Primary 2 · Science · Earth and space sciences
Water: a precious resource
Children learn where our water comes from, how it is used at home and on farms, and simple ways to save water in a dry country like Australia.
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These lessons were written around Australian Curriculum strands and matched to Singapore levels by age (Primary 1 is the first year of primary school). They are not aligned to MOE syllabuses or the PSLE, so check them against the syllabus your child is working towards.
This lesson uses some Australian examples (places, animals or contexts). Swap in local examples from Singapore as you teach.
Learning goals
Learners will
- Describe where the water we use comes from.
- List ways water is used at home and on farms.
- Suggest simple ways to save water.
Success looks like
- I can trace water from the rain to my tap.
- I can name three ways my family uses water and two ways farms use water.
- I can name three ways to save water at home.
The big idea
Water is precious. Every living thing needs it, and we cannot make new water. Most of Earth's water is salt water in the sea, which we cannot drink. Only a small amount is fresh water that people can use.
Our fresh water comes from rain. Rain falls on the land and runs into creeks and rivers. Some is stored behind a dam in a big lake called a reservoir. Some soaks into the ground and is pumped up from under the ground. Some homes catch rain from the roof in a rainwater tank.
In towns and cities, water from dams, rivers or under the ground is cleaned at a treatment plant, then travels through big pipes to our taps.
At home we use water for drinking, cooking, washing ourselves, flushing the toilet, washing clothes and dishes, and watering the garden.
Farms use a lot of water. Farmers water crops such as wheat, fruit and vegetables, and their animals, such as cows and sheep, need water to drink every day. The food we eat needed water to grow.
In dry places, or during a drought when little rain falls for a long time, dams and tanks can get low. Saving water then matters even more. Saving water is called conserving it.
Simple ways to save water:
- Turn off the tap while you brush your teeth.
- Take shorter showers.
- Fix dripping taps.
- Only run the washing machine or dishwasher when it is full.
- Water the garden in the cool of the morning or evening, and reuse rinse water on plants.
Worked examples
From cloud to tap
How does rain end up coming out of your tap?
- Rain falls from clouds onto the land.
- It runs into creeks and rivers and is stored in a dam.
- The water is cleaned at a treatment plant.
- It flows through pipes under the streets to your home.
Answer: Rain → river → dam → treatment plant → pipes → tap.
Water use tally
Keep a tally of how your family uses water in one day.
- Make a table with rows: toilet, shower or bath, washing hands, cooking and drinking, dishes, garden.
- Add a tick each time someone uses water for that job.
- Count the ticks at the end of the day to see which job used water most often.
Answer: The job with the most ticks is where the family uses water most often, and a good place to start saving.
Shorter showers
A shower uses 10 litres of water each minute. How much does a 4-minute shower use?
- Count in tens for each minute: 10, 20, 30, 40.
- Four minutes uses 40 litres.
- An 8-minute shower would use 80 litres, so the shorter shower saves 40 litres.
Answer: 40 litres.
Practice check
Have a go, then check your answers. Each answer comes with an explanation.
Answer guide for parents
Most of Earth's water is…
salty water in the sea — Most of Earth's water is salty sea water, which people cannot drink.
Which of these saves water?
Turning off the tap while brushing teeth — Turning off the tap stops clean water going down the drain.
What do farmers use water for?
Growing crops and giving animals a drink — Crops and farm animals both need water.
Where does the fresh water in rivers and dams first come from?
Rain — Rain falls on the land and flows into rivers and dams.
What collects rain from a house roof?
A rainwater tank — Gutters and pipes carry roof water into a rainwater tank.
A shower uses 10 litres each minute. How many litres does a 3-minute shower use?
30 — 10 + 10 + 10 = 30 litres.
A long time with very little rain is called a d______.
drought — A long dry time is a drought.
Can people safely drink sea water? (yes or no)
no — Sea water is too salty and would make you sicker and thirstier.
Watch out for
- Children may think water comes from the tap and never runs out. Tap water comes from rain stored in dams, rivers and under the ground, and it can run low.
- Some children think the sea is a good source of drinking water. It is too salty to drink without special treatment.
- Children may think saving a little water does not matter. Lots of small savings by many families add up to a lot.
Tips for parents
- Put a bucket in the shower while it warms up and use that water on plants.
- Let your child be the family 'water detective' for a day, spotting drips and running taps.
- Safety: do not drink water from creeks, ponds or tanks unless an adult knows it is safe, and always have an adult nearby around buckets of water and ponds.
Go further
- Use a measuring jug to find out how much water drips from a slightly open tap in 5 minutes, then pour it on a plant.
- Draw a poster with three water-saving tips for your bathroom.
- Put a clear cup outside on a rainy day and see how much rain it catches.
About 40 minutes
You'll need
- A measuring jug and a bucket
- A large bowl or plug in the sink
- Paper for a water-use tally chart
- A clear cup
Key words
- fresh water
- Water that is not salty. It is found in rain, rivers, lakes and under the ground.
- salt water
- Salty water, like the water in the sea. People cannot drink it.
- dam
- A wall built across a river to store water in a big lake called a reservoir.
- rainwater tank
- A large container that collects rain from a roof.
- drought
- A long time with very little rain.
- conserve
- To save something and use it carefully so it does not run out.
Still tricky?
For parents
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