Printable sheet
Cracked dry ground stretching to the horizon under a blazing sun, split by one deep fissure. A printable for drought talks; download the free PDF.
Printable sheet
Free for personal and educational use
Download PDFPrintGround broken into dry plates, a large deep crack in the foreground, two small clouds and a sun in the sky.
Mix tans, browns and mustard yellows for the ground and keep the inside of the cracks very dark.
Keep a one-week water diary at home and brainstorm three ways your family could save water.
Parts of Chile's Atacama Desert can go years without a single drop of measurable rain.
Cracked dry ground is one of the clearest signs of a drought. When rain stays away for a long time, the moisture in the soil evaporates, clay shrinks as it dries and the surface pulls apart into plates with deep gaps between them.
A drought builds slowly. It happens when an area gets much less rain or snow than usual for months or even years. Farm fields dry out first, then rivers, lakes and reservoirs drop, and eventually communities can run short of water for crops, livestock and even drinking. The American West has faced long droughts that left reservoirs like Lake Mead far below their usual levels.
Climate scientists say rising temperatures can make some droughts longer and more intense, because warmer air pulls more water out of soil and plants. Cities respond with watering limits, farmers switch to drip irrigation and families are asked to use water wisely.
This simple scene is a great way to ask kids where tap water comes from, what would happen if it stopped one day and which small habits help, like turning off the faucet while brushing teeth or taking shorter showers.
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