Mar 13 , 2014

The Human Need for Water - For Kids!

Water is incredibly important to human beings – and not just to drink! We use water for a lot of things. We use it to help grow our food, to wash our clothes, to put out fires, and for science experiments! Without water, life on earth just wouldn't be the same. If you think of water as only something you drink, this article will help show you just how often water is used. Water is called a "building block of life" for a reason!

Agriculture

• The food industry uses water to help wash fruit and vegetables before heading to a grocery store. Without water, the apples and lettuce you pick up grocery shopping would be dirty and more difficult to cook with. Keep in mind though that you still need to wash your fruits and vegetables before cooking with them! A lot of people have touched the vegetables and fruit so to be safe you should always clean it again before using or eating it.
• Water not only helps grow the food, but also to feed cows and other meat-giving animals. Animals need water just like us, and they also need food. It's a huge cycle and water is the most important key!

For Drinking

• Water helps your body do many of the jobs it has to do! Without it, your body couldn't work the way it does.
• Water is much healthier for you than sugary drinks, like soda. When reaching for a soda, think about drinking water instead. It's better for you and just as refreshing!

Food Processing

• The food industry is trying to save water as much as possible. The food industry uses a lot of water because everything uses it.
• Some people are afraid we may even run out of water for the food industry! That's why big companies are doing everything they can to reduce their water usage.

Washing

• Your parents probably use a washing machine to clean your dirty clothes.
• You might even help your parents wash the dishes with water. Or they might ask you to help unload the dishwasher, which is like a washing machine for dirty dishes.
• We also use water to wash our cars. Car washes are like long garages built just for this reason.

Transportation

• There is a long history to boats and their uses. Boats are used for everything from hanging out on the water and fishing to sending big boxes of toys and food around the world.
• Water transportation was a huge step forward in the evolution of getting from place to place! Without it, human beings wouldn't have traveled across the world, and most people would never know about countries on the other side of the world.

Recreation

• Beaches provide some of the best summer vacations! Beaches are where the ocean meets the land. Beaches are usually made out of sand, a type of really tiny rock. People love to make sand castles by the beach!
• Swimming pools also provide a great opportunity for fun and games. They bring all the fun of playing with water to your own backyard or a community center.

Fire Extinction

• Water puts out fire by cutting off oxygen, which fire needs in order to burn.
• Firefighters take big trucks with long hoses and hook them up to fire hydrants or water tanks so they can spray water all over the fire.

Water Industry

• The water industry creates bottled water. Some people don't like bottled water because of how much energy it takes to create it.
• The water industry also helps filter pollution out of our tap water. Without the water industry, the water that comes out of your sink wouldn't be safe to drink!

Industrial Applications

• Water is used across the country to help with industrial purposes! Water does everything from help machines work to absorbing pollution. Electricity can also be created by water using steam-powered generators.
• Water is used for so many things in industry that without water, many of the world's biggest companies wouldn't be able to keep producing products.

As A Scientific Standard, Chemical Uses, and Heat Exchange

• There are a lot of fun science experiments that you can do at home thanks to water!
• Grown-up scientists also use water in a lot of their experiments.
• Water is a scientific standard, which means that other chemicals and elements are measured using water as a ruler!
• Water is often used in chemical experiments. Water is a universal solvent, which means that more substances dissolve in it than any other liquid! This makes water incredibly useful for scientists.
• Heat Exchange is very complicated on a scientific level, but easy to explain! You can move heat from one body of water to another just by having them next to each other. This is used in a variety of ways to cool down machinery.