Overview

Research shows that even a 2% drop in the amount of water in the body is enough to trigger fuzzy short-term memory, trouble with basic math, and difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page. This lesson focuses on hydration and the importance of water for all living things.

 

Objectives

This lesson focuses on helping kids to understand that water connects all life on earth. Children will be able to recall that most of the human body is comprised of water and that there is more water on earth than there is land. However, although abundant, only clean fresh water can sustain human life. Only 1% of the earth’s water is fresh water.

 

Materials

• Print out crossword sheet
• Print out coloring pages
• Coloring crayons
• Pencil

Print materials: Download print materials. Included with the print materials is a full PDF version of the same lesson plan. (1MB PDF)

You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to download the print materials.

 

Lesson

As the teacher talks about water and hydration, students complete the crossword puzzle, human body and earth worksheets.

Teacher Talking Points

Hydration means drinking enough water and dehydration means not getting enough water. One way you lose water is by sweating. Although you might not know it, you sweat year-round, even in the winter.

Water (H20) is the most abundant molecule on earth's surface, constituting about 70% of the planet’s surface. Water exists as a liquid, solid, and gas. About 2% of the earth’s water is frozen, 97% salt water, 1% fresh water. There is more water on earth than there is land.

Your body is about 60% water and requires you to help keep it that way. If you haven’t been drinking enough water, you can feel tired, cranky or stressed. You might even imagine that you’re hungry, when the thing your body is actually craving is water.

The best ways to keep enough water in your body is to drink water, milk, fruit juice, and eat watery foods like fruits, vegetables, and soup. Snow cones and popsicles are other tasty ways to ensure hydration.