you share it with?
• What is water conservation about?
• Are you familiar with it?
• Why is water conservation important?
• How do you feel about it?
• How could you save water in your house or classroom?
• Are you used in water conservation?
• Is there anything you would like to learn more about this topic?
• Water Conservation

1. LESS IS MORE

Target group: 10 to 14 years

Estimated time requirement: 2 hours

• Tools / Materials needed:

 ∙Wire, ∙Scissors, ∙White sheet, ∙Paint roller, ∙Old dish sponge, ∙Pencil/Stick/Tree Branch, ∙Green paint can, ∙Blue paint can, ∙Sheet of paper to cut in A7

• Preparation steps:

∙Lay the sheet on the floor and using the paint roller and green paint, draw squares in the shape of a snail, the first being the departure, the penultimate being the 15th and the last being the arrival.

∙Cut a square from the old dish sponge;

∙With the yellow part facing up, tie the string to the pencil/tree branch;

∙Using the brush you just created, draw the start, the numbers and the arrival using blue paint.

∙Think of 15 questions about the use of water in everyday life.

∙Cut the sheets of paper into 15 A7-sized cards.

∙Number these cards from 1 to 15 and write down questions about water use.

∙Questions to use in the game:

• Do you usually brush your teeth using a cup or do you use the faucet? Correct Answer: Cup
• Should you put a bottle of water inside the flusher? Correct Answer: Yes
• While you brush your teeth do you have the faucet running? Correct Answer: No
• Do you usually wash dishes by hand or in the machine? Correct Answer: Machine
• In your house, do you wash the car with buckets or a hose? Correct Answer: Buckets
• Do your parents water the garden during the hottest time of the day? Correct Answer: No
• In your house, do you only use the dishwasher and washing machines when they are full? Correct Answer: Yes
• Do you take a bath or shower? Correct Answer: shower
• Do you take advantage of the bath water, reusing it for the toilet or to wash the floor? Correct Answer: Yes
• Do you use the water from washing food to water the plants? Correct Answer: Yes
• Did you see the faucet dripping and did nothing? Correct Answer: I closed it
• Did you take a shower and turn off the faucet while soaping? Correct Answer: Yes
• Do you always turn off the faucet while soaping your hands? Correct Answer: Yes
• Did you see that the flusher was losing water and you didn’t do anything? Correct Answer: I fixed it
• When you help wash the car, you turn off the faucet? Correct Answer: Yes
• In your house, do you only use the dishwasher and washing machines when they are full? Correct Answer: Yes

• Do you take a bath or shower? Correct Answer: shower
• Do you take advantage of the bath water, reusing it for the toilet or to wash the floor? Correct Answer: Yes
• Do you use the water from washing food to water the plants? Correct Answer: Yes
• Did you see the faucet dripping and did nothing? Correct Answer: I closed it
• Did you take a shower and turn off the faucet while soaping? Correct Answer: Yes
• Do you always turn off the faucet while soaping your hands? Correct Answer: Yes
• Did you see that the flusher was losing water and you didn’t do anything? Correct Answer: I fixed it
• When you help wash the car, you turn off the faucet? Correct Answer: Yes

 

Detailed description of the activity:

The activity can also take place on World Water Day, March 22, so that the impact of these issues is greater.

∙Divide the class into two groups.

∙Each group chooses a representative of the team who will play the role of pawn on the sheet.

∙The cards initially created must be shuffled.

∙Through the game Rock, Paper, Scissors, they decide who will be the first team to play (the pawns of each team will do it).

∙The aim of this game is to stay as close as possible to the starting point.

∙The two pawns must place themselves next to the sheet.

∙One member of the starting team must choose a card and read the question.

∙The answer given should be in line with common practice in your day-to-day life.

∙If it agrees with the correct answer, the pawn remains in the same place.

∙If the answer is incorrect, the pawn must advance one space.

∙The questions should be read by all group members, one at a time.

∙After reading the card, it goes down.

∙After all the elements of the group have read questions or if any of the pawns reach the finished square, the game ends.

∙The group closest to the start wins.

∙The prize could be a reusable bottle.

 

Card with instructions for students:

• Questions for reflections
• List how many times you turned on the faucet yesterday.
• Tell how many times you could have avoided turning on the tap and you didn’t.
• Do you think you follow the recommendations to save water?
• If yes, which actions and why is it easy to do them?
• If not, what actions and why is it difficult to do them?
• When asked to save water, do you feel limited?
• If yes, what specifically?
• Why is saving water, specifically in your home, so important?
• Why is saving water in general important in your community, your city and the world?
• After this activity and conversation, do you think you will be able to implement more and more water saving guidelines in your home? If not, why not?
• Personal plan: Write down what kind of activities you are going to implement in the next 7 days referring to save water. Do you think that you are going to face any difficulties? If yes, what kind and how are you going to address them?
• Potential barriers

Difficulties in answering more specific or complicated questions such as “When asked to save water, do you feel limited? Or “Why is saving water, specifically in your home, so important?”

• Additional activity ideas

Twice a week, students must record their changes in water saving actions. For each action, students will get 1 point. The three students with the most points at the end will receive a prize offered by the school. (e.g. reusable water bottle, recycled notebook)

• Free resources and recommended sites

World Water Day – Wikipedia

World Water Day – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (wikipedia.org)

Tips to SAVE WATER – Let’s save the planet

Tips to SAVE WATER – Let’s save the planet – Environment for kids – YouTube

Water with metering bill

WATER WITH ACCOUNT AND MEASUREMENT 🚰 – YouTube

Águas do Algarve – The Water Challenge

Águas Sem Fronteiras – The water saving challenge (desafiodaagua.pt)

Waters of the Tagus Atlantic – Game – let’s save water

Game 2 Save Water-22May (adp.pt)

How to make a brush out of an old sponge?

How to make a sponge brush – YouTube

Rock, Paper, Scissors game

Rock, paper, scissors – Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (wikipedia.org)