Speaking of Run-Off – Throwback Thursday

“Kind words do not cost much. Yet they accomplish much.” – Blaise Pascal

Right now, in science I am teaching my students about the water cycle. It’s a big part of fifth grade science because it leads right up to the weather unit. I try to make science as hands on as possibles, even for some of the more global phenomena. Yesterday, I had my students ball up a piece of paper, flatten it out, and then color the wrinkles on it. The paper represents a landform, with the higher wrinkles representing mountains and hills. Their goal was to color the ridgelines on it. They laid their paper flat on their desk, and I sprayed water on it. The water I sprayed represented rain, and the water that flowed down the paper represented run-off. They saw how the water flowed down, and would eventually make it to the rivers and lakes.

Back in Winter of 2021, the family and I spent the last part of the year at a cabin in Gatlinburg, Tennesse. We spent our days hanging out, shopping, checking out the sites, and even watched a movie. It was one of our first big trips since the pandemic had started. There was one day where it rained just about the entire time. While that kept us indoors, it did allow for some great picture taking. The run-off from the rain was flowing down the mountain through some of the smaller streams. I found this stream on the side of the road on the way to town. I found a spot to pull over at, and I started taking as many photos as I could.