An activity to discover how groundwater works on La Palma through a model and hands-on experiments.
On 22 and 23 May 2025, AIM took part in the Canary Islands Science and Innovation Mini-Fairs, held in Breña Alta, with an activity as part of the GENESIS project designed to introduce young people to how groundwater works on La Palma.
It all started with a very simple question. Where does the water come from that flows out of the tap when we turn it on?
Based on their answers, we worked together to reconstruct the water cycle right down to the subsoil and discover how we obtain water on La Palma through tunnels, springs and wells. Then came the part they enjoyed most: testing it out on our model. Some volunteers were in charge of simulating rain using water with food colouring. This allowed them to follow its path from the highest parts of the island, observe how it seeped into the ground and see how the water reached an aqueduct. In the coastal area, they could also see how it is extracted via a well.
During the activity, they were the ones who made it rain, followed the water’s path and saw what happened beneath the surface. And although it all began with something as ordinary as turning on a tap, little by little many questions arose about something that forms part of their daily lives and whose source we do not always know.