Household water use is so constant people rarely even think of it. It's important to recognize how much is being used and how your actions impact future water quality.

Watching My Water

Have students monitor how much water their family uses at home for one week. It will be difficult to be completely accurate, but even an estimate is useful. Children will become more observant about how much water they use, which will help them look for ways to reduce. Brainstorm a worksheet of water usage. How does your family use water? It will likely include things like:

Showers and baths

Dishes

Laundry

Washing hands

Brushing teeth

Watering the lawn

Washing the car

There are many other ways people use water at home, such as cooking food, drinking, and flushing toilets. Make your list as long as what your class can come up with. Have them monitor this use for one week as best as they can. They should write down what the activity is and, if pertinent, how long it took. Compare lists and add up water usage for the whole class after the week is over. If you want to get technical, research online how much water each activity uses on average. How much water are your students' families using? Can you think of ways to cut back?

To expand on this project, have the students pick some ways they will use less water. Then monitor their usage for another week and see how much they've cut back. Can they reduce their usage even more?

Don't Dump It

Household hazardous waste is anything that has a cautionary label. The average U.S. home has 100 pounds of these toxic concoctions stored in its basement, garage, and underneath the sink. All of these items need to be disposed of responsibly so they don't pollute the environment. Here are some things that should never be poured down drains:

Oil-based paints or stains

Medications

Pesticides

Used oil

Paint thinner

Homeowners should be aware of how to dispose of these substances. They can call their local household hazardous waste office (find it by calling the local solid waste management office) or by using http://earth911.com. You can have your students make a fact sheet for their parents or have them go home and look for products (with parental guidance) that have cautionary labels on them. What products do they have lurking at home in their basement, garage, or even under the kitchen sink? You can use the “House Inspector Checklist” found at www.kidsforsavingearth.orginspectorchecklist.htm to do a full audit of products in your home.