Check out the newest addition to our youth water education resources, an interactive fact sheet about safe drinking water titled “The Water We Drink.”

Penn State Extension has developed a new fact sheet about safe drinking water that is designed for youth in grades 6-12. The Water We Drink is a lesson and activity combined in a four page pamphlet and covers many important topics about our water.

It begins with an overview of why we need water to drink, followed by the amount of water available to us on Earth. Then it delves into the specifics of where our drinking water comes from, including information about both public and private water systems. Water quality is then addressed for both public and private systems as well.

Youth then participate in an activity, reading sample water test reports and answering questions to help them better understand what the reports mean. Youth are then encouraged to also find a copy of their own water test report, private or public, and answer similar questions.

After the activity, the new fact sheet covers the important topic of emerging contaminants being found in water, including hormones and pharmaceuticals. Finally, the resource closes with an encouraging review of potential careers related to safe drinking water.

The new fact sheet is a great tool for both formal classroom teachers and informal educators who teach in the fields of environmental science, conservation, family living, health and safety, or anyone that includes water in their curriculum. “The Water We Drink” can be accessed online.

(Written By: Jennifer R. Fetter, Extension Educator – Watershed/Youth Development, Renewable Natural Resources Team, Penn State Extension, Dauphin County, and re-printed from Penn State Extension's Watershed Winds newsletter.)

7/22/2013