In December, we had the pleasure of a classroom visit from Ms. Lynn Vanderkamp from the Portland Bureau of Environmental Services. She brought in a great activity called Soak It Up!  
Here is a description of the activity:

Soak It Up- Sustainable Stormwater Solutions

Grades 5 - college

Stormwater runoff from streets, sidewalks and roofs can carry pollution to streams and rivers. Working with aerial maps of a model neighborhood, teams of students calculate area, percentage of pervious and impervious cover, and determine runoff. Students then redesign their neighborhoods with sustainable stormwater facilities such as bioswales, ecoroofs, green streets and stormwater planters. This lesson integrates math and science topics.



This was a very challenging activity, and I was excited to see that everyone worked hard and didn't give up. By working together in groups we ended up creating some very eco-friendly communities! Nice work guys!
 

Click HERE to watch a slideshow of our Soak It Up! activity!