The Crenshaw Groundwater Festival was a one-day event held at Tom Harbin Center on March 25, 2022. Over 250 students attended the event, and water educators and enthusiasts from across the state teamed up for the exciting and interactive day of learning. Students participated in three hands-on learning activities focusing on what groundwater is, the importance of water to all life, the water cycle and groundwater’s role in it.
The event was made possible with funding from Wiregrass RC&D, state funds, and private organizations.
Activities that were presented to the kids were:
Water Bracelet – each student makes a water bracelet with different colored beads representing different parts of the hydrologic cycle (water cycle). Students are led through the water cycle twice by the presenter/leader as the bracelets are assembled.
Edible Aquifer – each student makes an “aquifer” in a cup using ice cubes, lemon-lime soda, and ice cream. They taste the “pure water” in the aquifer through a well (straw). Then they utilize ice cream sprinkles and chocolate syrup (pollutants) to contaminate the aquifer.
Drop in a Bucket – use globe ball to show the fact that water is abundant on Earth and have students estimate the amount of water on Earth using the ball (~70%). Then students learn about the sources and types of water on Earth: oceans, fresh water including surface water, groundwater, glaciers and ice caps. The students measure amounts of water to represent the different types and are asked to estimate the amount of each type. Then each student takes a pipette and drops one drop of water on his or her palm and is told that this represents the amount of usable (potable) water on Earth.