LI: To create a google draw which showcases the dam I have made.
The above google draw is my sixteenth Kick Start task for the Summer Learning Journey that I have created today. For this activity, I challenged myself by creating a dam in an open area with natural sources. I started by watching an introduction video which explained the topic in more detail by telling its meaning, how it is used by animals and humans, its role and its importance. I learnt that a dam is a barrier that stops the flow of water which then creates a lake or reservoir. It is often used to create hydroelectricity, irrigate the plants and control the water to stop floods or is used in an emergency like droughts. Dams are not just made and used by humans but are also used by animals such as beavers. They are called the "animal architect" as they collect branches, twigs, stones and mud to create a wall and stop the water. This then creates a pond which is used by them in winters.
After learning this I started by creating my own dam which required an open area, twigs, stone, water and a trowel. My brother helped me in this task because he was very excited to see the outcome as well. We started by digging a hole, in the shape of a rectangle with the help of a trowel. Once we found the base (concreate) we made the wall of natural resources that we collected from the garden. We used mud as cement to make the dam more durable so that it doesn't allow the water to pass through it. After some time of working on the wall, we decided to add water and luckily it stayed. We were so happy to see the dam we created. I loved completing this task and am looking forward to complete the other part of this activity.
Mōrena Sakshi
ReplyDeleteI’m loving this damn! It looks very efficacious. There’s something satisfying about observing the water being stopped in its tracks. Glad to hear that your brother was getting in on the fun too!
Thanks for your explanation about how it was constructed. It seems like mud is the key to a good dam.
Meri Kirihimete, Merry Christmas,
Benjamin
Mōrena Benjamin,
DeleteSorry for the late reply. Thank you for taking time and commenting on my Summer Learning Journey blog post. I am glad you like my work and thank you for the positive compliment as well. I agree, it is just amazing to see the water being stopped from a wall. I guess mud really was the key to its good outcome because it was replaced by cement which has the role to stick the materials together. Do you know some interesting facts about dams? If yes, can you list some of them?
Merry belated Christmas and a Happy New Year!
-Sakshi
Kia ora Sakshi
ReplyDeleteI can't say I do sorry. Engineering was never a strong point of mine.
Cheers, Ben
Kia ora Benjamin,
DeleteThank you for replying to my comment. Engineering is really tricky at times, but somehow I love it! Some interesting facts that I know about dams are:
1. According to the records Lake Homs Dam in Syria was the first dam in the world.
2. Building a dam has several reasons as they provide water supply, hydroelectricity, flood protection, back plan for droughts, navigation and as a tourist attraction as well.
3. The largest dam in the world is Three Gorges Dam which is located in central China and has a water capacity of 39.3 billion cubic meters.
I think that beavers are very smart! They really have some part of the human's brain as they can think of making a dam for their support. Did you know about beavers earlier? What would be the best word to describe them?
Thank you so much!
Looking forward for your reply.
-Sakshi
Hey Sakshi,
DeleteThanks for the dam facts! I had a look at the Three Gorges Dam on google and it really amazes me. Apparently people think it is at risk of breaking... what a catastrophe it would be if that happened!
Yea beavers are really cool aren't they. They've probably been making dams for longer than us humans. Maybe we have a part of the beavers brain? I would describe a beaver with the word, 'resourceful'. What word would you use?
All the best!
Benjamin
Hi Benjamin,
DeleteThank you for taking time and replying to my comment as well as for answering my question. I agree, it really would be a disaster if the dam broke because it holds loads of water and it would also end sinking the nearby areas. Do you know some preventive measures the people or the government could do? Wow! I really didn't know that beavers made dams even before humans. I agree, maybe we have a part of their brains. My word would be "smart".
Thank you so much!
Looking forward for your reply.
-Sakshi
Morning Sakshi
DeleteYou're welcome, always happy to hear from you!
In terms of preventative measures, I imagine they would have an alert system set up similar to ours in NZ. You may have seen people receive a text message when we went into lockdown for covid? They could have something like that to let people know as soon as possible if there was a fault with the dam. Then again, there may be many people who don't have cell phones...
Have you heard of the 1938 Yellow River flood? I would hope that China has learnt from that horrible event and is prepared for the future.
Hi Benjamin,
DeleteThank you for taking time and replying to my comment as well as answering my question. I always learn something new from your comments. I agree with your thought that New Zealand could have thought about the alert system and especially about those people who do not have cell phones. It would have been a good idea to air on radio or Television channels during COVID-19 as well.
It is always new learning from your comments as I was not aware of the 1938 Yellow river flood in China. I have searched about it on Google and now know that the flood was caused by the destruction of the dikes near Kaifeng and 893,303 people died including 12 million affected by the disaster.
Once again thank you for creating this comment thread as we could share each other opinions and ask questions at the same time. I would love to talk to you again on other of my summer learning journey blog posts.
Regards
Sakshi