Science is not for all, but we all have to learn a little. Water is something that is essential of all living beings. With so many humans on the planet using it in such a way that it disturbs the natural balance of things, it’s important for all of us to know what water is, how it takes on different forms and how it travels through various ecosystems after we’ve used it, only to find its way back to us.
If that all sounds too much, you can download Journey of Water to see what I’m talking about. While the app is meant for young children, I found it to be very informative. I liked the background music and I also liked that it was available in four different languages. English is my native, but you can watch this app in Spanish, Simple Chinese and Traditional Chinese. If you are learning any of these languages, using this app could be yet another way to practice.
Back to the app, it’s all about water. What forms water can take: gas, liquid and solid. I think most of us as adults know examples of each, but younger children may not, and this app provides a fun way for them to find out. Humans mostly interact with water in it’s liquid form, but we also use it or see it as a solid (ice, snow) and as a gas (steam, fog).
The app takes children on the journey that water takes. It’s a cycle with no beginning or end. We use clean water, it becomes dirty, it travels through some processing and through nature to be cleansed. It finds its way to a reservoir of some sort – lakes, rivers, oceans, ponds – and then evaporates to become a gas that’s captured in the clouds. Then, when conditions are right, it finds its way back to liquid form to be used once again.
Prompts and narration guide children along on what they need to do to get to the next step and learn more. There are no prizes to win or coins to collect, just information that helps open minds and enlighten. Kids will come away with a better understanding of the water we use on a day to day basis. It will help to nurture a sense of value for that water and help in conservation efforts as well as efforts to prevent pollutants from hurting our water supply.
I would like to see more interactive exercises to keep kids more entertained. While the app is very informative, it can get slow at times.
There is no denying that climate change is real. As it changes, the movement and availability of water changes with it, making it so important for current and future generations to understand water better so we can use it more wisely.
