Water, Water Everywhere...

Water Babies by Jessie Willcox Smith, 1916

"When the well is dry, we know the worth of water.”  

                            ~ Benjamin Franklin

Today is World Water Day and here in the United States most of us enjoy it with simple a turn of the faucet. However, sadly that not the case is many parts of the world. Here are just a few facts:

• Worldwide, 790 million people do not have access to an improved water source.
• An estimated 2.5 billion people lack access to improved sanitation (more than 35% of the world’s population).
• In 2006, 7 out of 10 people without access to improved sanitation were rural inhabitants.
• Today, women around the world will spend a collective 200 million hours collecting water. 

Perhaps the next time turn on the tap you might remember those who are not so lucky and find a few ways to conserve this priceless gift in your own home.

The above information was gathered from https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/global/wash_statistics.html and https://water.org/

STORIES

The Boat That Went on Land and on Water – French

http://www.mordent.com/folktales/french/boat/

Crocodile’s Treason – South Africa
https://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/saft/sft18.htm 

The Dance for Water or Rabbit’s Triumph – South Africa  
https://www.sacred-texts.com/afr/saft/sft20.htm

The Dancing Water, the Singing Apple, and the Speaking Bird – Italy |https://fairytalez.com/dancing-water-singing-apple-speaking-bird/

The Drop of Water -Danish
http://hca.gilead.org.il/drop_wat.html  

The Fish and the Leopard’s Wife – Nigeria  
http://www.fairytalenight.com/2019/01/13/the-fish-and-the-leopards-wife-or-why-the-fish-lives-in-the-water-folk-stories-from-southern-nigeria-west-africa-1910-by-elphinstone-dayrell/

The Hare and the Water – Africa
https://www.peacecorps.gov/educators/resources/hare-and-water/?_ga=2.87504216.1932906224.1613432072-164032501.1613432072 NEW

How Water Lilies Came to Be – Wales

This site will lead you to the story and also an educational packet with lessons plan connected to this story. You will find the story within the lesson plan.

http://eps.schoolspecialty.com/external/read_write_think/folktales.pdf

The New Water – Sufi

http://www.rodneyohebsion.com/sufi-folktales.htm

Tortoise Finds Water - South Africa 
https://tambani.co.za/venda-folktales/folktales-in-english/tortoise-finds-water-2/

The Water of Life – Italy  
https://fairytalez.com/water-life-catalan-fairy-tale/

The Water Fairies – Native American/Mic Mac Nation
http://www.firstpeople.us/FP-Html-Legends/TheWaterFairies-Micmac.html

The Water of Life - German

http://www.authorama.com/grimms-fairy-tales-51.html

The Water Spirit – German 
https://www.worldoftales.com/European_folktales/German_folktale_5.html#gsc.tab=0

Water Spirit Legends

http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/water.html

Why the Fish has Scales
http://folktales.webmanila.com/folktales/water/?fish-scales 

Why the Hippo Lives in the Water – Nigeria   

https://folkli.com/why-the-hippo-lives-in-the-water-a-efik-folktale

Why the Sea is Salty – Philippines 

http://folktales.webmanila.com/folktales/water/?saltysea

Why the Sun and Move Live Up in the Sky – Africa

http://worldoftales.com/African_folktales/African_Folktale_10.html

Water Mythology – Background on a number of mythological creatures associated with water.
http://www.lenntech.com/water-mythology.htm

STORY COLLECTION

SEED (Schlumberger Excellence in Educational Development) – An Ocean of Stories
https://web.archive.org/web/20111129022623/http://www.planetseed.com/node/22911  (Note this link is from the Wayback machine as the original link is no longer active. You may still access the stories via the link) from Algeria to Yemen, adapted and retold by renowned storyteller Laura Simms. There are also seven activities to complement the stories, but registration is required.

ACTIVITIES

4 Easy Ways to Celebrate World Water Day with Kids of All Ages|
https://www.heifer.org/blog/cheers-to-clean-water-easy-ways-to-celebrate-world-water-day-with-kids.html

6 Easy Ways to Teach your Kids About World Water Day
https://worldhelp.net/6-easy-ways-to-teach-your-kids-about-world-water-day/

BOOKS

10 Children’s Books That Celebrate World Water Day
https://blog.leeandlow.com/2017/03/21/10-childrens-books-that-celebrate-world-water-day/

CURRICULUM

6 Fun Classroom Ideas To Celebrate World Water Day
https://www.trueeducationpartnerships.com/schools/classroom-ideas-to-celebrate-world-water-day/

From Learning to Give 

• Measure It Up!
  http://learningtogive.org/lessons/unit370/lesson3.html
• Save That Water!
  http://learningtogive.org/lessons/unit370/lesson4.html
• Water, Glorious Water
  http://learningtogive.org/lessons/unit370/lesson1.html
• Where Does Our Water Come From?
  http://learningtogive.org/lessons/unit370/lesson2.html

Earth’s Water: A Drop In Your Cup – Grade 3 – 5
https://www.calacademy.org/educators/lesson-plans/earths-water-a-drop-in-your-cup

Geology.com – Lots of lesson plans and activities.
http://geology.com/teacher/water.shtml

Water: A Never Ending Story 
http://www-k12.atmos.washington.edu/k12/pilot/water_cycle/teacherpage.html

Water Cycle Poster
http://trcabcwww.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/Water-Cycle_color.pdf

Water Mythology – Background on several mythological creatures associated with water.
http://www.lenntech.com/water-mythology.htm

MUSIC

Sit back, relax, and listen to the enchanting music of Patrick Ball: Song of the Water Kelpie.





SOMETHING EXTRA

100 Ways to Conserve Water

http://www.wateruseitwisely.com/100-ways-to-conserve/index.php

10 Health Benefits of Waterhttp://www.top10homeremedies.com/kitchen-ingredients/10-health-benefits-of-drinking-water.html

Water Mythology
https://www.lenntech.com/water-mythology.htm

Please note, websites change at a rapid pace and weblinks may change or break without notice. I cannot be responsible for redirected or broken links.  At the time of this posting all links were in working order. Thank you for understanding.

 

Karen Chace 2012 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission, please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity. 

Karen Chace 2012 ©

This blog post was researched and compiled by Karen Chace. Permission for private use is granted. Distribution, either electronically or on paper is prohibited without my expressed written permission. For permission please contact me at storybug@aol.com. Of course, if you wish to link to my blog via your website, blog, newsletter, Facebook page or Twitter please feel free to do so; I greatly appreciate your support and personal integrity.