Lab 2

Youth Education
Dr. Martinez
CODE 122
18 March 2025
Lab #2 – Water Conservation Curriculum
One theme emerging in the project is the concept of water conservation. It’s the central theme because water conservation can fall into other facets of water, such as the cleanliness of water, water security, and how water affects human health. One example says that some people have limited access to clean water. One activity regarding aquifers is interactive and talks about things that filter water from underground. Another theme is water usage, which puts into perspective how much water they use, which is what the matching activity is based on.
One group split we saw while researching lesson plans was the split of water topics. In the early grade levels, lessons were mainly focused on the water cycle and planning with fun graphics. Meanwhile, lesson plans for grades 9-12 included water sustainability and water pollution. This was done because water pollution and sustainability are topics that can be easily expanded on and applied at a higher education level. In comparison, the water cycle is a topic that is more applicable to younger age groups since it uses more straightforward concepts that students can understand.
Using the websites provided by Dr. Dexheimer, we were able to find lesson plan one, which was called Drinking Water Activities for Students and Teachers. The website gives different lesson plans for K-12. Based on the information, they don’t show or provide the type of interactive activities that we and our partners are looking for. They are missing out on fun outdoor activities where the children interact with nature, giving them a more open understanding of nature waters’ importance in the specific water infrastructure and not so much of the water cycle.
The activities we have looked at thus far are helpful. Most of them are games and things we would have enjoyed when we were younger. JJK wants more hands-on activities, which we need to look for more. Many activities are either online games or simple word searches/worksheets. JJK wants students to interact together and with water, plants, etc. For example, the EPA has good resources on watershed education, which would be helpful in terms of community engagement. We may have to consider altering these activities to be more hands-on or looking for new and more engaging activities altogether. It won’t be as easy as going on the EPA website and selecting activities from there. We will have to dive deeper, especially since we need the most hands-on help we can find.

Works Cited
“Drinking Water & Ground Water Kids’ Stuff.” Epa.gov, 2025, www3.epa.gov/safewater/kids/kids_k-3.html. Accessed 18 Mar. 2025.
“Exploring Your Watershed | US EPA.” US EPA, 7 Dec. 2017, www.epa.gov/enviroatlas/exploring-your-watershed. Accessed 18 Mar. 2025.
US EPA, OW. “Drinking Water Activities for Students and Teachers.” US EPA, 21 Mar. 2016, www.epa.gov/ground-water-and-drinking-water/drinking-water-activities-students-and-teachers.