KIDS HOPE AUS. THEMED MENTOR HOUR RIVERS Background: Interesting River Facts The longest river in the world is the Nile River, it reaches around 6650 kilometers in length (4132 miles). More Nile River facts. The second longest river in the world is the Amazon River, it reaches around 6400 kilometres in length (4000 miles). More Amazon River facts. The longest river in the USA is the Missouri River, stretching around 2,340 miles (3,770 km) in length (slightly longer than the Mississippi River). The two combine to form the longest river system in North America, reaching around 3902 miles in length (6275 km). More Mississippi River facts. Small rivers often have different names which include creek, stream and brook. Rivers normally contain freshwater. The word upriver (or upstream) refers to the direction of the river s water source, while downriver (or downstream) refers to the direction in which the water flows, i.e. towards the end of the river. Rivers have many uses which include fishing, bathing, transport, rafting and swimming among others. Most of the world s major cities are located near the banks of rivers. The Ganges, Yangtze and Indus rivers are three of the most polluted on Earth. The University Boat Race is held every year on the Thames River in London between the Oxford University Boat Club and the Cambridge University Boat Club. The crews feature eight members who battle it out on the 6,779 m (4 miles and 374 yards) course. The Colorado River travels through the south western United States and north western Mexico, it is home to the famous Hoover Dam. On January 15 2009, a US Airways plane successfully made an emergency landing in the Hudson River that runs through New York. After being hit by birds, the pilot of flight 1549 managed to land the plane in the river with the loss of no lives.
AUSTRALIAN RIVERS Use an atlas to see how many river names you can find.
LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES 1.WORDSEARCH river stream source mouth flow dry up flood riverbank rapids waterfall Amazon Nile bed channel bridge
2.FIND THE RIGHT WORD rapids channel flows dry up Use the words in the box to fill in the blanks. riverbanks flood low water mouth lake transportation tributaries source ocean riverbed waterfalls A river is a body of water that from high ground to ground. The beginning of a river is called the. As a river flows down, other smaller rivers called join it and it becomes bigger. The river flows in its. The bottom of the river is called the. The sides of the river are called the. Usually, the river stays in its channel but sometimes, after heavy rains, the river overflows its banks and there is a. At other times, during the summer or during a drought, some rivers completely and people can walk on the riverbed. The river usually flows down to a or an. The place where the river meets the larger body of water is the end of the river and is called the. Sometimes rivers flow very fast over rocks. These areas, which are called, are dangerous for boats. And sometimes, rivers flow over cliffs forming beautiful. Rivers are very important for civilization. They provide for drinking and irrigation. As well, they were important routes for by boats in the past.
3.READING Borrow some children s books about rivers from your local library. Read with your child. This will help you discover areas of special interest which your child may like to explore. 4. CROSSWORD See next page. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Across 1. A place where a river goes over a cliff. 4. Some river do this after heavy rains. 7. Fast flowing water that goes over rocks. 9. The end of a river; the place where it flows into a lake or ocean. 10. A flowing body of water. 12. Something that crosses a river. 13. The place where a river flows. Down 2. The largest river in the world. 3. A river is a body of water that. 5. Some rivers do this during a drought. 6. The bottom of a river. 7. The side of a river. 8. The start of a river. 11. The longest river in the world. SCIENCE ACTIVITIES A River's Story [worksheet 1] Read the story and answer the questions on worksheet 2 below Rain falls in the hills, the water collects on the slopes, eventually forming streams. These form the source or start of the river. As the slopes are steep, the water runs swiftly. The streams current is strong enough to move stones and pebbles, these cut into the streams bed, making both the river and valley deeper. More and more streams join the main river. These streams are called tributaries. The river may form a waterfall which has a deep pool below. The force of the water wears away the rock, so over time, the waterfall moves further and further upstream. When this happens a deep narrow valley forms which is called a gorge. As the land gets flatter, the rivers flow becomes slower. It becomes wider and begins to wind in great loops across the valley, these are called meanders. The valley is a lot flatter. This area will flood if there is a heavy rainstorm or a long period of rainfall in the hills. This causes the rivers level to rise due to the increased amount of water.
