Ecosystems
What is a River?
A river is water that moves to an ocean, sea, lake, or another river.
Try This!
  • It’s time for water play! Children will discover how the slope of a river affects the speed that objects float down-Build a River Model
Questions/Discussion
  • Show pictures of rivers and explain what they are.
  • Have the children been to a river before? What do they know about rivers?​
  • Rivers help us get water. How do we use water in our daily lives? (drinking, feeding animals, agriculture, activities like canoeing/kayaking)
  • Some animals live in rivers. Do you know what animals live in water?​
  • Explain that rivers move faster when they are on a slope. Explain “slope” to the children and demonstrate the meaning. Use your arms to illustrate the angles of a slope. Place a ball on your shoulder to show how it rolls down the slope of your arm. Show pictures of hills and encourage the children to point out the slopes.
  • Set up your flat “river” by placing aluminum foil or pipe cut in half on a flat surface. Invite a child to pour water on your flat river. Discuss whether it moves 
    and what you notice about it. What happens when you place an object on it?
  • Set up your sloped “river” by placing aluminum foil or pipe cut in half on a sloped surface. Invite a child to pour water on your sloped river. What happens to 
    the water when the surface is sloped?
  • Encourage the children to take turns placing objects on each “river” and noticing what happens. You can use rubber ducks, tin foil boats, or any other small objects that float.
  • Ask the children if objects moved faster on the flat river or the sloped river. What else did they observe? Did the objects they put on the rivers sink or float?
Family Connection
  • Send or post pictures of the river activity to parents. Encourage them to try the activity at home and have their child explain what they learned.
  • Encourage them to ask their child questions: What is a river? Did your boat go faster on the sloped river or the flat river?
  • If families live near a stream, creek or river have them take pictures and share there experiences learning and playing in these bodies of water.
  • Have families look up and learn about the rivers in their state
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Wetlands
Wetlands are areas where the land does not drain well. The ground in a wetland is saturated, or full of water. Often the ground is covered with shallow water. Wetlands are usually classified as swamps, marshes, or bogs. The different types of wetlands have different kinds of soil and plants. Both swamps and marshes have soils that contain many minerals. They differ in their plant life. Most of the plants in swamps are trees, but marshes have grassy plants. Bogs differ from swamps and marshes because their soil has few minerals. Only mosses and a few other types of plants can grow in bogs.

Wetlands play a major role in the environment. Wetlands act as a buffer zone between dry land and bodies of water. They are home to a great variety of plants and animals which makes wetlands sensational habitats! Children will uncover the many plants and animals that make the wetlands their home. 

Did you know wetlands purify water? Wetlands help trap excessive amounts of pollutants and silt. A wetland system can also protect shorelines, cleanse polluted waters, prevent floods, and restore underground water supplies. Children will explore how wetlands benefit people, animals, and plants.
Try This!
  • Think about what happens when rain hits the land. What happens to the water after it falls to the ground? -Wetland in a Pan​
Investigate Further
  • Experiment 1: Use pan and incline to create a hill. This represents a cement hill/street. Pour a small amount of dirty water in small 3 oz. cups. Let each child have a cup and take turns pouring the water down the hill. Allow children to describe what they see. What do you notice? How fast did the water flow? What does the water look like in the bottom of the pan?
  • Experiment 2: Use pan, incline, and artificial grass (turf) to create a hill. This represents a grass filter strip. A filter strip helps to prevent contamination of surface water. Pour a small amount of dirty water in small 3 oz. cups. Let children each have a cup and take turns pouring the water down the hill. Allow children to describe what they see. What do you notice? Compare the speed of the water flow to the first experiment. What does the water look like in the pan?
  • Experiment 3: Use a third pan, incline, artificial grass (turf), and sponges to create a wetland. This represents a marsh. Brainstorm the difference that the sponges will or will not make. Let each child have a cup of dirty water to pour down the hill.Allow children to describe what they see. What do you notice? Compare the flow of water. What happened to the water? 

Explain that a wetland catches rain and holds it just like the sponge did in this experiment. The water is stored in the ground and fills wells so we have water 
during hot, dry summers. Wetlands also slow water down if there is a flood so roads and houses are not washed away. Notice how the sponge slowed the flow of water.

