LEARNING ACTIVITY
Catchment management: the drain is just for rain
Climate Region: Arid | Temperate | Tropical
State or Territory: ACT | All States/Territories | NSW | NT | QLD | SA | TAS | VIC | WA
Age Range: 13-18

STORY

One Sunday morning, Mick decided that he would bring his treasure box full of unlikely items that he had removed from our waterways over the years. It would be good for Amir and his friends, and the rest of the volunteer group to see the items that end up in stormwater drains that eventually flow into our oceans.

Amir could not believe what Mick was showing them – there were rubber thongs, reusable shopping bags, items of clothing including socks and a t-shirt, lots and lots of chip wrappers and plastic bottles. No doubt every single person who dropped an item into the drain would have thought that their rubbish would not have an impact on the environment.

ACTIVITY OVERVIEW

Stormwater originated as rain and flows into creeks, rivers and other water bodies. Any rubbish or chemical pollution collected during this journey can end up polluting the waterways. This activity looks the impacts of stormwater and rubbish in our waterways.

This learning activity is the fourth part of a sequence of 5 individual learning activities focused on catchment management. The order of these learning activities are: the story of a river, water sustainability, what’s in a drop?, the drain is just for rain and where the river meets the sea.

Outcomes

For children to:

  • understand the journey of water into the drains
  • learn how different pollutants can enter the waterways
  • discover the impacts of stormwater and rubbish in our waterways
  • appreciate that what happens on land can impact our rivers and oceans.
SEASONAL NOTES

This activity can be undertaken at any time of year.

Did you know?

Stormwater generally originates as rain, and flows into creeks, rivers and other water bodies.

Did you know?

Across Sydney, about 500 billion litres of stormwater flows to the ocean each year (stat from Sydney Water).

Did you know?

Your local drain connects to network of pipes, eventually ending up in local waterways.

Did you know?

Around the world, more 1.15 million tonnes of plastic enter our rivers and eventually the oceans.

We value your feedback

When you have finished this learning activity, please tell us what you think with our survey.
Your feedback will help Landcare Australia improve the activities in the Junior Landcare Learning Centre.

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