While researching the history of the Buffalo Bayou for a forthcoming post, I came across this fascinating series of lesson plans prepared by a Houston elementary school teacher, which would introduce students to the history of flooding, emphasize the dual value and danger of waterways to cities, teach the children to access and utilize real-time water flow data, include field trips to anticipated flood sites during rainwater events, instruct them in the appropriate preparations for and actions to take during major floods, perform hands-on experiments testing the processes of erosion, and challenge them “to identify locations in the… area that are most prone to flooding”.

This crash-course in disaster hydrology for schoolchildren culminates in the selection of topics for individual investigation, such as “visiting storm water detention/retention basins in our area”, “interviewing senior citizens about their experiences with flooding in our area over the years”, or “building a model dam that would demonstrate some of the problems relating to the Johnstown, PA Flood”.

Wish I had had Calvin in third grade.