Villages Elementary overflows with water science, sensibility
By SHAILESH KUMAR ,INDIA
LADY
LAKE - Creating a Cartesian diver in a water bottle, eating an edible
aquifer and watching a pollution play were just a few of the many
activities pupils and parents could splash into Tuesday night at The
Villages Elementary of Lady Lake.It was all part of "Splash
Into Science," an event to increase awareness of water resources and
the careful use and guardianship of those resources. The St. Johns
River Water Management District sponsored the activities.
Activities abounded in the school
cafeteria. Maryann Utegg, a Watershed Action Volunteer coordinator,
said the event was intended to provide a fun family
experience."(We) want to provide water-resource information to parents
and
children," she said.One
of the most popular activities was the Edible Aquifer. Children of all
ages could make ice cream sodas in which each ingredient represented
different parts of Florida's aquifer system. For example, the limestone
layer was ice cubes and the clay layer was chocolate ice
cream.Amaris Handsborough, a visiting eighth-grader from Carver Middle
School, enjoyed her aquifer, but she also came to learn. "I wanted to learn more about water and how to protect it," Amaris said.
Others
made water-cycle wristbands, in which each bead represented a different
state of water - including precipitation and condensation. Lynn
Nasgovitz, a volunteer with Trout Lake Nature Center, was there to help
participants make their wristbands.
"Some of them (children) will show off that they know some of these words," Nasgovitz said.
If
making edible aquifers or water-cycle wristbands wasn't to their taste,
participants could also try fish magnets, making some water music,
petting a live snake, seeing a walking stick in action, playing the
wetlands match game and more.
"We could not put this on without
the staff of The Villages Elementary, The Villages Rotary Club, Trout
Lake Nature Center, the Lake County Water Authority, the town of Lady
Lake Public Works Department and the St. Johns River Water Management
District's Watershed Action Volunteer Program," Utegg said.
Steve
Metheny, a fifth-grade teacher at The Villages Elementary of Lady Lake
and a WAV volunteer, said the students also worked on costumes, helped
put on a pollution play with props they made themselves, created
brochures and designed a PowerPoint presentation for the event.
"I
am excited that we were able to involve the community with The Villages
Elementary and have students become more aware of water resources in
Lake County," he said.
Elsewhere in the cafeteria, Nadine Foley,
another WAV volunteer, was showing people how native plants use water
sources. She was happy to talk with parents and children.
"A lot of them do like to garden together," Foley said.
She said the children were great.
"They're having fun with a lot of things here," Foley said. "Just look at them."
Bruce
Kole, a volunteer with The Villages Rotary Club, offered an activity
that showed how many drops of water would fit on a penny.
"It
demonstrates water-molecule adhesion," he said. "(A) good hands-on
learning experience. They're (the children) very involved."
Another
good thing is that what the students were learning at the science event
was tied into the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test's science
objectives.
Nicholas Davis, 6, said he got about 30 drops on his penny. He also enjoyed several other activities featured at the event.
"I made a turtle, did bean bags and had ice cream," Nicholas said.
Of course, his favorite was getting the ice cream.
Children
could also make a Cartesian diver, in which a weighted eye-dropper
would float to the top of a bottle of water when squeezed,
demonstrating the idea of water pressure.
Logan Fenton, a fourth-gradthe school, said he liked making the diver - and the whole event.
"I think it's pretty fascinating," he said.
After
children and parents had engaged in many of the activities and indulged
in some hot dogs, chips and drinks, it was time to watch a play by
Joann Applewhite's fifth-grade class: "The Awful Eight." In the play,
reporters talked to actual pollutants that affect air and water. Even
Sulfur Dioxide showed up and sprayed acid rain from a squirt bottle.
Fifth-grader
Nikki Carajohn was a reporter in "The Awful Eight." She said she really
enjoyed it and learned about protecting water resources.
"It's really important," Nikki said, "and if we don't, we won't have clean water to drink."