Improve Your Place

Explore your school’s water “footprint”! Use Project Learning Tree’s “Improve Your Place” to explore your school’s water footprint and design a service learning project to improve your school’s water runoff and pollutant loading. Planting trees, shrubs and grasses, as well as installing rain gardens help prevent runoff of possible pollutants.
Go to Rain Water Audit and start your a rain water audit today!

Need a plan for improvement?
Visit Build Beautiful Rain Gardens to Purify Water for ideas and designs for rain gardens, which prevent runoff by “capturing” rainwater.
Does your school need more trees and shrubs? Try visiting Trees Forever to learn what trees, shrubs and grass you can plant to help “improve your place”!


Young Child Extension
Explore water this week! Give children cups or bowls of water to drink, play with and explore. Use Project WILD’s Growing Up WILD “Aqua Charades” for more fun ideas to get kids excited about water!

Is another grade in your school doing the Project Learning Tree “Improve Your Place” activity? Be sure to get the little kids involved! Even small children can help plant trees and shrubs!

Book List

Grades PreK-2
Arnold, T. 2002. No More Water in the Tub! Penguin Group (USA).
Asch, F. and D. Halverson. 2000. Water. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Base, G. 2001. The Water Hole. Harry N Abrams, Inc.
Branley, F.M. 1997. Down Comes the Rain. HarperCollins Children's Books.
Brimner, L.D. 1999. Raindrops. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Cole, J. and B. Degen. 1988. The Magic School Bus At the Waterworks. Scholastic, Inc.
DK Publishing. 2007. Water Everywhere. DK Publishing, Inc.
Donnelly, A. 1998. Water Pollution. Child's World, Incorporated.
Edom, H. 2007. Science with Water. EDC Publishing.
Fourment, T. 2004. My Water Comes from the Mountains. Roberts Rinehart Publishers.
Fraiser, D. 2004. The Incredible Water Show. Harcourt.
Greenfield, E. and J.S. Gilchrist. 1999. Water, Water. HarperCollins Publishers.
Hooper, M. The Drop in My Drink: The Story of Water on Our Planet. Viking Press.
Jango-Cohen, J. 2005. Why Does It Rain? Lerner Publishing Group.
Kerley, B. 2006. A Cool Drink of Water. National Geographic Society.
London, J., T. Widener, and G. Couch. 2001. Sun Dance, Water Dance. Penguin Group (USA).
Morrison, G. 2006. A Drop of Water. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Olien, R. 1999. Splish Splash Science, Grades 1-3: Learning about Water with Easy Fun-Filled Activities. Scholastic, Inc.
Pluckrose, H. 2001. Water. Gareth Stevens Audio.
Rauzon, M.J. 1995. Water, Water Everywhere. Sierra Club Books for Children.
Relf, P. 1996. The Magic School Bus Wet All Over: A Book About The Water Cycle. Scholastic Paperbacks.
Rosinsky, N.M. 2002. Water: Up, Down, and All Around. Capstone Press.
Seuling, B. 2000. Drip! Drop!: How Water Gets to Your Tap. Holiday House, Inc.
Swanson, D. 2005. Wonder in Water. Annick Press, Limited.
Tresselt, A.R. 1990. Rain Drop Splash. HarperCollins Publishers.
Weininger, B. and A. Moller. 2003. Precious Water. North-South Books.
Wells, R.E. 2006. Did a Dinosaur Drink This Water? Albert Whitman & Company.
Yolen, J. 1995. Water Music: Poems for Children. Boyds Mills Press.

Grades 3-5
Berger, M. 1995. Water, Water Everywhere. Ideals Publications.
Berry, J.W. 2001. Every Kid's Guide to Saving the Earth. Warehousing & Fulfillment Specialists, LLC.
Binns, T.B. 2005. Clean Planet: Stopping Litter and Pollution. Heinemann Library.
Canizares, S. and P. Chanko. 1998. Water. June 1998.
Cobb, V. 1986. Trip of a Drip. Little, Brown & Company.
Collard, S.B. 2000. Acting for Nature: What Young People around the World Have Done to Protect the Environment. Heyday Books.
Ditchfield, C. 2001. Water. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Earthworks Group. 1990. 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth. Andrews McMeel Publishing.
Dr. Seuss. 1971. The Lorax. Random House, Incorporated.
Elkington, J., D. Hill, J. Hailes, and J. Mekower.1990. Going Green: A Kid's Handbook to Saving the Planet. Viking Children's Books.
Flanagan, A.K. 2000. Water. Capstone Press.
Goodrich, R.S. 2004. Hydro's Adventure Through the Water Cycle. Geoquest Pubns.
Holmes, A. 1993. I Can Save the Earth: A Kid's Handbook for Keeping Earth Healthy and Green. Silver Burdett Press.
Hughes, M. 2004. Water Cycle. Heinemann Library.
Jervis, P. 1997. How Science Works: Water. Barnes & Noble Books.
Kerley, B. 2006. A Cool Drink of Water. National Geographic Society.
Mckinney, B.S. 1998. A Drop around the World. Dawn Publications.
Moor, J.E. 1998. Water. Evan-Moor Educational Publishers.
Olien, R. 2006. Making Water Clean. Capstone Press.
Olien, R. 2006. Water Cycle. Capstone Press.
Petersen, C. 2004. Water Power. Children's Press (CT).
Roberts, P. 2002. Kids taking Action: Community Service Learning Projects, K-8. Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc.
Royston, A. 2006. The Life And Times of a Drop of Water: The Water Cycle. Raintree.
Wick, W. 1997. Drop of Water: A Book of Science and Wonder. Scholastic, Inc.
Yolen, J. 1995. Water Music: Poems for Children. Boyds Mills Press.

