Wednesday, March 18, 2020

It's Water-Wise Wednesdays with Frannie the Fish! {Frannie's Top 5 - Educational Activities at Home!}

Hello friends!

Frannie knows that the world is changing really fast right now and some of you may be out of school for one, two, maybe even eight weeks. But just because you're not at school doesn't mean that your groundwater education has to stop!

These are Frannie's top 5 educational tools and activities to help you continue to explore the wonderful world of groundwater.

5) Hydro-Van-Gogh

Have you ever wondered what it was like to be a little droplet of water making your way through the water cycle? What would you see? How would it feel? Explore these questions and more by painting your way through the ground, surface, and sky in a fun activity that combines art with science.

4) Growing with Groundwater

Groundwater is the water that helps grow our food and flowers. See how plants are a part of the water cycle by building a mini-terrarium. Simply plant a few flower seeds in a clear container, water it, seal it tightly, leave it in sunshine, and there you go! A water cycle in a jar!

3) 30by30 Mobile App

Did you know that the average American uses over 100 gallons of water each day? Find out how much you're using by marking how many times you fill your water glass, how long you take a shower, how many vegetables you wash, and much more. Challenge yourself to reduce your use by 30 gallons over the next month (just don't skimp on washing your hands!)

2) Hydrogeology Challenge

This one is a bit challenging (hence the name!) and you should know how to calculate slope using the y=mx+b formula. This online modeling tool walks you through how to use well information to calculate the direction and speed that groundwater is flowing. Real groundwater scientists use this information every day in order to figure out if a contaminant poses a threat to wells and communities downstream. Are you up for a bigger challenge? Email hydro@groundwater.org and receive a scenario in which you must use the information you calculated with the model to help a community protect its water source.

1) Awesome Aquifer Kit

This is Frannie's favorite activity. You might remember the blog series she did using the Awesome Aquifer Kit a while ago. The Awesome Aquifer Kit can be used to show so many important concepts about groundwater, including how it moves between the surface and subsurface, how people can get access to groundwater, and how contamination spreads. You can get 20% off your very own Awesome Aquifer Kit using code GWAW20 if you order by March 31.

Wednesday, March 4, 2020

It's Water-Wise Wednesdays with Frannie the Fish! {Video Learning Series: Awesome Aquifer Kit Training Videos}

This is the fifth blog in a series of video learning opportunities from the Groundwater Foundation. Click to see the previous blogs on the Groundwater Foundation, how the Awesome Aquifer Kits are made, educator toolkits, and the Groundwater Guardian program.
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Last week, Frannie shared the videos demonstrating some of the many educational resources that are offered as a part of the Groundwater Foundation's educator toolkits.


This week, Frannie is excited to share three brand new videos all about the activities included in the Awesome Aquifer Kit! The Awesome Aquifer Kit is one of the featured modeling tools included in the educator toolkits. The Awesome Aquifer Kit Guide includes a glossary of key groundwater terms and six activities, aligned to the Next Generation Science Standards, to demonstrate basic concepts of groundwater, how wells work, and the movement and treatment of contaminants within groundwater.



The new Awesome Aquifer Kit videos on the Groundwater Foundation's YouTube channel break down each activity step by step and provide tips on how to expand the lesson for more advanced students. Learn how the Awesome Aquifer Kits can help you "see" groundwater and consider getting your very own at AwesomeAquifer.com!