Water Runs Downhill!

 Water Runs Downhill laminated page This activity center is part of the Water Science  Tertiary Watershed Map sign theme.  Watersheds of Canada poster or laminated page What’s the purpose of this activity? This activity demonstrates watersheds and will Activity Set Up: introduce students to our local watersheds. It 1. Center Water Runs Downhill "pin ball" aims to provide a more holistic view on how our board on top of yoga ball on floor. Let it local water systems flow and their role within the lean and rest on floor. greater landscape. The aim of this activity is to 2. Set watershed maps up where students increase understanding of how vitally connected can see it and you can refer to them. our water systems are. 3. Keep marbles in container and place close to pin ball board. Key messages:  Watershed boundaries are defined by heights What will I be doing? of land which direct the flow of water. Briefly explain what a watershed is …  A watershed is connected by flowing water A watershed consists of : and all who live along that watershed can  o A catchment area which is the land have an impact on that water and those that live downstream. around watercourses o Watercourses (such as rivers) and  A watershed includes a catchment basin water bodies (such as lakes & which is all the land, lakes and wetlands that wetlands). are drained by a watercourse and its  The boundaries of watersheds are defined tributaries. by height in the land. o point out green "wired" boundary  Three secondary watersheds begin in the on the Watershed pin ball board Haliburton Highlands and flow through Haliburton County, District of Muskoka and  All watercourses and water bodies within Kawartha Lakes. that watershed flow towards one common point. o We are all connected by our water o Point out the various blue "wired" and our actions have an impact on rivers on the pin ball board and others downstream! demonstrate where they flow to: . Ottawa River

. Georgian Bay Materials: . Lake Ontario o These are secondary watersheds  Water Runs Downhill "pin ball" board and all begin in the Haliburton  Yoga ball Highlands (Haliburton County)  Marbles  Ask students' to try and point out where

Haliburton-Muskoka-Kawartha Children’s Water Festival Page 1 of 4

they live along the board evenly. o As they point them out, or have you  Explain that it is important for them to work try and find their towns/cities … together and to control the movement of make note of what watershed they the water drop (the marble). are a part of. o It is not about speed, it is about o Regardless of where you live, you accuracy! are a part of one of these o If they move the marbles too fast or watersheds! hard, the "drops of water" may  Highlight to the students that if they spilt a jump over the rivers! cup of water where they live, where would o The idea is to work together to it go? … Which water body would it end move the drop of water (marble) up? down the watershed using the  Even water from the uplands will watercourses as best they can and eventually make its way to the get the drop of water (marble) to watercourses and flow to the common the "end point" (Ottawa River, point within the watershed. Georgian Bay or Lake Ontario) o If the marbles do "jump" over the Demonstrate the movement of water within a rivers or watershed, start again! watershed using a marble. o When you move the Water Runs  Place it by Opeongo Lake (not in) and Downhill "pin ball" board, balance it trace a path to the closest "wired" river, on the yoga ball that is underneath. through to Bark Lake, Kamaniskeg Lake, This will allow for smoother and through to Calabogie and on to the Ottawa more controlled movements! River: Start with the Ottawa River Watershed (it is a o This marble represents a rain drop bit easier … like a warm up!) and if it falls anywhere in the Ottawa River Watershed (land or  Make sure all the students are in their water) it will make its way to one of places and ready. the rivers and/or lakes and will  Ask the students who lives in this area? … eventually end up in the Ottawa let's see where your water flows! River.  Place the marble (water drop) in  All this area, point out the Ottawa River Haliburton County but in the Ottawa River Watershed, land and water, is just one Watershed and let it go! watershed that is a part of Haliburton  Instruct the students to move the Water County Runs Downhill "pin ball" board at slight Introduce activity … angles to move the marble along the watercourses to it to the Ottawa River. Okay, now that you understand watersheds a bit more, are you all ready to work together and Next, the Georgian Bay Watershed … move drops of water?  Ask the students who lives in this area? …  Have the students spread along the edge let's see where your water flows! of the Water Runs Downhill "pin ball"  Show the students where they are trying to board and hold onto a handle. get their water drop (marble) to end up … o Each student should have one Georgian Bay handle for each hand.  Place a marble near Kawagama Lake (in o A total of 10 students can Haliburton County but in the Georgian Bay participate using 2 handles each (2 Watershed) and let it go. at each short end; 3 on each long  Let the students work the water drop down end) to Georgian Bay o If there are less than 10 students  Make note that although the water drop make sure they are spread out started in Haliburton County, where did it travel through? … District of Muskoka

