Introducing the “What’s So Special About Water” activity series. Included in this series are four activity plans that can be used as stand-alone activities or as part of a series. The activity plans and tools are:

• Absorption—This lesson is about the cohesive and adhesive properties of water and why water molecules are attracted to each other.
• Surface Tension—Through the “Amazing Water Race” and other activities, youth learn about the strong force that holds the surface of liquids together.
• It’s Ice, Water, Steam—This lesson is about water and its different forms. Water is one of the few substances on earth that can be easily found in all three states — solid, liquid, and gas.
• Solubility & Density—Youth have fun discovering and using their critical thinking to determine why water can dissolve some things but not others.
• The Science with Kids, Science by Kids tip sheet, which encourages the helper to coach learners to explore science with hands-on activities rather than just explaining what is happening with the water.
• Evaluation—Instrument to evaluate the “What’s So Special About Water” activity series. Included in this evaluation is a board game, observation worksheet, and summary of evaluation data.

Designed for youth in grades 2-5, each activity takes about 15 minutes to complete.