Vocabulary

Biochemical relates to biochemistry and involves chemical processes in living organisms.
Dehydration is dryness resulting from the removal or absence of water. 
Physiology is a branch of biology that deals with the normal functions of living organisms and their parts.
Regulate means to control or maintain the rate or speed of a machine or process so that it operates properly.
Requirement is the need for a particular purpose.
Transportation is the action of taking or carrying something from one place to another by various means. 
Water is a colourless, transparent, odourless, tasteless liquid that forms the seas, lakes, rivers, and rain, and is the basis of the fluids of living organisms.

Purpose - The Physiological Reasons for Water

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A significant percent of the human body is composed of water. Many functions in the body require water, and dehydration can lead to disease and ultimately, death. In this sub-unit, children identify which body systems require water, and they examine how water is utilized by these systems in order for them to function optimally.  
Child Asks: What body functions require water and how do these functions utilize water?
Children's Rights Education: Enables the child to identify the physiological reasons for sufficient clean drinking water.
Child Answers: All bodies require clean water to function optimally.

Classroom Learning Activities

1. Water in the Human Body:
Children research the physiological systems in the human body that require water and identify how water is used by these systems. Research topics can include:
  1. How does water regulate body temperature?
  2. How are tissues such as those in the mouth, eyes, and nose lubricated by water?
  3. Which body organs and tissues are protected by water?
  4. How are joints lubricated by water?
  5. What is the role of water in the kidneys?
  6. Why does water help prevent constipation?
  7. How does water help dissolve minerals and other nutrients to make them accessible to the body?
  8. Which systems use water to help carry nutrients and oxygen to the cells?
2. Water: The Vital Link to Life:
Explore the life force of water including -
  1. Water in the body: transportation, lubrication, biochemical reactions, temperature regulation
  2. Water Balance: What systems maintain water balance in the body?
  3. Daily Requirement: How much water do we need every day?
  4. Water Sources: Where does fresh water come from?
  5. Special Needs: Which conditions require a more careful monitoring of fluid intake?
For more information, go to here.
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Mayo Clinic - Functions of water in the body
Water - Who Needs It?

Relevant Convention Articles

Article 6
1. States Parties recognize that every child has the inherent right to life.
2. States Parties shall ensure to the maximum extent possible the survival and development of the child.
Article 24
1. States Parties recognize the right of the child to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health and to facilities for the treatment of illness and rehabilitation of health. States Parties shall strive to ensure that no child is deprived of his or her right of access to such health care services.
2. States Parties shall pursue full implementation of this right and, in particular, shall take appropriate measures:
(a) To diminish infant and child mortality;
(b) To ensure the provision of necessary medical assistance and health care to all children with emphasis on the development of primary health care;
(c) To combat disease and malnutrition, including within the framework of primary health care, through, inter alia, the application of readily available technology and through the provision of adequate nutritious foods and clean drinking-water, taking into consideration the dangers and risks of environmental pollution;
(d) To ensure appropriate pre-natal and post-natal health care for mothers;
(e) To ensure that all segments of society, in particular parents and children, are informed, have access to education and are supported in the use of basic knowledge of child health and nutrition, the advantages of breastfeeding, hygiene and environmental sanitation and the prevention of accidents;
(f) To develop preventive health care, guidance for parents and family planning education and services.
3. States Parties shall take all effective and appropriate measures with a view to abolishing traditional practices prejudicial to the health of children.
4. States Parties undertake to promote and encourage international co-operation with a view to achieving progressively the full realization of the right recognized in the present article. In this regard, particular account shall be taken of the needs of developing countries.

Online Resources and References

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension - Water: The Nutrient
Better Health Channel - Water: A Vital Nutrient
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - Water: Meeting Your Daily Fluids Needs
How Stuff Works - How Water Works by Shanna Freeman