Grades 6-8
Bailey, G. and S. Way. 2009. Water. Gareth Stevens Publishing.
Baker, L.W. 2004. Encyclopedia of Water Science. Thomson Gale.
Barss, K.J. 1992. Clean Water. Chelsea House Publishers.
Braus, J. 1991. Pollution: Problems and Solutions (Ranger Rick’s Naturescope Series). National Wildlife Federation.
Clare, P. 2009. Living Green: Saving Our Earth. Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
Day, T. 2007. Water. DK Publishing, Inc.
Giono, J. 2003. Man Who Planted Trees. Random House UK Distribution.
Halpin, M. 2004. It's Your World - If You Don't Like It, Change It: Activism for Teens. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Harman. 2005. The Water Cycle: Evaporation, Condensation & Erosion. Heinemann-Raintree.
Jervis, P. 1997. How Science Works: Water. Barns and Noble Books.
Lewis, B. A. 2009. The Kid’s Guide to Service Projects: Over 500 Service Ideas for Young People Who Want to Make a Difference. Free Spirit Publishing.
Markert, J. 1992. Water. The Creative Company.
McKay, K., J. Bonnin, and D. de Rothschild. 2008. True Green Kids: 100 Things You Can Do to Save the Planet. Natl Geographic Soc Childrens Boks.
McKinney, B.S. and M.S. Maydak. 1998. A Drop Around the World. Dawn Publications.
McLeish, E. 1998. Keeping Water Clean, Vol. 4 Raintree Publishers.
Morgan, S. 2009. The Water Cycle. Rosen Publishing Group.
Rice, W.B., and M. Sullivan. 2010. Inside the Water Cycle. Compass Point Books.
Roberts, P. 2002. Kids taking Action: Community Service Learning Projects, K-8. Northeast Foundation for Children, Inc.
Royston, A. 2005. The Life and Times of a Drop of Water: The Water Cycle. Heinemann-Raintree.
Swanson, D. 2005. Wonder in Water. Annick Press, Limited.
The Earthworks Group. 1990. 50 Simple Things Kids Can Do to Save the Earth. Andrews McMeel Publishing.

Grades 9-12
Barss, K.J. 1992. Clean Water. Chelsea House Publishers.
Collard III, S. 2000. Acting For Nature: What Young People Around the World Are Doing to Protect the Environment. Heyday Books.
Cossi, O. 1993. Water Wars. Silver Burdett Press.
Dobson, C. 1999. Watersheds: A Practical Handbook for Healthy Water. Firefly Books, Limited.
Gardner, R. 2004. Experimenting with Water. Dover Publications.
Graham, K. and G. Chandler. 1996. Environmental Hereos: Success Stories of People at Work for the Earth. Pruett Publishing Company.
Halpin, M. 2004. It's Your World - If You Don't Like It, Change It: Activism for Teens. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing.
Harman. 2005. The Water Cycle: Evaporation, Condensation & Erosion. Heinemann-Raintree.
Lewis, B. A. 2009. The Kid’s Guide to Service Projects: Over 500 Service Ideas for Young People Who Want to Make a Difference. Free Spirit Publishing.
Lucas, E. 1991. Water: A Resource in Crisis. Scholastic Library Publishing.
Newton, Lisa H., C.K. Dillingham and J.H. Choly. 2005. Watersheds 4: Ten Cases in Environmental Ethics. Wadsworth Publishing.
Rice, W.B., and M. Sullivan. 2010. Inside the Water Cycle. Compass Point Books.
Riley, T. 2007. The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Green Living. Alpha Books.
Royston, A. 2005. The Life and Times of a Drop of Water: The Water Cycle. Heinemann-Raintree.
Ryerson, M. 2003. Water Music. University of Michigan Press.
Sivertsen, L. and T. Sivertsen. 2008. Generation Green: The Ultimate Teen Guide to Living an Eco-Friendly Life. Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group.
Stille, D.R. 2005. Natural Resources: Using and Protecting Earth’s Supplies. Capstone Press, Inc.