Ground Water Activity

Earth Science Unit Study

Week 21: We did a simple activity to demonstrate how ground water is sometimes absorbed into the ground and sometimes runs off in rivers.


In connection with our Earth Science study we read the book Rocks, rivers & the changing earth,: A first book about geology. Written in story format from a scientific perspective, it is an entertaining book which explains how the earth works to young children.

Water flows in a continuous cycle throughout our world. Water that falls onto mountains runs down the side into streams, which flow into rivers that run into lakes and seas. Eventually water is evaporated back into the air, rises, and falls as rain again.

The River by Bernadette Watts is a beautiful picture book which follows water as it trickles from a mountain rock and flows to the sea. Near the beginning, five pine cones fall into the water and wonder where it will take them. Each ends in a different place----- will it be near a meandering stream, a mountain lake or another watery place?

Sometimes after a rain the creeks, streams and rivers are full and other times after a similar rain they flow at low levels. The difference depends on how wet the ground is. If it's full of water, or saturated, to begin with, the additional water from the rain flows down, but if the ground is dry, it can be absorbed.

To demonstrate the difference we placed two dry washcloths, to represent dry ground, on top of an upside bowl, to represent a mountain.

Then it began to "rain".

As the ground (or washcloths) became saturated rivers began to form and run down the mountain.

The process was repeated several times.

More of our hands-on science activities can be found on our Science Page.




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