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Introducing Water as a Basic Need

by

Becky O’Hearn | Wichita Collegiate School | Wichita, Kansas

The teacher uses a picture book to illustrate the different places where people find drinking water. Then the class discusses the importance of water and where they get their own water from.

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Hi, I want to tell you and one way that I introduced the concept of water as an element that, or a characteristic of all living things. A need of the human experience for sure, when working with four to six-year-olds. Children don’t really understand especially if they are in a place where water is not difficult to find. For them to comprehend that there might be places where people can’t find good water, and what does that mean? For four to six-year-olds it’s really hard to explain that. So, what we can though, talk about is that it’s the human basic need, and it’s also a source of joy, and comfort, and beauty. And, I want to introduce that to students with a book called, “A Cold Drink of Water.” And, I think I’m going to go ahead and read this you because it’s so quick, and the pictures are telling you far more than what I can explain. Somewhere, right now someone is drinking water. Scooped from the river. Drawn from a well. Caught as it drips from the roof. Everyone, everywhere, a nice cool drink of water. And, in this book there’s a nice resource for the connection to the locations geographically of the photos which were beautiful in this particular book. It’s a starting point for lots of conversations, but I think when you’re talking with four to six-year-olds you have to talk to them from their point of reference. And ask them, where they get their water? Where it comes from? You could extend this to why is it important to consider to take care of the amount of water that we use in the daily activities that we have. So, this is a discussion starting point and you would springboard other activities off of it.

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