Rain-Smart Cards at Spillway Overlook

Rain at the Spillway Overlook

A class visited a river dam viewpoint to watch water move through the spillway. Near the viewpoint, lotus plants grew in a quiet pond. Their broad leaves rose above the water. Rain drops landed on the leaves, formed round beads, and rolled away from the smooth outside surface.

The class learned that shedding water helps a lotus plant keep its leaves working in its wet home. Then the rain grew harder. Water landed on the class's paper flow cards. The ink blurred, so the children could not read their notes. They needed a cover to help keep the cards dry.

The children made three covers from the same kind of sheet. Cover A was flat. Cover B was smooth and slanted, like a lotus leaf. Cover C was rough and slanted. For each test, they placed one card under a cover and sprinkled 5 drops of water. They used each cover 15 times. They counted the dry cards: A kept 2 dry, B kept 13 dry, and C kept 8 dry.