Grade 2 Environmental Activities Environment And Its Resources – Storing Water Notes
Environmental Activities
Topic: Environment And Its Resources
Subtopic: Storing Water
Target age: 7 years (Kenya)
Specific Learning Outcomes
- Identify at least 3 safe ways to store water (e.g. jerrycan, tank, covered drum).
- Explain why we store water in Kenya (for dry days, farms, school and home use).
- Show how to keep water clean: use clean containers, cover them, and pour not scoop.
- Demonstrate one simple rainwater collector or model using a bottle.
Suggested Learning Experiences (Activities)
1. Class talk and picture show (10–15 min)
Show photos or drawings of a jerrycan, drum with lid, rooftop tank and a school rain barrel. Ask children:
Which ones look safe to store water? Why? Let them say uses of stored water: cooking, washing, watering plants.
2. Make a simple rain collector (hands-on, 20–30 min)
Use an empty plastic bottle, cut the top, invert it to make a funnel and put it into the bottom part. Put clean cloth/net at the top to stop leaves. Collect a little rain to show how water enters the bottle. Teacher helps with cutting.
3. Clean or dirty test (demonstration, 10–15 min)
Fill two clear cups: one covered, one open. Add a pinch of soil to the open cup and leave the other covered. Ask: Which one is safe to drink? Use this to teach covering containers and keeping clean.
4. Role-play and song (10 min)
Children act: fetch water, pour into a jerrycan, close lid, and put the jerrycan on a stand. Teach a short chant: "Cover it tight, keep it bright — clean water day and night!".
5. Home follow-up (take-home)
Ask pupils to check one water container at home and draw it on a small sheet: is it covered? Is it high from the ground? Bring the drawing to class and share one thing to fix.
6. Small garden watering (practical)
Use stored water from a covered container to water school seedlings. Show gentle pouring with a cup or watering can to avoid spilling and wasting water.
Simple Safety Rules (for children)
- Use clean containers only. Wash them with soap before use.
- Always cover the container with a lid or cloth.
- Keep drinking water separate from water for washing or animals.
- Keep containers off the ground (on a stand) to stop dirt and animals.
- Do not leave water in the sun for a long time — it gets warm and can grow germs.
- If water looks dirty, tell an adult; drinking adults should boil or treat it.
Assessment and follow-up
- Ask each pupil to name two safe storage containers and one way to keep water clean.
- Look at their rain collector models or drawings. Give a sticker for effort.
- At home follow-up: ask parents to sign that their child checked a water container at home.
- Look at their rain collector models or drawings. Give a sticker for effort.
- At home follow-up: ask parents to sign that their child checked a water container at home.
💧
Quick tips: Label drinking water container. Use a ladle or spigot — don’t dip cups. Save rainwater in the rainy season for dry months.
Note for teachers: Adapt materials for safety. Use clean scissors and adult help for cutting bottles. Relate examples to local Kenyan school and home settings (roof gutters, jerrycans, community tanks).