Rivers

Waterfalls









Every river finds its way to the ocean...but it sure can take a while. In this BrainPOP movie, Tim and Moby introduce you to the world’s river systems, explaining how giant rivers start off as tiny rivulets of run-off from rainstorms. You’ll learn how these streams become creeks and eventually rivers, and what uses humans have found for these important bodies of water. You’ll also learn about the differences between young and mature streams, and why it’s safer to kayak down a mature stream than a young one. Watch out for the rapids! ||
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Paul Bunyan Tames the Whistling River
Minnesota, Tall Tales retold by S. E. Schlosser The Whistling River - so named because twice a day, it reared up to a height of two hundred feet and let loose a whistle that could be heard for over six hundred miles - was the most ornery river in the U.S. of A. It took a fiendish delight in plaguing the life out of the loggers who worked it. It would tie their logs into knots, flip men into the water then toss them back out onto the banks, and break apart whole rafts of logs as soon as the loggers put them together. This fact by itself might not have been enough by itself to get Paul Bunyan involved. But one day Paul was sitting on a hill by the river combing his beard with a large pine tree when without warning the river reared up and spat four hundred and nineteen gallons of muddy water onto his beard. This startled Paul somewhat, but he figured if he ignored the river, it would go away and leave him alone. But that ornery river jest reared up again and spat five thousand and nineteen gallons of muddy water onto his beard, adding a batch of mud turtles, several large fish and a muskrat into the mix. Paul Bunyan was so mad he jumped up and let out a yell that caused a landslide all the way out in Pike's Peak. "By jingo, I am gonna tame that river or bust a gut trying!" he cried. So Paul sat for four days eating popcorn and trying to figure out how to tame that river. He ate so much popcorn that the air was soon filled with white bits and the ground for three miles around was covered with eighteen inches of popcorn scraps. This caused several hundred small animals and a few dozen birds to conclude that they were in a blizzard and so they froze to death. This furnished the loggers at the camp with pot pies for several days. Just as he ran out of popcorn, Paul decided that the way to tame the river was to pull out the kinks. He would hitch the river to Babe the Blue Ox and let him yank it straight. Of course, Paul knew that an ordinary log chain and the skid hook wouldn't work with water. So he and Babe took a short walk up to the North Pole. There, Paul made a box trap baited with icicles that he set near a blizzard trail. Then he and Babe wandered away. Paul started to throw icebergs out into the ocean so Babe could play fetch. But he had to stop the game since each time Babe jumped into the water a tidal wave threatened to swamp the coast of Florida. After lunch, Paul went back to check the trap. He had caught six young blizzards and an old nor'wester. He put two of the young blizzards in his sack and released the rest. Then he and Babe went back to their camp. As he walked into camp, Paul yelled to Ole, the Big Swede to build him the largest log chain that's ever been built. Then he staked out the two blizzards, one on each side of the river. Right away, the river began to freeze. By morning, the river had a tough time rearing up to whistle because it was frozen solid for more than seventeen miles. When Paul Bunyan finished his breakfast, he harnessed Babe and wrapped the chain seventy-two times around the foot of the frozen Whistle River. Yelling to the men to stand clear, he shouted at Babe to pull. Babe pulled that chain into a solid bar and sank knee deep into solid rock, but that ornery river refused to budge. So Paul grabbed the chain and he and Babe gave such a yank that the river jerked loose from its banks and they dragged it across the prairie so fast it smoked. After a while, Paul looked back and saw the river was as straight as a gun barrel. But the river was much shorter with the kinks out, and all the extra lengths that used to be in the kinks were running wild out on the prairie. So Paul got his big cross-cut saw and a lot of baling wire and sawed the extra lengths of river into nine-mile pieces, rolled them up and tied them off with the baling wire. He later used them to float his logs when he logged out the desert. But now that it was straight, the Whistling River lost its gimp and refused to whistle. Which made everyone mad at Paul Bunyan, because now they didn't know when to wake up in the morning. Paul might have been in real trouble if Squeaky Swanson hadn't showed up right about then. Squeaky's speaking voice was no louder than a whisper. But when he yelled, you could hear him clean out in Kansas. So each morning Squeaky got up at the crack of dawn and yelled the blankets off of every bed in camp. Naturally, the men found it hard to sleep in the cold without their blankets, so they got up. Squeaky was a great success, and for the rest of his life he did nothing but get up at dawn and let out one really loud yell.

