Merion Elementary School third grade students recently enjoyed a fun-filled field trip to the Fairmount Water Works as part of their study of water! Prior to their educational excursion, students took time in a series of in-class lessons for a deep dive into the topic as they learned about the properties of water, changes in water, interactions between water and other earth materials as well as how people use water as a natural resource.

While at the Fairmount Water Works, students learned about the relationship between clean water, a healthy river ecosystem and the city’s drinking water before enjoying an exploration of the plant and animal life in and around the Schuylkill River. The Mustangs also had the opportunity to check out a freshwater mussel hatchery where they learned about the incredible cleaning power of these marvelous mollusks and how they contribute to the restoration of the degraded local freshwater system.