Water

Water is amazing! It covers over two-thirds of the Earth’s surface.

Your body is also mainly made of water – more than 60%. No life – human, animal or plant - on Earth is possible without it. Humans may be able to survive for weeks without food, but for only a few days without water.  

Clean drinking water is very important. We are lucky in Ireland to have clean water for drinking, most of the time. But there are over a billion people on our planet Earth who do not have safe drinking water. In parts of some developing countries people have to walk long distances every day to get clean water.

Water is a bit odd in that we come across it in three forms in our everyday life. When it gets very cold (0°C) it turns into ice; and when it gets very hot (100°C) it turns into steam.

A glass of water

Water, like other liquids, has a stretchy ‘skin’ on its surface. This is called ‘Surface Tension’. You can float a pin on the surface if you do it carefully; and light insects like pondskaters can walk on the surface.

Water is used for cooking. It is used for washing ourselves and our clothes and houses. You can see that water is extremely important, so we should not waste it. Can you think of various ways to save water? You can find out a lot more about water in the ENFO section.