Be a Hydrologic Engineer

Watch the vide Uncharted Waters, then ask a grown-up to help you with this activity!

What You Need:

• an empty plastic disposable water bottle
• a stick that is a little longer than the water bottle
• a cotton swab stick
• duct tape
• an adult to find something sharp to poke a small hole in the cap of the plastic water bottle

What To Do:

1. Have an adult poke a small hole in the top of the water bottle.
2. Tape a stick to the side of the bottle so that the stick goes past the top of the bottle by about 4 inches.
3. Push a cotton swab into the hole in the water bottle top—it should be a tight fit!
4. Fill the bottle with water and put the top on tight.
5. Flip the bottle upside down and push the stick into the soil near your plant.

Talk about what materials absorb or repel water. How does your watering system work? (The bottle repels water helping the water to stay inside and the cotton swab absorbs it and only lets it go when it is so soaked that it can’t hold another drop!)

Go on a Water Finding Hunt in Your Neighborhood

Where is there water in your house and neighborhood? Does it move from one place to another? What materials absorb or repel water? Are there dry areas that need water? Think together about what you might engineer to help!