Have you ever enjoyed a refreshing drink of water and wondered where it comes from? Water is everywhere, but did you know that only a small part of it is safe to drink? Let’s dive into the world of water and discover some amazing facts!
Water is essential for all living things. We use it every day for drinking, washing, cooking, and even playing. Plants need water to grow, and it’s used to put out fires and create energy. Without water, life on Earth wouldn’t exist!
Water is made of two special chemicals called hydrogen and oxygen. When two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom come together, they form a water molecule, also known as H2O. Isn’t that cool? Water can be a liquid, solid, or gas, but it’s always made of the same molecules.
When water is liquid, it’s what you drink. If it gets cold enough, it turns into ice, which is a solid. Want to see this happen? Fill an ice cube tray with water and put it in the freezer. After a while, you’ll have ice cubes!
Water can also become a gas called water vapor. This happens when water is heated and turns into steam. You might see this when boiling water or using a humidifier at home.
About 70% of Earth’s surface is covered with water. That’s a lot, right? Most of it is in the oceans, but water is also found in glaciers, rivers, lakes, and streams. There are two types of water: salt water and fresh water. Ocean water is salty and not safe to drink unless the salt is removed.
Fresh water comes from places like rivers and lakes. It can also be found underground, where rain and snow seep into the soil and collect between rocks. This is called groundwater.
Even though there’s a lot of water on Earth, only a tiny bit is fresh and drinkable. Imagine if all the water on Earth fit into a big jug. Only one teaspoon of that would be fresh water! That’s why it’s important to save water whenever we can.
Some people in the world don’t have easy access to clean water. They might have to walk far to get it and then boil it or use filters to make it safe to drink.
There are simple ways to save water. Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth, or take a quick shower instead of a bath. You can also collect rainwater in containers to use later. Every little bit helps!
Let’s see what you’ve learned about water. What are the two types of water on Earth? That’s right, salt water and fresh water! How can you save water? By turning it off when you’re not using it. And what’s water made of? H2O, or two hydrogen atoms plus one oxygen atom. Great job!
Remember, there’s more salt water than fresh water on Earth, so it’s important to conserve it. We hope you had fun learning about water today. Share what you’ve learned with a friend and help protect our water for the future!
Thanks for exploring with us! For more fun learning resources, visit us at learnbrite.org.
Water Detective: Go on a water hunt around your home or school. Make a list of all the places you find water. Is it in a liquid, solid, or gas form? Share your findings with your classmates and discuss why water is important in each place you found it.
Ice and Steam Experiment: With the help of an adult, try this experiment to see water change forms. Fill an ice cube tray with water and place it in the freezer. After a few hours, check to see how the water has turned into ice. Then, with adult supervision, boil a small pot of water and watch as it turns into steam. Talk about what you observe and how temperature affects water.
Water Conservation Challenge: Create a water-saving plan for your home. Think of three ways you can save water every day. For example, you might decide to turn off the tap while brushing your teeth or use a watering can instead of a hose for plants. Share your plan with your family and see who can save the most water in a week!
Sure! Here’s a sanitized version of the transcript:
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There is nothing better than a cool drink of water! But have you ever wondered where your water comes from before it hits the drinking fountain, faucet, or your refrigerator? About 70 percent of the Earth is covered by water, but did you know that only a tiny portion of that water is drinkable? Stick around, and we’ll tell you why as we learn all about water.
Water is needed for all living things. You use it every day: you drink it, wash with it, cool off in it, and cook with it. Water helps with growing plants for food, putting out fires, creating energy, and so much more. Without water, life on Earth wouldn’t exist.
But what is water exactly? Let’s examine some water together right now. What does your water look like? How does it taste? How does it smell? How does it feel? Is the water in your cup a solid, liquid, or gas?
Now that you’ve studied your glass of water, let’s talk about what it’s made of. There are two chemicals that make up water. Oddly enough, both chemicals are actually gases, but when they are joined together in a special way, they create water. These two chemicals are called hydrogen and oxygen, which is why water is sometimes referred to as H2O. It takes two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom to form a water molecule. Pretty neat, huh? A water molecule is the same whether it’s a liquid, solid, or gas.
Water in its liquid form is what you drink. When water gets cold enough, it freezes and becomes a solid, which is called ice. Want to do an experiment? You can see this process for yourself by filling up an ice cube tray or plastic cup with water and then sticking it in your freezer. After a while, you’ll see that the water has gotten cold enough to turn into ice.
Want to see the process in reverse? Put an ice cube into a bowl and watch it slowly melt. Water can also become a gas, which is called water vapor. This happens when water is boiled and gets so hot it evaporates into the air. You can also see this process in action if you have a humidifier at home.
We’ve talked about what water is, but what about where we can find it? About 70 percent of Earth’s surface is covered with water. That seems like a lot, right? Let’s say you had a candy bar with 10 squares of chocolate. 70 would equal seven whole squares of your candy bar—that’s a lot of water!
Most of Earth’s water comes from oceans, but it’s also found in glaciers, polar ice caps, rivers, lakes, streams, creeks, and reservoirs. Is there a difference between all of these sources of water? You bet! There are two types of water: salt water and fresh water. Water from the ocean is made up of salt water, which isn’t safe to drink unless all of the salt is removed.
One source of fresh water is called surface water, which is found in glaciers, lakes, rivers, streams, creeks, and reservoirs. Another source of fresh water is called groundwater, which happens when rain and snow seep into the soil until it reaches rock material. It’s stored in the ground in the spaces between the rock particles and eventually drains into lakes, rivers, and other freshwater sources.
There’s a lot more salt water than fresh water in the world. In fact, over 97 percent of water on Earth isn’t drinkable, and only about 0.06 percent is fresh water. To help you understand what this means, let’s pretend that all of Earth’s water fits into a gallon jug. Only one teaspoon of this entire gallon of water would be fresh water. That isn’t very much, and it’s why it’s so important that we conserve water whenever we can.
Our bodies need fresh water to survive, and clean drinking water is essential for life on Earth. But in some parts of the world, people don’t have access to clean drinking water. Some people have to travel long distances to get their water and have to boil it or use special filters before they can drink it.
Besides drinking it, how do you use water in your daily life? What about brushing your teeth, flushing the toilet, or taking a shower or bath? Do you want to know the best way to conserve water? It’s pretty simple: turn it off when it’s not being used. So when you brush your teeth, get your toothbrush wet and then turn off the water while you brush. You could also take a five-minute shower instead of taking a bath.
You can even make water conservation fun by putting out containers when it rains and storing up the water you collect for future use. If we all work together, we can ensure that there’s more water available for everyone.
What time is it? It’s review time! Let’s see how many water facts you remember. What are the two different types of water found on Earth? Did you say salt water and fresh water? Great job! What’s a simple way to conserve water? Turn it off when you’re not using it. What’s the recipe for water? H2O or two hydrogen atoms plus one oxygen atom. You’re doing so awesome!
True or false: there’s more fresh water on Earth than salt water. False! That’s why it’s important that we conserve water when we can. Fantastic job, everybody! Did you learn something new about water today? We hope so! Remember, knowledge is power, so make sure to talk to a friend about what you’ve learned. The more we know about water, the better we can protect and conserve it for the future.
Hope you had fun learning with us! Visit us at learnbrite.org for thousands of free resources and turnkey solutions for teachers and homeschoolers.
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