Why Is Youth Water Education Important?

Water is an essential resource. While most 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 transportation of 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.

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 understand better 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)

Watch the following video to learn more about the Rain to Drain: Slow the Flow Curriculum and how it fits in your classroom.

Watershed Decisions Activity Kit

Watershed Decision Activity Kit is 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.

Watch this short video to learn more about the Watershed Decisions Activity Kit and how to implement it in your classroom.

Water Education Tools for Youth

The Water Education Tools for Youth bundle includes 10 Rain to Drain: Slow the Flow books plus 1 Watershed Decisions Activity Kit.