March 31, 2003 Students soak up lessons on water issues

March 31, 2003

Students soak up lessons on water issues
A hands-on exhibit teaches children about conserving and protecting the state's water resources.

Gerard DeChristofaro marched over to two large rocks sitting on a pedestal and gave a mini-dissertation. "This is limestone from the Floridan aquifer," Gerard, 9, said as he lifted an oversized magnifying glass to give a closer look. "In some of the parts, you can see fossils. There's leaves in there, and some shells. If you look real close, it has real small holes." His fourth-grade classmates at Suncoast Elementary School, near Seven Hills in south-central Hernando County, were equally well-versed on other aspects of water conservation and environmental protection. Emily Kling, 10, walked over to an aquarium filled with sand, clay and gravel. "This is a model of the aquifer," Emily said. "We learned how the water percolates through each layer.

It moves faster when it's in the gravel, and slower when it's in the sand and the clay." "It gets clean because it's sifting through," chimed in Tyler England, 10. "It's taking out all the bacteria and stuff." Students at Suncoast have spent much of this year and last learning about water, largely because of the efforts of teacher Marguerite Kling, who won last year's state "Environmentality" contest. Her work attracted the state Department of Environmental Protection to bring its "Beyond Drought" display to Suncoast for the next month. Children toured the hands-on exhibit, which takes up a full classroom, all day Friday with their teachers. They used additional materials in their regular classes to further the experience. First-grader Kenny Sweeney spent close to an hour reading the "Adventures of Wally the Water Drop" cartoons, looking at slides of bugs and listening to his teacher's lessons. He said he learned a lot.

"Water comes from underground, and rocks hold water," Kenny, 6, said. It's important, he added, "so we can live, because our skin is made out of water." Fourth-grader Danielle Draper, 10, said the lessons of "Beyond Drought" are important for kids to know. "It's what goes on in our water. If we don't keep it clean, it says on the boards what could happen," she said, pointing. "Our water could get yukky and disgusting." If the students learn to conserve and protect the water supply, they will teach their parents and other adults, said Kling, Suncoast's 2003 teacher of the year. It's much like the recycling fervor that has taken root in the schools. "Actually, they're sometimes better at getting the message across," she said of the children. Suncoast also has become the third school in the country to become a "groundwater guardian." Even kindergarteners have become interested in the science of water, Kling said. "It's been a very good experience for our children," principal Jean Ferris said, "because it does use the inquiry approach to teach children the importance of water conservation."

During this year's school science fair, an overwhelming percentage of students researched issues related to water, Kling added. The value of not draining natural resources dry often gets lost on adults, especially during the rainy season, said Rebecca Bray, in-school education coordinator for the Southwest Florida Water Management District. "Water conservation is important throughout the year," Bray said. "The rainwater we get now is the rainwater we'll have to use throughout the year." She praised the educators and students at Suncoast for their interest in the subject. Mike Zavosky, who organized "Beyond Drought" for the DEP, said Suncoast will be the only location for the display in the agency's 12-county southwest region, which also includes Hillsborough, Citrus, Pasco and Pinellas counties. He grinned broadly as he watched the students move through the classroom and talk excitedly about the information they were picking up. "If it stimulated them at all to think about the environment, then whatever message they convey is the right one," Zavosky said. "Beyond Drought" will be open at Suncoast Elementary School, 11135 Quality Drive, Spring Hill, through April. Classes from other schools are welcome to attend for field trips, Kling said. Teachers should call ahead, though, so they can receive backup materials such as an information scavenger hunt form before they arrive, she said. [ http://www.hcsb.k12.fl.us/ses/ ]

The school phone number is (352) 797-7085.

The "Beyond Drought" exhibit builds on drought-related topics, explores the science behind them, examines the role of the Department of Environmental Protection, and presents various opportunities for citizens to participate in environmental protection. "Beyond Drought" is a 320-square foot educational exhibit describing the implications of drought to Florida. The exhibit is composed of nine freestanding panels. Each panel is 7 feet high by 8 feet wide. Content of the exhibit is designed for a high school audience and written at a middle school level. The exhibit is self-guided with the option for a set of interactive manipulatives when docents are available. A corresponding brochure in Spanish will be available. To get more information on the tour schedule for the exhibit, please contact DEP’s Office of Environmental Education at 850-245-2130.

http://www.dep.state.fl.us/secretary/education/

"Beyond Drought" Information sheet (4 pages, PDF)
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/secretary/education/exhibitbrochure.pdf

Southwest Florida Water Management District information and education
http://www.swfwmd.state.fl.us/infoed/infoed.htm