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An Elementary Catechetical Program

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Leaky Faucet Calculations Activity: Grades 4-8

Materials:

• A faucet (ideally small groups would investigate a variety of different faucets)• A watch or clock • Paper and pens • Measuring cups • Several empty half-gallon containers • 2 large buckets or containers to collect water

Process: 1. Tell the children they are going to investigate how much water a leaky

faucet wastes in one day. This can be done as a whole group experiment or in small groups.

2. Divide into groups and ask them how they are going to carry out the investigation. Show the class the half-gallon container. Ask each group to guess/estimate how many half gallons of water they think a leaky faucet would waste in one day.

3. Turn on a faucet just enough to make it drip. (If there is a faucet inside your school/parish/ home that really leaks, use that one.) Make note of the time you turn on the faucet.

4. Place the bucket or container under the dripping faucet, and leave it there for one hour. After one hour, turn off the faucet (or move the bucket away from the faucet that leaks).

5. Find out how much water was collected by carefully pouring the water from the bucket into the half-gallon container, or if the bucket is too heavy, dip a container or cup into the bucket to measure out the water and pour it into a half-gallon container.

6. Write down the amount of water you measured. Keep pouring and measuring until the bucket is empty.

7. Calculate the total amount of water collected from the dripping faucet.

8. You can use the water collected to water the plants around your school or church!

Discussion/Calculations: using the total calculated from one faucet leaking for an hour, how much water might be wasted in one day? In a week? A month? A year?

Take Action!Check all of the faucets at school/parish/home to see if any of them leak, and be proactive about asking them to be repaired!