Spring Into Science and Engineering Small Group Camp: Rivers and Floodplains

In this multi-day course, students will learn how floodplains affect our lives and how engineers assess flooding risks to minimize the risk to people and the environment. Students will be introduced to rivers and their floodplains and complete two projects in this course. On day one, an introduction will be delivered via Nearpod. Students do not need an account to Nearpod as I will screen share. Day 2 and day 3 of this course will be used to complete projects. Students will design a floodplain and model how they work and discuss how various river types affect the amount of flooding to nearby housing. They will also model how various materials create an impermeable or permeable surface and use their knowledge to make recommendations on the types of materials that will minimize flooding. 

Students will need the following materials to complete the course:
 
model clay to simulate river 
large plastic tub (large enough to fit an aluminum baking pan)
paper towels
sponges
cotton balls
plastic cup
permanent marker
Any type of model houses (can be stacked Legos, etc.)
aluminum baking pan
a small board (or something else rigid) to support the baking tin after inserting the clay
a thick book to prop up the plastic tub (may not be needed if you conduct activity outside)
Measuring cup or bottle of water with blue food coloring (You will want to have more water than necessary in case the student needs to see the experiment more than once. )

NOTE: Parents should either prepare the aluminum pan with modeling clay that covers the pan prior to class OR be close by so that I can give instructions on how to prepare it. This activity requires cutting the aluminum pan in preparation on one end. Parents should assist the student with this for safety. Clay should be a couple of inches thick and cover the bottom of the pan. I would get a shallow small aluminum pan to minimize the amount of clay needed.)

I look forward to meeting your student!