Water Everywhere (Brownie Try-it)

''This Try-it was introduced in 1989. In 2011, it was retired, and most of the water-related activities have been subsumed into the Wonders of Water Brownie Journey released in 2012.''

Find out about water without getting wet!

As with all older Brownie Try-its, scouts need to complete 4 activities to earn the badge.

Made of Water
Water is part of more things than you may think. It's even part of you! Your body has more water in it than anything else. And the earth is made up of over 70% of water!

Water mixes with other things so that it often doesn’t look like water – milk and orange juice are two examples. Try to find food containers that list water as an ingredient. Make a list. Work with friends.

Drip Drop
A faucet leak that can fill up a cup in 10 minutes means that more the 3,000 gallons of water will be wasted in a year. That's about 50,000 glasses of water!

Find a faucet that leaks around your house, school, or camp. Put a measuring cup under it and time how long it takes to fill up. Add up how many cups of water are wasted in a day at this site. Try to get someone to fix the faucet.

Be a Water Saver
Make it a habit to conserve water. Practice two of the following for two weeks: Don't run the water when you are brushing your teeth. Start with 1/2 cup of water (you can add more if you need to). Take a shower, no more than five minutes. Don't let the water run when washing the dishes. Instead, close the drain and fill the sink with water. Only fill up the tub halfway when taking a bath.

Think of more ways to save water. Practice that for two weeks, too.

Water Snooper
To build a water snooper, you will need: A large can Clear plastic wrap Rubber bands</li></ul>

<ol>Have someone help you remove both ends of the large can.</li> Take the plastic wrap and put it on one end of the can.</li> Hold it in place with the rubber bands.</li></ol>

Use the water snooper to look into a pond or other body of water. Make sure it doesn't just rest on the surface, but that it goes under the water.

Now, make a water-drop magnifying lens. Take a piece of clear plastic wrap and put two or three drops of water in the middle of it. Hold the plastic over the letters a book. Are they larger? Hold the plastic over other objects. How do they look?

Water Explorer
Visit a pond, lake, small stream, or tidal pool at the seashore with your troop or group. Look for creatures and plants that live in the water.

You will need: A strainer</li> A white plastic bowl with water in it.</li></ul>

Dip the strainer in the pond or other body of water. You should not go into the water. Empty what you fine into the white plastic bowl that has water in it. If you find living things, how do they move? What do the plants in the water look like?

Look under rocks in the water. Do creatures hide under them or cling to them?

Remember to leave the area as you found it.

Water Layers
You can see that salt water is different from fresh water in more ways than taste. You will need: 2 glasses</li> Warm water</li> Container of salt</li> Food coloring</li> Spoon</li> Measuring Cup</li></ul>

<ol>Put 1 cup of water in a glass. Slowly add salt. Keep stirring. Stop when the salt won't dissolve and stays at the bottom.</li> Add some food coloring to the salty water.</li> Hold the spoon to the top of the water and very slowly pour 1 cup of fresh water onto the spoon. The fresh water will stay on top, because it is not as heavy as the salt water.</li></ol>

Now do this experiment in reverse. Add salt water to the fresh water. What happens? Next, try adding cold salty water to warm fresh water. What happens?

Additional Resources
See also the WOW Wonders of Water (Brownie Journey).