Haliburton-Muskoka-Kawartha Children’s Water Festival Page 2 of 4

Lastly, conquer the Lake Ontario Watershed  For example, on the Tertiary Watershed (more difficult) Map, these are the tertiary watersheds (smaller watersheds)  Ask the students who lives in this area? … let's see where your water flows! o The Upper Madawaska Watershed  Show the students where they are trying to is nestled within the Ottawa River get their water drop (marble) to end up … Watershed (a secondary Lake Ontario watershed, larger)  Place a marble somewhere near Kennisis o The Muskoka, Black River-Lake Lake, Eagle Lake or Wilberforce (in Simcoe Watersheds are nestled Haliburton County but in the Lake Ontario within the Georgian Bay Watershed) Watersheds(a secondary  Let the students work the water drop down watershed, larger) to Lake Ontario o The Gull, Kawartha, Scugog &  Make note that although the water drop Otonabee Watersheds are nestled started in Haliburton County, where did it within the Lake Ontario travel through? … Possibly through Watersheds. (a secondary Kawartha Lakes as well as some other watershed, larger) areas of Southern-Eastern Ontario like the And watersheds keep nestling until all watersheds Oak Ridges Moraine. within Canada are found within 5 main watersheds which flow to one of the oceans: (Use Make a note that … local streams empty into Watersheds of Canada map): larger streams, rivers or lakes, which may empty  Arctic Ocean into a larger river, which eventually will empty into o ~ 30% of Canada' water drains to the Great Lakes which will ultimately empty into the Hudson Bay Watershed which an Ocean. is ultimately considered a part of  Our water from Haliburton County, District the Arctic Ocean Watershed of Muskoka and Kawartha Lakes will  Atlantic Ocean eventually drain into the Atlantic Ocean  Gulf of Mexico  We are all connected by water and what  Hudson Bay we do in our area can affect many different  Pacific Ocean people, animals and plants all the way We, in Haliburton County, Muskoka and Kawratha downstream! Lakes, are part of the Atlantic Ocean Watershed.

 This means that all the water from Additional Background Information: Haliburton County, District of Muskoka and Kawartha Lakes will eventually flow into A watershed includes all the land (hills, farms, the Atlantic Ocean! forests, towns, cities, etc.) around watercourses. This includes around your homes and schools! Some Definitions: Think of the watershed like a bath tub; the topography, although the map we used for this Watershed activity is flat, in "real life" it has different heights (the watershed boundary is higher) which allows A watershed describes an area of land that all the water to drain to one point. contains a common set of streams and rivers that all drain into a single larger body of water, such as There are different sizes of watersheds that nestle a larger river, a lake or an ocean. A Watershed into one another (use Tertiary Watershed Map can also be referred to as a catchment basin. and Water Runs Downhill "pin ball" board to help explain)

Haliburton-Muskoka-Kawartha Children’s Water Festival Page 3 of 4

Watercourse A watercourse is a moving body of water such as a stream, river, brook, or creek.

Closed Watershed In some parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan there are closed watersheds which do not drain into any ocean but instead drains into the ground.  These are considered internal drainages

Clean Up Procedures: At the end of the day, gather marbles and place in small container. Carefully place all materials together and in appropriate folders. Put smaller laminated pages back in program folder and take back to volunteer sign in/out area. Leave the site as you found it for the next day’s volunteers.

Haliburton-Muskoka-Kawartha Children’s Water Festival Page 4 of 4