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Grant brings Aqua Times curriculum back to lifeOklahoma Thanks to the generosity of a Tulsa-based company, Oklahoma 4-Hers have the opportunity to learn about water quality, conservation and pollution. The Williams Companies Foundation provided the Oklahoma 4-H Foundation with a nearly $10,000 grant to support the Oklahoma Aqua Times program, said Jim Rutledge, Oklahoma 4-H Foundation director. "Aqua Times focuses on water quality and the grant allowed us to put together 25 classroom kits, purchase four groundwater flow models, provide training for educators and update the curriculum," Rutledge said. "The mission of the 4-H Foundation is the delivery of quality educational programs at the community level. The Aqua Times program is just one of our efforts and, with this funding, we can enhance the delivery of an important program." The kits currently are in 20 counties, along with one kit in each district office and one kit at the state office. The kits contain all materials needed to conduct the lessons in the curriculum. Counties that do not currently have a kit can check one out of the district offices. The philosophy of Aqua Times is that it is easier to teach good habits than to change bad behavior. Aqua Times looks at the complexities of preserving one of nature's most precious resources: water. It is an interdisciplinary program that involves math, science, language arts, creative arts, creative thinking and social studies. To help reinforce the fact that water is present in nature in various forms, one of the Aqua Times lessons has students planting a terrarium. This provides students with the opportunity to observe infiltration, transpiration and condensation. Another lesson has students learning how sand, silt and clay influence water movement. Learning all the various uses of water is the subject of yet another lesson. Jeff Sallee, 4-H science and technology specialist, said now is a great time to bring back the Aqua Times program. "This is a really timely topic, especially as states in the southeastern part of the country are running out of water," Sallee said. "We're using water faster than the aquifers can restore it and Aqua Times teaches ways to conserve water." Water works for people in a variety of ways, some of which are more obvious than others. Some is used for growing crops and raising livestock. Water also is used for drinking, washing dishes and clothes and bathing. Some not-so-obvious uses include manufacturing of automobiles and textiles, shipping grain down our country's waterways and building homes. Sallee pointed out that it takes about 1,800 gallons of water to produce the cotton in a pair of jeans. A bushel of corn requires about 4,000 gallons, a bushel of wheat requires 11,000 gallons of water and 16.5 gallons of water are required to manufacture a 12-ounce can of soft drink. "It may make some youth stop and think, if they realize that it takes 4,000 gallons of water to produce a pound of beef--so the quarter pound hamburger they had for lunch needed 1,000 gallons of water to be produced," he said. Rutledge said Ken McQueen, a past state 4-H president who is now an exploration and production manager for the Williams Company, had expressed interest in helping provide quality programming at the county level. The 4-H Aqua Times program was a good match for the interests of both the Williams Companies Foundation and the Oklahoma 4-H Program. A number of new lessons have been added to the curriculum, which is designed for fourth, fifth and sixth graders. The new kits and groundwater flow models may be used in classroom, club or camp settings. "We're very grateful to the Williams Companies Foundation for supporting this project and we're looking forward to seeing the difference it can make in Oklahoma," Rutledge said. 12/31/07 Date: 12/27/07
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