World of Water – a free seminar for San Mateo County youth and adults

The 4H20 National Science Experiment. All over the country, 4-H is hosting opportunities for youth to conduct a National Science Experiment. This year, the project helps participants understand the presence and effects of carbon dioxide in the earth's atmosphere and water.

Conducting the experiment: Kids add drops of blue ph-indicator solution to water in a clear cup. It turns aquamarine. They add carbon dioxide by blowing into the water with a straw. The water turns green. They drop effervescent tablets into water inside plastic zipper bags and observe how CO2 expands in the earth's atmosphere.

Rethink your drink. Participants will see how much sugar they are drinking in their sodas, energy drinks, sports drinks and juice.  The presenter will show a 1/4-pound bag of sugar, the average amount of sugar American's consume each day, much of it disguised as thirst-quenching refreshment.

4-H20 Water Conservation Pledge. Each youth and adult is asked to write down a personal water conservation pledge on a card shaped like a drop of water. Pledges will be simple steps anyone can take to reduce water use – sweeping the driveway instead of hosing it down, growing a water-efficient landscape or taking shorter showers. Each of the "water drops" are displayed on board, showing how all the small steps amount to significant water savings.

Diatomaceous earth model. A model watershed made of diatomaceous earth allows participants to see how water can be contaminated by pollution on the landscape. The DE is shaped with hills and valleys and dotted with model trees, homes, farms and roads. Candy sprinkles are added to represent contaminants, like animal waste and pesticides. When water is sprayed over the top, participants observe what happens when the water runs into rivers, creeks, lakes and the aquifer.

12:15 to 1 p.m. Lunch and an "educational" dessert:

Edible aquifer. Using ordinary foods, the participants build an aquifer in a cup that helps them understand aquifers and groundwater pollution. The participants layer chocolate chips in a clear cup to represent underground bedrock. A clear soda fills in the gaps, showing the reservoir of water below the earth's surface. Cookie crumbs, representing top soil, are sprinkled on top. Colored syrup, representing pollution, is added on top to contaminate the "aquifer" when the participant sips the concoction with a straw, representing a well.

1 p.m. Discussion groups

The participants join facilitated discussion to talk about the activities and how they can share what they learned with others.

The 4-H National Science Experiment in California is sponsored by Toyota, Time Warner Cable, California Landscape Contractors Association, and The California 4-H Foundation.

More information:

San Mateo contact: Mary Meyer, (650) 726-9059 x 106, cell (406) 207-0700, mgmeyer@ucdavis.edu