Mt. Lemmon Fires in Kids' Living Rooms — without Flames!

Tucson second graders are learning how forest fires, flooding, and erosion are all part of an interconnected system through Arizona Project WET’s virtual Forests, Fires, and Floods presentation. In second grade, Arizona State Science standards focus on how wind and water can change the shape of the land and the positive and negative changes to water and land that are caused by humans. Last summer's Bighorn Fires provided a unique opportunity to instruct how big landscape changes in one part of the watershed can impact the rest of the community. This February and March, all second graders in Flowing Wells Unified School District are getting the chance to experiment with simple models (pans of soil) to explore how water moves soil without plants holding it together. Students will use their models to design simple solutions, such as stormwater basins that slow water down and enable it to soak into the soil to be used by plants.

 

APW