Teaching Resources for Water

Colouring and activity sheets

• Video (6:52m): Draw the water cycle
• Video (5:28m): Build your own ice cream aquifer
• Water fun activity sheet
• Winter fun activity book
• Aquifer colouring page
• Biosolids colouring book
• To Flush or Not To Flush activity sheet

Stories

• Video (8:50m): Wally and Deanna's Groundwater Adventure
• Video (8:58m): Wally and Deanna's Blackflies to Blueberries Wetland Adventure

Water games

• Water bingo
• Video (5:21m): Guess the number
• Video (2:26m): Guess the picture
• Online quiz: Test your water knowledge
• Video (6:30m): Water quality quiz - part 1 of 2
• Video (13:09m): Water quality quiz - part 2 of 2
• Game: Watershed detective

Science experiments

• Videos: Water experiments
• Video (2:13m): Water filtration experiment
• Make your own groundwater aquifer: video/PDF
• Build a foldable paper 3D aquifer
• Instructions: All the water in the world bead activity

Municipal water and wastewater systems:

• Wastewater Grade 4 and Grade 5 lesson activities (Region of Waterloo)
• How do water towers work lesson activities (Wonderopolis)
• Video (4:30m): How do water towers work (Concerning Reality)
• Video (10:59m): How water towers work (Practical Engineering)
• Video (12:27m): How sewers work (Practical Engineering)

Groundwater wells:

• Awesome aquifer training videos (Groundwater Foundation)
• Groundwater modelling concepts hydrogeology challenge (Groundwater Foundation)
• Water sources: groundwater (Government of Canada)
• Understanding groundwater (Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs)
• Education resources (Groundwater Foundation)
• Video (7:00m): How do water wells works (Concerning Reality)

Water cycle, watersheds and stormwater:

• Grand River watershed (GRCA)
• Watersheds, Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River (Conservation Ontario)
• The water cycle: article / video (Khan Academy)
• Video (0:45m): Explore watersheds (Project WET Foundation)
• Video (5:33m): Life of a rain drop (Kids Discovery)

Lesson plans and websites:

• Waterloo Wellington Children's Groundwater Festival
• Teaching tools and resources (The Water Project)
• E-zone: resources for teachers and parents to teach children about the environment (Province of Ontario)
• Lesson plans and videos (TED-Ed)
• Lesson plans (Khan Academy)

Free water presentations available for schools in Waterloo Region. Content supports the grade 2 and grade 8 curriculum. You can also request a general water systems presentation for other grades or for your school's environmental club.

Complete this request form to book your free water presentation.

Grade 2 (science and technology: air and water in the environment)

• Length: 45 to 60 minutes
• Learn about:
  • Where we can find water
  • Water cycle and states of water
  • Actions you can take to use less water
  • Journey of water to your tap
  • Where water goes after you flush the toilet

Grade 8 (science and technology: water systems)

• Length: 60 to 90 minutes
• Learn about:
  • Groundwater aquifers
  • Municipal drinking water systems (collection, treatment, distribution)

Waterloo Wellington Children's Groundwater Festival

• for grades 2 to 5
• hands-on activities teach students about water
• Visit the Festival website for details

Region of Waterloo Mannheim Water Treatment Plant tour

• for secondary and post secondary students and adults only
• technical presentation and tour
• tours by registration only based on staff availability
• Video: Plant tour (5:25m)

Managing water resources and providing clean drinking water to our homes involves a team of dedicated professionals. The water industry offers many challenging and rewarding careers. The American Water Works Association provides more information on working with water. 

Watch these videos produced by the Waterloo Wellington Children's Groundwater Festival: 

• Manager, Stormwater Operations and Construction
• Assistant Professor, Integrated Hydrogeologic Systems
• Water Structures Maintenance Technologist
• Enterprise Geodata Specialist (starts at 2m mark)
• Source Water Protection Risk Management Official
• Geologist / Earth Scientist