Module 1: Wet n' Wild

WET N' WILD!

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Rivers and lakes are central to the history of the lands now called Canada. Click on the water drops around me to learn more!

Even though it is only the 7th largest river in the lands now called Canada, the Ottawa River carries more water than all the rivers of Western Europe combined! You can learn more about the Ottawa river here.

Some rivers in the lands now called Canada are actually considered heritage sites because they played a key role in history. They are also important to the natural environment. Explore the Heritage Rivers here: Heritage River Story MapsThe CHRS Story Maps highlight the natural, cultural and recreational values of each of Canada's heritage rivers. With just a click of a button, you...Chrs

The lands now called Canada have access to more than 20% of the world's freshwater. There are many rivers and lakes, and also a lot of frozen ice!

Here is a map of the Canadian Heritage Rivers System:

Many of Canada's rivers were formed by glaciers millions of years ago. Glaciers are huge blocks of ice that slowly moved, pushing the land and creating rivers. Today, many rivers get their freshwater from glacier's ice melting.

A mill is a building that is used for grinding grain to make flour. Mills were built on rivers, because they used water wheels to do their work. A water wheel spins because it is pushed by flowing water. This spinning powered machines. Mills have been used to make paper, food, clothing, and even metal products. They even date back all the way to 280 BC!

Click around me for more facts about rivers and lakes throughout history to complete the activities!

Freshwater is important for survival. Taking saltwater from the oceans, and making it into water we can drink is very difficult to do!

Freshwater fish are a vital source of food in the lands now called Canada. There is a lot of trout, whitefish, pickerel, bass, pike, perch, and salmon.

Areas close to rivers and lakes often made good farmland. The soil close to rivers is usually fertile. This mean it is able to produce lots of crops. But, rivers can also flood, so planting crops close to a river is a risk!

Take a 3D virtual tour of Watson's Mill, built in the 1860s. It is located just 20 minutes from Goulbourn Museum, on the Rideau river! https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=bToashuxHEQ&fbclid=IwAR1eXEE2VbnpSgm9XSqAkhYGkAzMxLGOK8DUY_auyqcEWdSVfL1bAGgIvW4

Water wheels are still an important power source today. We use water wheels to create electricity. This type of electricity is called hydroelectricity. Hydro means water. We use the power of flowing water to turn water wheels called turbines. They are connected to generators that create power in our homes. More than half of the electricity in Canada is made using flowing water! Click on the water wheel to complete the activity.

To make bread, you need flour! Flour comes from crushed up wheat. Old mills used water wheels to crush up grain to make bread! The water wheels were connected gears that would move heavy stones. The flow of water made the water wheel turn. As the gears moved, the stones would crush up the grains to make flour. Canada still produces a lot of the world's wheat - mills and grain are important to our past!

Here is a picture of old mill stones that would crush up wheat, from the Delta Mill in Ontario. These stones are over 200 years old! You can explore how settler mills worked here.

A solar still uses the heat from the sun for desalination.

A still converts saltwater into freshwater. Turning saltwater into freshwater is called desalination. Learn how to make your own solar still!

Most of the water on earth is in the oceans. But ocean water is salty. We can't drink it! We need freshwater to live. This is why freshwater rivers and lakes are very precious. It is important that we try and protect them, like through conservation. Conservation is protecting the natural environment and preserving resources. Check out the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority here.

Having lots of freshwater to use and to drink is important for survival, so rivers were important to Canada’s settlers in the 1800s. All the settlers that came to the lands now called Canada before 1800 made their homes on a river or lake. Remember, people in the past did not have running water in their homes, they had to be close to a source of clean freshwater!

It is important that we do not waste fresh water. What are some ways you could use less water in your daily life?

Water was so important to where people lived in the past, that all of the provincial and territorial capital cities in Canada are located on waterways!

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Rivers used to be a great way to travel! Before there were many roads, people would go from place to place on boats. Click on the boats on the river to learn more!

Before you begin your badge challenge, you will need to fold some paper boats. Here is a video showing you how!

Canada's river systems used to be very important for travelling and doing business. Some rivers had so many small boats, that people built small carts and tracks beside the water to help people move their boats past rough rapids! They were called 'River Railroads'. Here is one on the French River, from here.

After the war of 1812, many people wanted a way to travel from Montreal to the great lakes in Ontario. Instead of building a road, the solution was to make the Rideau Canal, so that people could travel by boat! A canal is a human-made waterway, like a small river. The Rideau Canal was built between 1827 and 1832. It is 202 km long, and passes right through the city of Ottawa.

In the 1800s, people were doing a lot of logging. This means they were cutting down trees for their wood. The wood was also called timber. People used rivers to move the trees! They would float huge logs in the water and use the river's flow to get the wood to where it needed to go. People would make huge timber rafts out of the logs, and ride on them. It was called the "log run"! Click on this link to see a picture of a log run on the Ottawa river from 1888.

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VERSUS

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Make your own water wheel that spins with flowing water, and learn about how settlers used rivers currents to help them make food.

Construct your own contraption called a solar still that uses the power of the sun for desalination.

Race paper boats down a river you construct, and watch how the boats move through the water.

Click here to collect your badges

Completed a badge challenge? Congratulations! To receive your digital badge, click on this link to fill out the Summer Seekers Badge Form. Badges will be distributed once a week on Fridays. Remember to keep track of how many badges you earn. When you get to 5, you will receive a prize in the mail!

Completed a badge challenge? Congratulations! To receive your digital badge, click on this link to fill out the Summer Seekers Badge Form. Badges will be distributed once a week on Fridays. Remember to keep track of how many badges you earn. When you get to 5, you will receive a prize in the mail!