Activity Books Understanding Water Activity Book | Page 2

U N D E R S T A N D I N G 
WATER
ACTIVITY BOOK
This activity book is one of the agricultural literacy projects produced by the
Colorado Foundation for Agriculture.
Individual copies or classroom sets are available.
Materials may be reproduced for educational use.
Produced by
Colorado Foundation for Agriculture
P.O. Box 10
Livermore, CO 80536
© 2018 Colorado Foundation for Agriculture
1st printing 1998
2nd revision 2009
3rd revision 2013
4th revision 2018
Note to educators: This book includes a variety of ready-to-use activities that integrate learning about water and academic subject
areas. The activities are ideal for use in classrooms. Children can work through many activities in the book on their own, although some
science experiments will require the assistance of an adult. We have tried to indicate when such help is essential to performing a task.
Why does an agriculture group want to teach about water? Importance of Agriculture
Water is a finite natural resource. Demands on available water
continually increase. It is essential that today’s young people,
who will be tomorrow’s leaders, understand as much as possible
about this vital resource. This activity book is intended to stimulate
interest and awareness. Agriculture, with its related occupations, is the nation’s and the
world’s largest industry. It generates billions of dollars each year
and one out of every five American jobs depends on agriculture
in some way. Agriculture has a huge effect on the American
economy and on the prices we pay for food, clothing and shelter.
Agriculture positively influences the U.S. balance of trade and
directly affects the number, as well as kinds, of jobs throughout
the world.
In the past, people were aware of the role agriculture played in
their lives. It meant survival. Nearly everyone – men, women
and children – worked the land. On average, today’s youth are
five generations removed from the land. No longer is there a
grandfather or aunt on the farm. No longer do young people
have first-hand contact with farms and farming. You may want
to survey your class. How many of your students have a parent,
grandparent, aunt or uncle who is living and working on a farm or
ranch? Through projects like this activity book, students can begin
to
understand the effect agriculture has on our society and way of
life. Water is a natural resource that requires our care and
conservation for a bountiful future. Water is essential for growing
our food. Seeds and soil will not feed the nation; seeds, soil and
water can.
An estimated 20 percent of our population is employed in
agriculturally related occupations. However, only about two
percent of U.S. citizens work in production agriculture. Production
agriculture is the growing and harvesting of food. This small group
meets the food and fiber needs of the entire nation as well as
many people in other communities. Agriculture faces huge
challenges to meet the needs of a growing world population.
Tomorrow’s citizens must be agriculturally literate in order to
make responsible, moral decisions about the giant global lifeline.
Building that literacy and awareness is the goal of the Colorado
Foundation for Agriculture through its agricultural education
projects and Agriculture in the Classroom programs.