Coyote and the Columbia
One day, Coyote was walking along. The sun was shining brightly, and Coyote felt very hot. "I would like a cloud," Coyote said. So a cloud came and made some shade for Coyote. Coyote was not satisfied. "I would like more clouds," he said. More clouds came along, and the sky began to look very stormy. But Coyote was still hot. "How about some rain," said Coyote. The clouds began to sprinkle rain on Coyote. "More rain," Coyote demanded. The rain became a downpour. "I would like a creek to put my feet in," said Coyote. So a creek sprang up beside him, and Coyote walked in it to cool off his feet. "It should be deeper," said Coyote. The creek became a huge, swirling river. Coyote was swept over and over by the water. Finally, nearly drowned, Coyote was thrown up on the bank far away. When he woke up, the buzzards were watching him, trying to decide if he was dead. "I'm not dead," Coyote told them, and they flew away. That is how the Columbia River began.
 * From the Sahaptin/Salishan Tribes**
 * retold by**
 * S. E. Schlosser**

@http://www.onegeology.org/extra/kids/earthprocesses/rivers.html

Ducksters-- Rivers

Rivers for Students and Teachers




 * Lesson 1 || What is a river?

A river is a flowing, moving stream of water. Usually a river feeds water into an ocean, lake, pond, or even another river. Rivers can vary in size and there is no hard definition or rule on how big a flow of water must be to be categorized as a river. Water from a river can come from rain, melting snow, lakes, ponds, or even [|glaciers]. Rivers flow downhill from their source. They are considered part of the [|freshwater biome]. In a nutshell, rivers are a natural stream of fresh water that has a current and moves to another body of water such as an ocean, sea, lake, or another river.

• Rivers can be different sizes. • The place where a river begins is called its origin: source since rivers flow down, they start high up in the mountains where water comes from snow melt or an underground spring. • A river flows between its sides, or banks in what is called a channel. • The river increases in size as it gains water from smaller streams called tributaries. • A river’s journey ends when it meets a larger body of water at a point called its mouth. • Rivers play an enormous role in the earth’s formation. create canyons and other geological formations through erosion. • Rivers create as well as destroy: a river’s mouth might get clogged when layers of silt form which is called a landmass called a delta.



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 * Lesson 2 || When one thing happens, it causes something else to happen. For example, the Yellow River can show you cause and effect:

Farmers irrigate. è Water comes to the rice fields. Fields are now irrigated. è Rice grows.

Throughout history, the Yellow River has not only brought life to farms and cities but also taken life from these areas. So much silt builds up in the river that it periodically overflows its banks. These overflows are so powerful that they have even resulted in the Yellow River drastically altering its course eight times in the past 2,500 years. In 1931, the Yellow River flooded more than 8,000 square miles of land. It caused 80 million people to lose their homes and resulted in the deaths of one million people. Because of its devastating floods, the Chinese people often call this river “China’s Sorrow.”

Silt builds up. è The river overflows its banks. The river changes course. è People lose their homes.

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 * Lesson 3 || Discuss daily routines, make a list, and act out everything you do before getting ready for school. Act out brushing teeth, washing face, putting on clean clothes, etc. ||
 * Lesson 4 || Ways people use rivers ||
 * Lesson 5 || Dangers of storms, erosion, rotting trees on riverbanks, construction projects, droughts, floods, ice, sunken boats, pollution ||
 * Lesson 6 || Habitats, Water Cycle

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 * Lesson 7 || Three Rivers and Many Waterfalls ||
 * Lesson 8 || Rivers and Trade—the Moldeau



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 * Assessment ||  ||

The River by Garth Brooks

You know a dream is like a river Ever changin' as it flows And a dreamer's just a vessel That must follow where it goes Trying to learn from what's behind you And never knowing what's in store Makes each day a constant battle Just to stay between the shores...and

I will sail my vessel 'Til the river runs dry Like a bird upon the wind These waters are my sky I'll never reach my destination If I never try So I will sail my vessel 'Til the river runs dry

Too many times we stand aside And let the waters slip away 'Til what we put off 'til tomorrow Has now become today So don't you sit upon the shoreline And say you're satisfied Choose to chance the rapids And dare to dance the tide...yes

I will sail my vessel 'Til the river runs dry Like a bird upon the wind These waters are my sky I'll never reach my destination If I never try So I will sail my vessel 'Til the river runs dry

There's bound to be rough waters And I know I'll take some falls But with the good Lord as my captain I can make it through them all...yes

I will sail my vessel 'Til the river runs dry Like a bird upon the wind These waters are my sky I'll never reach my destination If I never try So I will sail my vessel 'Til the river runs dry