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Human Impacts on the EnvironmentActivity for Kids

Calculating Water Use DIY

Duration: 15-30 min
Difficulty: Medium
Cost: $0 to $20

Learn how to calculate the amount of water you use in an entire year!

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Material List

1Large measuring container
1Stopwatch
1Calculator
1Shower or sink

Instructions

1Start by collecting water from your shower (or sink) into the container for exactly 6 seconds.
2Take that measurement and multiply it by 10 to calculate how much water you used each minute the shower was on.
3Then use the stopwatch to calculate how long your shower takes. You can also just estimate this number.
4Take the number of minutes and multiply it by the amount of water your shower puts out each minute (from step 2). That tells you how much water you use each time you shower.
5To find out how much water you use for showering in a year, multiply the number from step 4 by the number of days in a year (365.25).

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How It Works

Water is an important natural resource. While most of the Earth is covered in water, less than 1% of it is fresh water found in lakes and rivers. In this DIY we calculated how much water we use yearly by measuring how much water comes out of a showerhead per minute. To make sure there is enough of this natural resource for everyone, it is best to take shorter showers and turn off the water when brushing your teeth. Conserving water is just one way to reduce our impact on the environment.