MATERIALS
This activity is designed to test the
1 foam dice
students’ knowledge of water trivia in a
1 dice catcher (bin)
fun, interactive environment. Students will
Large game board (interlocking foam
play a game, similar to snakes and
mats)
ladders. Depending on whether the

Full size mats for board
answer is right or wrong they will flow up

Half-size mats (drains) to connect
the pipe up or go down the drain.
Make sure you have all items
before the students arrive!
York Children’s Water Festival: Activity Book
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: TAPS AND DRAINS
ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION:
BEGIN THE ACTIVITY
You will be reading trivia questions when needed and assisting children with the rules of the
game. There should also be a second person there for crowd control & to make sure no one
is hit with the dice! The dice must be rolled into the dice catcher (bin).
You will layout the game board similar to Snakes and Ladders. Start by ‘snaking’ the full
size squares in an ‘S’ pattern. This represents the pipes flowing to the taps. Then ‘crossconnect’ some of the full size squares with the blue pieces (‘drains’). An example of the
layout can be found on the following page.
One at a time children roll the die and move along the board according to the number
rolled. When a child lands on square with a pipe attached ask them a question from the
following page.

If the pipe advances them on the board they must get the question correct to ‘flow
up the pipe’, if they get it wrong then stay where they are.

If the pipe moves them backwards on the board they must get the question correct
to remain at that space. If they get it wrong, they ‘flow down the drain’.
If the game is going slowly or you are running out of time, have the students move double
the number rolled on the die
York Children’s Water Festival: Activity Book
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: TAPS AND DRAINS
THIS IS NOT A SCRIPT - IT IS A GUIDELINE
How much of the Earth’s water is salt water?
(97.1 per cent)
Seventy per cent of our body is made up of….what? (Water)
Name one two types of precipitation (rain, hail, snow)
Name two types of water pollutants (landfill, fertilizer run off, toxic spills, leaky
storage containers…)
What did the Titanic hit before it sank? (Iceberg)
What are the three forms that water occurs in? (Liquid, solid, gas)
What were the first water pipes in the U.S. made out of? (Logs)
How long can a person live without water? (Approximately one week)
What is water in the form of a gas called? (Vapour)
Does a water current flow faster in deep or shallow water? (Deep)
Name three of the five oceans of the world. (Atlantic, Pacific, Indian, Arctic, Antarctic)
What is the large-leafed plant that grows or floats in ponds? (Water lily)
What is the name for an area where boats dock along rivers or lakes? (Marina)
True or False: Water is a good conductor of heat? (False)
How many lifejackets are you required to carry on your boat? (As many people as on
board)
Do we have more, less, or the same amount of water on earth than 2000 years ago? (The
same)
At what point does water freeze? (0 degrees Celsius)
With what does a fish breathe? (Gills)
What critter lives in the water until its adult stage? (Frog)
Which is lighter, ice or water? (Ice)
Which is deeper, the Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean? (Pacific)
Does water move faster through sand or clay? (Sand)
York Children’s Water Festival: Activity Book
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: TAPS AND DRAINS
Questions for Taps & Drains
What is the second leading cause of accidental death in North America? (Drowning)
True or False: Contaminated water always tastes or smells bad? (False)
Which is the largest Ocean? (Pacific)
Are the oceans connected? (Yes)
Name two of the five Great Lakes. (Erie, Huron, Superior, Michigan, Ontario)
Who has the responsibility to protect groundwater? (All of us)
Name two water sports. (Skiing, swimming, diving, boating, fishing, skating, etc.)
What’s the name of a hole used to extract groundwater? (Well)
Give two daily uses of water in the home. (Cooking, bathing, cleaning, etc)
Name two kinds of freshwater fish. (Bass, perch, sunfish, walleye, crappie, bluegill,
etc)
What’s the smallest of the Great Lakes? (Lake Ontario)
Which holds more water, warm air or cool? (Warm)
Name the song that ends with “life is but a dream.” (Row, row, row your boat)
Which is heavier, salt or fresh water? (Salt)
Which fruit has water as part of its name? (Watermelon)
What is the correct spelling of the word AQUIFER?
At what temperature does water boil? (100 degrees Celsius)
Fabled women who live in the ocean are known as? (Mermaids)
When a river overflows its banks, the natural disaster is called what? (Flood)
A land mass of ice that moves, is known as what? (Glacier)
About how much water does it take to have a five minute shower? (100 litres)
How much water is used to flush a toilet? (Six to 15 litres)
What is the longest river in North and South America? (Amazon)
What is another name for the hydrologic cycle? (Water cycle)
York Children’s Water Festival: Activity Book
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: TAPS AND DRAINS
What is the largest lake in North America? (Lake Superior)
(True)
What do all living things need to live? (Water)
What happens when water evaporates? (Becomes part of a cloud)
Instead of using a hose, what should you use to wash cars and bikes with? (A bucket)
Name two things that live in the water. (Lily, beaver, fish, turtle, etc)
True or False: Moving water can be used to produce electricity. (True)
True or False: You should never put paint or other toxic substances down the drain. (True)
What will happen to animals that drink polluted water? (They will get sick)
True or False: Plastic trash is less harmful to marine organisms than oil spills, toxic waste
and heavy metals. (False)
What river connects the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean? (A) The St. Lawrence River
(B)The Detroit River (C) The Holland River (The St. Lawrence)
True or False: The Great Lakes were formed by glaciers. (True)
Who is responsible for the quality of the water? (Everyone)
WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED?
Not to take water for granted and not to waste water! It can be used for more
important things!
Updated April 26, 2016
York Children’s Water Festival: Activity Book
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: TAPS AND DRAINS
True or False: Dumping garbage near or into open water can cause health problems?
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: TAPS AND DRAINS
York Children’s Water Festival: Activity Book