Youth Take Field Trips to Learn Clean Water Importance

Youth participating in the Trees NC Summer Youth Program from the Boys and Girls Club spent a week learning about the importance of clean water, the affect of clean water on nature and how litter impacts all of the above. We did this through several different hands-on activities and field trips.

Youth took a trip to hear Trees NC friend Bob Langston of the NC Zoo present a program at the public library about clean water and litter. Youth got to be hands-on in a fun demonstration that demonstrated how water is affected by litter and how that changes everything in nature. 

Back at the Club, youth had fun with a simple experiment using white carnations with cups of water colored with food coloring. On observation for several days, the kids were able to see that the color (or "quality") of the water the flowers were in directly determined what they looked like since the water was essentially the flowers means of survival. The kids learned a lot, had fun, and ended up with some pretty colorful flowers. 

As the grand finale to our clean water study, club members took a little road trip to again meet our friend Bob Langston over at the Deep River Nature Trail in Randleman. Once there, everyone garbed themselves with gloves and bags and headed off to clean up around the nature trails and the picnic shelters, witnessing the evidence of how many smokers are careless with their butts. From articles of clothing to glass to disposed fishing lines and lures, the youth made a small difference in this area of their world before getting to head to the water for some fun and science. Using nets the youth were able to wade in the shallow point of the river and discover river clams, crawdads and other critters, not to mention just having fun splashing around.

Youth participate hands-on with Langston's clean water vs. litter demonstration.

Youth learned from observation that the quality of the water greatly impacts the plants (or flowers in this case) that grow within.

Fearless leader Bob Langston guides a group of youth off on a litter clean-up on the nature trails in the park.

River fun and exploration is a great reward for picking up litter around the trails.