Find Water on the Coast
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What you will learn
- 1Explain why you never drink seawater
- 2Name places on the coast where fresh water can be found
- 3Explain why all water you find is tested and made safe by the adult
- 4Describe the dangers of tides, waves and slippery rocks
Mini Lesson
On the coast you are surrounded by water, but almost none of it is safe to drink. Seawater is full of salt. Drinking it makes your body lose even more water, so you end up thirstier than before. The good news is that fresh water can still be found near the sea, if you know where to look. Your grown-up then tests it and makes it safe.
🌿 The Wild Way (where fresh water hides on the coast)
- NEVER SEAWATER: never drink seawater or water from tide pools, not even a little. It makes thirst worse.
- CATCH THE RAIN: rain is the easiest fresh water on the coast. Catch it in a tarp or a clean container, away from sea spray.
- STREAMS FLOWING TO THE SEA: follow a stream back inland. Collect water upstream, well above the point the tide reaches, where it is not mixed with seawater.
- DEW: on still nights, dew can form on grass and tarps. Wipe it up at dawn with a clean cloth, as you learned in Grade 4.
- A HOLE BEHIND THE DUNES: behind the first dunes, well above the high-tide line, the adult may dig a hole in the sand. It may slowly fill with less-salty water. The adult tests it and treats it.
- MAKE IT SAFE: all water you find is filtered and boiled by the adult for at least 1 minute before anyone drinks, as in Grade 5.
🌿 The Wild Way (the sea has its own dangers)
- KNOW THE TIDES: the sea rises and falls every day. Check the tide times with your grown-up before you explore.
- NEVER GET CUT OFF: a rising tide can trap you on a rock, a sandbar or a beach below cliffs. Always know your way back to high ground.
- STAY OFF SLIPPERY ROCKS: wet rocks and seaweed are very slippery, and waves can knock you over.
- WATCH THE WAVES: never turn your back on the sea. Big waves can come without warning.
This is an ADULT lesson. Only your grown-up decides if water is safe to drink, and the adult tests and treats all water you find. Explore the coast only with your grown-up, check the tide times together and stay off slippery rocks. Never go into the water to collect anything. If someone is swept off their feet or cut off by the tide, shout for the adult at once, and the adult calls your local emergency number.
Words to know
seawater
Salty water from the sea, which is never safe to drink.
e.g. Drinking seawater would make us thirstier.
fresh water
Water that is not salty, like rain or water from a stream.
e.g. We found fresh water in a stream inland.
tide
The daily rise and fall of the sea along the coast.
e.g. We checked the tide times before walking on the beach.
high-tide line
The highest point the sea reaches on the shore, often marked by a line of seaweed.
e.g. We stayed above the high-tide line.
dune
A hill of sand piled up by the wind near the sea.
e.g. The adult dug a hole behind the dunes.
cut off
Trapped somewhere because rising water blocks the way back.
e.g. Knowing the tides kept us from being cut off.
🧠 Survivor’s Trick: when it starts to rain, let the first water run off your tarp for a moment before you collect it. That first splash washes away salt from the sea spray and dust, so the water you keep is cleaner. The adult still treats it before anyone drinks.
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