Eventually the river reaches the sea. The wide river mouth is called an estuary. The water flows very slowly and the river drops a lot of its load, or silt. Worksheet 2 On the diagram, label the following features: estuary gorge meander source tributary waterfall 1) What is another name for the start of a river? 2) Why is the river valley made deeper? 3) How is a gorge formed? 4) When may a river flood? Why? 5) Colour the picture in.
AN EXPERIMENT TO TRY! Experience Gravity Free Water What goes up must come down right? Well try bending the rules a little with a cup of water that stays inside the glass when held upside down. You'll need the help of some cardboard and a little bit of air pressure. What you'll need: A glass filled right to the top with water A piece of cardboard Instructions: 1. Put the cardboard over the mouth of the glass, making sure that no air bubbles enter the glass as you hold onto the cardboard. 2. Turn the glass upside down (over a sink or outside until you get good). 3. Take away your hand holding the cardboard. What's happening? If all goes to plan then the cardboard and water should stay put. Even though the cup of water is upside down the water stays in place, defying gravity! So why is this happening? With no air inside the glass, the air pressure from outside the glass is greater than the pressure of the water inside the glass. The extra air pressure manages to hold the cardboard in place, keeping you dry and your water where it should be, inside the glass.
ART AND CRAFT ACTIVITIES A Picture To Colour Jumping Frogs Take a green circle and fold not quite in half. Don't fold all the way down. Then add two white ovals for eyes on top of the fold. Add a dot in the middle and for a tongue glue a half-oval shape to the bottom of the top flap. Then add green accordion strips for legs. Turtle Puppet Paint a paper plate to resemble a turtle's top shell and paint another plate for the bottom shell. Staple or glue green construction paper legs on either plate. Sandwich a green sock between the painted plates so that the toe sticks out for the head and the top of the sock sticks out the back for the tail. Staple the two plates together on both sides, add eyes, and slip your hand into the sock. Paper Bowl Turtles Turn bowl upside down and paint green, let dry. Cut out front and
back feet from brown construction paper. Staple to bowl. Cut out head with neck and draw on face, staple to bowl. Bobbing Frogs Take old corks and color them with green crayons. Then take a green pipe cleaner and wrap it around the cork, twist it, then bend the long ends into frog shaped legs. Take your frog in tub, to the lake, or even to the swimming pool. Small Aquatic Life Painting Supplies: Blue construction paper or Kraft paper Washable paint (any colors you like-- especially brown & green) paint brushes Plastic toy fishes, turtles, aquarium plants, stones-- anything that could be found in a river, lake, or pond Children can spread paint onto the items, and use them to make an imprint on the paper. You could do this as a group mural, on a large piece of paper, or as individual projects. Fantastic Turtle/frog/fish Shakers You'll need: a clean, clear plastic bottle with a screw top blue or green food coloring water vegetable oil white or colored plastic bottle aluminum foil scissors glue masking tape. Fill the clear bottle about three quarters full with water. Add a few drops of food coloring. Now add a small quantity of vegetable oil. From the other bottle, cut out fish, turtle or frog shapes, making them small enough to fit into the first bottle. Make balls and other shapes with foil. Put all these shapes in the oil-and-water bottle. Put the top back on the bottle and secure it with tape and glue to prevent leaks. SHAKE!! - See more at: http://www.childfun.com/index.php/activity-themes/animals/104-pond-river-and-lake-activitytheme.html#sthash.lgddh5fr.dpuf Paper Bag Platypus Craft How to Make a Platypus Using a Lunch Bag Learn how you can make a platypus craft by stuffing a small paper bag with crumpled up newspaper and then decorating and gluing on the templates for the beak, feet, and tail. Age Guideline: 5 Years and Up Time Required: 30 minutes (Does not include drying time)
The above age and time guidelines are estimates. This project can be modified to suit other ages and may take more or less time depending on your circumstances. Materials Needed: Paper Lunch Bag Newspaper Construction Paper Large Wiggle Eyes Craft Glue Stapler or Cellophane Tape Scissors Instructions: Crumple up pieces of newspaper and stuff the bag to the top. Fold down the top opening of the bag corner to corner meeting in the center of the paper bag, and staple or tape it closed. It should look like a fat bag with a triangle point at the top. Lay it staple side down on the table. Trace the platypus beak, feet, and tail onto brown construction paper and cut them out.