Junior Water Quality Investigator

Course summary

• Ages: 10–14
• Prerequisites: none, though a first water course helps
• Length: six modules over four to eight weeks
• Format: self-paced lessons with a downloadable lab notebook
• Access: 12 months from enrolment
• Supervision: adult supervision required for all testing activities

What learners will be able to do

• Explain what pH, turbidity, temperature and dissolved solids measure
• Take repeat readings and describe why one measurement is not enough
• Compare water from several sources and present the results as a chart
• Explain the difference between “clear” and “safe”
• Describe how pollution reaches a waterway from land
• Write a short evidence-based report on a local water source

Curriculum

1. What are we measuring? — the properties that matter and why
2. Looking first — observation, clarity and settling
3. Taking readings — method, repeats and recording
4. Comparing sources — tap, rain, pond, puddle
5. Where pollution comes from — tracing it back to land use
6. Your investigation — plan it, run it, report it

What is included

• Six modules of self-paced lessons
• A downloadable lab notebook with method and results pages
• Guided comparison investigations
• Data-handling and charting practice
• Certificate of Completion

What you need

• A device with a current browser
• Clear containers, a measuring jug and a notebook
• Optional but recommended: a basic water test strip kit, such as the Home Water Quality Explorer Kit

Important safety and accuracy note

This course teaches measurement and scientific reasoning. It is not a drinking-water safety assessment, and no reading taken during the course should be used to decide whether water is safe to drink. Water collected from ponds, streams or drains must never be tasted, and hands should be washed after handling. If you have concerns about your drinking water, contact your local water utility or a certified testing laboratory.

Access and refunds

• Access begins as soon as your payment is confirmed. You will receive an enrolment email with your login and a Start Here guide.
• You need an account so your progress is saved. You can create it during checkout.
• Works on a laptop, tablet or phone in any current browser. Nothing to install.
• Access runs for 12 months from enrolment, and you can revisit any lesson during that time.
• Refunds: you may request a refund within 7 days of enrolment if you have consumed less than 20% of the course — measured by lessons marked complete and files downloaded. After that, or once downloadable course files have been taken, the purchase is final. This does not affect rights you have under mandatory consumer law. See the Refund & Cancellation Policy and Course Access Policy.
• A “Certificate of Completion” is issued at the end. It is a record of finishing this course — it is not an accredited qualification.

About the certificate

Learners who complete every lesson receive a Certificate of Completion. It records that the course was finished. Watershed Learning is not an accredited institution and does not award credit, grades or qualifications.

Common questions

Do I have to buy a test kit?

No. The course is designed to work with observation-only methods if you prefer, and the kit simply adds numerical readings.

Is it too advanced for a ten-year-old?

Ten-year-olds do well with an adult reading the method pages alongside them.