How often are children told to wash their hands or drink lots of water? Probably pretty often. Many have easy access to swimming pools, fountains, fresh water lakes, some even have the ocean right in their backyard. Unfortunately it’s a sad reality that accessible clean water is a luxury to many parts of the world.
So how do we teach young people to appreciate such a valuable resource when their accessibility to water is literally at the turn of a tap?
You let them discover the journey.
In FIRST® LEGO® League Jr., students learn about a very special outdoor play apparatus in South Africa called a PlayPump. In the communities where these were built, children are able to play on this practical merry-go-round that pumps water out of the ground and into a holding tank. From there, a tap can be opened so the community can access this clean water supply when needed. Students find out the benefits of this invention, and also the challenges that it faces. Furthermore, they learn that this isn’t a one step process.
In conjunction with their Inspire Model (a LEGO Water Pump), students build the different stages that water travels in order to get to where it can be used.
Next on their Aqua Adventure, students will choose a water use that they’ll focus their team model around!
Are you interested in becoming a coach or mentor? It’s not too late start a FIRST LEGO League Jr. team. Email us at mentors(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)frcwest.com today!