Water for Me, Water for You

For grown-ups

Amara’s bean plant, Sprout, wakes up droopy. She and Eco give him a drink and watch the water travel up to his leaves. Later, after a morning of play, Amara feels droopy too, and discovers that her body needs water the same way Sprout does. That night, the whole family washes their water bottles together, inside and out.

The lesson: little sips all through the day help plants and people grow.

What your child practices

Noticing thirstFeeling tired, hot or grumpy after play can mean the body needs water.
Choosing waterWater is the best drink for a thirsty body, rather than soda or sweets.
Water timesSipping when we wake up, before, during and after play, with meals, and on hot days.
Caring for a plantFeeling the soil first, and pouring slowly: just enough, not a whole bucket.
A clean bottle every dayEveryone has their own bottle. Lids off, Mom sprays, Amara scrubs inside with a bottle brush and wipes the outside and every lid. Then every bottle is rinsed thoroughly with clean water, inside and out, and dried upside down.
How plants drinkWater goes in through the roots, up the stem and out to the leaves.
Rhyme and print awarenessSand / hand, with every word lit up as it’s read.

How much water?

The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests about 4 cups of drinks a day for children ages 1 to 3, and about 5 cups for ages 4 to 8, mostly water and milk. Children need more on hot days and when they are very active. Offer water often, before they ask for it, and serve it with meals and snacks.

Signs a child may need more water include a dry or sticky mouth, peeing less or darker pee, and being unusually sleepy or cranky. If you are worried, call your child’s doctor.

Wash water bottles every day

A damp bottle is a cozy home for germs. Microbiologist Sally Bloomfield, PhD, chair of the International Scientific Forum on Home Hygiene, advises washing reusable bottles every day, and University of Nebraska–Lincoln extension educators note that just rinsing with water doesn’t stop germs from growing. (Independence Blue Cross) Experts at the Singapore Institute of Technology and NUS Medicine also recommend a daily wash, with removable parts taken apart and the bottom, sides and neck scrubbed. (The Straits Times)

One widely reported lab test found that the average reusable bottle carried about 20.8 million colony-forming units of bacteria, and that spout and screw-top lids carried the most. (WaterFilterGuru study, reported by The Straits Times)

Give everyone their own bottle, and don’t share.
Every day, take the lid, straw and spout apart. Clean the inside with a bottle brush, and wipe the outside and every lid.
Ecolosophy washes away dirt and grime from bottles, lids and spouts. Rinse well afterward.
After scrubbing, rinse thoroughly with plenty of clean water: fill, swish and pour out at least twice, rinse the outside, and rinse every lid, straw and spout until no bubbles remain.
Dry bottles upside down with the lids off, so they dry all the way. Store them open.
Little helpers can scrub and rinse. Grown-ups handle the spray bottle.

Try it at home

Give your child a small plant of their own, such as a bean seed in a cup. Each morning, they feel the soil, give the plant a little drink, and then take a drink themselves: “a drip for Sprout, a sip for me.” A reusable bottle that belongs to your child makes the habit easy to carry everywhere.

Cleaning safety

Cleaning products are for grown-ups. Keep them out of reach of children and pets. Avoid eyes. If swallowed or in eyes, call Poison Control 1-800-222-1222.

Made for calm play

No ads, no purchases, and nothing your child types leaves this device.
No timers and no losing. A wrong answer gets a gentle hint and another try.
About ten minutes from cover to promise, and the book remembers where you stopped.

Talk about it afterwards

How could Amara tell that Sprout was thirsty?
Where does water go after it soaks into the soil?
How did Amara feel before she had her water? How about after?
When are some good times for you to take a sip?
Why did Amara give Sprout just a little water, not a whole bucket?
Why does everyone’s water bottle get a bath every day?

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From Ecolosophy

These stories are free for everyone. Eco is the leaf-heart at the center of everything we make. Look for Eco’s other stories at ecolosophy.com.