Several communities across Minnesota hosted the Smithsonian Waterways Exhibit. After brainstorming with Smithsonian staff on ways to communicate complex water resources concepts to students, Walter the Raindrop: A Water Cycle Story was developed. Walter the Raindrop is an easy-to-understand book that teaches children and adults alike how water begins as water vapor, falls to the earth as rain, and travels to our rivers, lakes, and oceans. The book also delves into soil moisture and infiltration pollution buildup and wash off and stormwater best management practices that engineers design to clean up water before it returns to the environment. Walter teaches young learners about their immense responsibility to protect our water. He covers the resources around us, how stormwater ponds function to keep pollution out of our lakes, and what we can do at home to help protect the environment.
Walter has been introduced to classrooms throughout the Midwest as part of environmental education, which has broadened students’ perspectives of the world, enhanced their knowledge of the built-environment, and bolstered critical and creative thinking skills. Stories like Walter's help spark curiosity and discussion about the engineering world. Walter the Raindrop devolved into a STEAM books series with six additional books being authored by various Bolton & Menk professionals. Creating this book was a fun and rewarding way for Bolton & Menk to get into classrooms to help a new generation learn about STEAM-related fields.
Speaker(s)
Tim Olson, Bolton & Menk, Inc.