Compare the three pans of water. Which water would you rather drink? Refer back to the water cycle lesson. Wetlands improve our water quality. Plant roots and leaves help to clean dirty water and create a nice place for place for plants and animals to live. Save water and pour into 3 jars with lids and labels. 
Questions/Discussion
  • Lead a class discussion by asking the students what they consider to be the characteristics of wetlands. List these characteristics on the board.
  • Show the class pictures of different types of wetlands, including swamps, fresh and saltwater marshes, and discuss the different types of plants and animals found in these wetlands.
  • Explain that the wetland model will be used to demonstrate, in a simplified way, two important functions of wetlands.
  • How does a wetland help improve water quality? (i.e. it slows down water, holds in pollutants)
  • Besides being a home to many plants and animals, how does a wetland help people? (i.e. it cleans water, stores water, and prevents flooding)
  • ​Ask the students how muddy water may affect fish, other wildlife and plants.
  • How might the lack of wetlands affect us as a people?
  • What might a river look like after a heavy rain if much of its wetlands have been destroyed? (Muddy.)
  • How might muddy water affect fish in a river? (It makes it hard for them to see and clogs their gills.)
  • How might muddy water affect boats and ships? (The mud settles out and fills channels important for navigation.)​
  •  Explain that when it rains, water runs off roads, houses, etc. and gets dirty. 
  • ​What type of shoes would you wear if you went to visit a wetland? What living things live in a wetland?
  • What non-living things are in a wetland?
  • Marshes (type of wetland) provide food, water, and shelter for wildlife. What are some examples of wildlife that live in or by a marsh?​​
Family Connection
  • Examine a wetlands map together. Do you live near a wetland?  Have you ever seen one?
  • Ask your child to demonstrate how wetlands clean water by using a sponge. Knowing that wetlands are effective filters, 
     do you think wetlands often become polluted? And what can you do to help preserve wetlands?
  • Create a diorama using a shoebox. Include plants and animals you would find in a wetland. Create a list of living and non-living items you might find. 
  • If you could be any animal in a wetland, which one would you be and why?
  • Could visit a wetland (or near any other body of water to pick up trash and discuss the importance of keeping any and all water clean and free of trash
Floating Wetlands
Children will learn that plants and floating treatment wetlands are ways to help keep water healthy.​ Floating treatment wetlands, also referred to as floating wetland islands or artificial reed beds, consist of emergent aquatic plants (macrophytes) growing on a floating mat on the lake water surface, in contrast to being rooted in sediment like traditional wetlands. 
Try This!
Dive Deeper...
  • The concepts introduced in this activity will be easier for children to understand if they have a basic understanding of plant parts. Particularly, children will need to know about the roots of a plant.
  • You can introduce plant roots to children by growing bean seeds together. Place a bean inside of a plastic bag with a damp paper towel. Seal the bag and tape it to a window. Within a few days to a week, the beans should sprout.
  • Explain to children that these are the roots. Help children plant the sprouts in soil and watch them grow. Remind children that the roots they saw coming from the bean help the growing plant get water.
  • You can also demonstrate how roots take in water by doing an experiment with celery and food coloring. Fill a clear glass jar or glass about halfway with water and a few drops of food coloring. Place a stalk of celery in the glass with the leaves up. Check the celery stalk every few hours and observe how it changes. Explain to children that this is similar to how roots help a plant get water. 
  • Remind children the roots of a plant help get water to the plant. Usually roots are in the ground, but some plants can float in the water with the roots under water.
  • Explain that some plants help keep water healthy. When their roots are in the water, they can take in some of the chemicals in the water and hold them in their leaves.​
Family Connection
  • Send a picture of a real floating treatment wetland and a picture of the floating treatment wetland you made. Encourage parents to ask their children to compare ​them. How are they similar? How are they different? How does the plant help to keep the water healthy?
  • Keep your floating treatment wetland on display for visitors to see. Encourage children to explain how the floating treatment wetland works to their families. You can also send home instructions for how families can build their own floating treatment wetland
Questions/Discussion
  • Show children a picture of the floating treatment wetlands. Explain that these are made by people as a way to keep the water healthy.
    Create a floating treatment wetland display for your classroom. Choose a volunteer to pour spring water into a glass vase or bowl. 
  • Have another volunteer place the roots of the plant(s) through the plastic, so the leaves are on top and the roots are below. What do plants need to survive
  • Place the plastic on the water. Explain to children that the plant will float on the surface of the water. Where are the roots
  • Explain that the roots in the water will help keep  the water healthy. This is also how a floating treatment wetland works.
  • What do you think would happen if there were not plants to keep the water clean?
  • How does the floating treatment wetlands help animals, such as fish
Learn more...
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