Youth Water Education

Why is Youth Water Education Important?

Water is one of our most essential resources. While almost everyone knows that we need water to survive, we often overlook the other vital roles water plays in our lives. It's not hard to think of all the direct water uses we encounter daily, like drinking, bathing, cooking, cleaning, and watering our gardens. We use a lot more water indirectly every day. People use water to generate electricity, grow fruit and vegetable crops, raise livestock, manufacture nearly everything, including electronics and construction materials, and transport products around the world.

In many parts of the world, water supplies are scarce or becoming scarce. Droughts and increased water use are both contributing to these issues. Even in places with abundant water supplies, many waterways have become impaired by pollutants running off the land where large amounts of urban development and agriculture occur.

Youth play an important role in becoming informed citizens and future decision-makers. Engaging them in educational opportunities about water, science, and technology will help create a future generation of water stewards and innovators. A variety of award-winning resources for teaching youth about water are available from Penn State Extension.

Educational Tools:

• Rain to Drain: Slow the Flow
  Rain to Drain: Slow the Flow is a hands-on stormwater education curriculum from Penn State Extension and Pennsylvania 4-H. This experiment-style series of activities leads youth and adults to better understand the movement of stormwater in natural and developed communities. It's also a great introduction to green infrastructure and stormwater best management practices. (Curriculum, Academic Standards, and Demonstration Adaptation are available)
• Watershed Decisions Activity
  A hands-on, inquiry-based activity that helps older youth and adults learn about water quality issues surrounding small watersheds and the decision-making processes that go into improving those water quality issues.
• Brooke Meets a Stream Doctor
  Take children on a science adventure with Brooke and her new friend, Dr. Watt R. Shedd. In the book, Brooke Meets a Stream Doctor, a young explorer learns how she can help clean up and protect a stream in her own neighborhood.
• What's in Your Glass? A Drinking Water Journey 
  This new resource explores water's journey through the environment, the water cycle, watersheds, and the connection between land use and water quality. Through interactive activities and guided discussions, students gain an appreciation for the critical role water plays in sustaining life and society.
• 4-H Water Projects
  A series of water-based project books, written in Pennsylvania, are available through 4-H, Penn State Extension's Youth Development Program. The books include hands-on and thought-provoking activities related to water conservation, water science, water quality, riparian buffers, and more. Helper's Guides and introductory video presentations are also available. Contact your county 4-H educator for more information.

Professional Development: 

• Dive Deeper - Youth Water Educators Summit
  

  The Dive Deeper Summit is a biennial, multi-state environmental education conference designed for those who teach youth about water or seek engaging tools and resources to support water education. This full-day event features your choice of concurrent session presentations, dynamic exhibits, morning refreshments, a lunch buffet, networking opportunities, and even the chance to have your home drinking water tested.

Extension Volunteer-led Programming: 

• The Future Master Watershed Stewards Program
  

  Future Master Watershed Stewards learn about water, get familiar with their local water community, and take action to help improve local water! Learn about Water Using existing project and curriculum materials provided by Penn State Extension and DCNR, along with activities from other science-based resources, youth members of the FMWS program learn about water properties, water use and conservation, and water quality.