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Spirit of the Water

Cub Scouts · Adventure, Elective

Printable worksheet (PDF)

Spirit of the Water is about where your water comes from and how to protect it. You'll trace water to your faucet and find ways to save it. Clean water matters to every living thing.

Why it's worth it

Every time you turn on a faucet, clean water comes out, but it took a long trip to get there. Spirit of the Water helps you follow that trip backward to a river, a lake, or a well underground. You'll learn how water gets dirty, how your town makes it safe, and how your family can use less. Clean water matters to every person, plant, and animal.

Start this week

  1. Ask your adult where your water comes from. The water bill or your town's website may say.
  2. Count how many times your family turns on a faucet in one evening.
  3. Turn off the water while you brush your teeth this week.
  4. Find a storm drain near your home. Where do you think it goes?

Requirements · 4

Every official requirement and part, numbered to match Scouting America, in plain language. Sign off against the official wording (opens in a new tab).

  1. Requirement 1

    Find out the source of the water you use at home

    Tip: Ask an adult to look at the water bill or call the city to find out where your water comes from.

    For example: You might learn your water comes from a river or lake and travels through a treatment plant and pipes under the street, or from a well that pumps water up from underground.

  2. Requirement 2

    Discuss how water can become polluted

    Tip: Talk about how trash, oil, or chemicals can wash into rivers and lakes.

    For example: Rain washes things into storm drains, like trash, oil from cars, and pet waste. Many storm drains flow right into streams and lakes without being cleaned first.

  3. Requirement 3

    Share some ways to save water at home

    Tip: Turn off the faucet while brushing your teeth and take shorter showers. Make a list to share.

    For example: Your list might include: take shorter showers, turn off the faucet while brushing, run the dishwasher only when it's full, and tell an adult when a faucet drips.

  4. Requirement 4

    Find out how your community treats water to make it safe to drink

    Tip: Visit or look up your local water treatment plant to see how it cleans water.

    For example: Treatment plants let dirt settle to the bottom, filter the water through layers like sand and gravel, and add a disinfectant to kill germs before it reaches your faucet.

Places to visit

Ask an adult to set it up, and go with your family, den, patrol, or crew.

  • A drinking water treatment plant

    You can see the big tanks where dirt settles and the filters that clean water for your whole town.

    How: Have your den leader call your water utility and ask if they give tours for kids or can send someone to talk with your den.

Talk about it together

  • What surprised you about where your water comes from?
  • What could your family do to help keep water clean?
  • Which water-saving idea will be easiest for you to keep doing?
  • How would your day be different without clean water?

Good questions to ask someone who works at a water treatment plant

  • How do you know the water is safe to drink?
  • Where does water go after it leaves our drains?
  • What's the most interesting part of your job?

Helpful reads

For leaders & parents

  • Ask the local water utility for a tour or a guest speaker.
  • Do a simple demo of filtering muddy water through sand and gravel.

People & places that can help

Pairs well with

Counts toward

More Wolf adventures

Tips, examples, and questions are ideas from experienced leaders, not extra requirements. Your unit leader or counselor decides when a requirement is complete.