EDITOR'S NOTE: During this unprecedented time, ADOT is creating transportation activities for kids. Please visit azdot.gov/ADOTKids or use the hashtag #ADOTKids on ADOT's Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts to see what we have going on. (This blog was originally posted in 2020)

By David Rookhuyzen / ADOT Communications

Have you ever asked yourself where does all the water go? Believe it or not, the answer has a lot to do with this week's ADOT Kids activity about Keeping Arizona Grand by reducing litter. 

After a decent rainfall in Arizona, washes and gutters run, and puddles are everywhere. But usually it's gone the next day. So what happens to it all?

Those are some big questions – so much so that ADOT is a partner along with Maricopa and Pinal counties and more 20 central Arizona cities and towns in the Arizona Stormwater Outreach for Regional Municipalities, or AZSTORM.

Everyone has concerns when it comes to stormwater, which is the term for water that comes from rain and can't get immediately into the ground. That includes everything flowing off roads, driveways, sidewalks and parking lots. 

To help explore the answers, AZSTORM created a "Stormwater in the Desert" activity book for middle-school students. This colorful and informative activity book walks you through the how rain falls in the Sonoran Desert, the water cycle, watersheds, land topography, surface types, storm safety and what groundwater is. You'll also learn how important it is to keep stormwater from being polluted. At ADOT, for example, we see litter often getting swept up by stormwater, which can clog freeway drainage systems and keep water from getting where it needs to go. 

But this isn't some dry textbook. Along with the facts and explanations, there are puzzles, games, tests and experiments to help you immerse yourself in how water gets around. You'll also find links to websites and online games to help you keep exploring what water means to those living in the desert.

You can find a PDF of the activity book here. 

If you've ever been curious about your city's stormwater system, why flash floods happen or how to help stop water pollution, now is the perfect time to learn! It's another way kids can help Keep Arizona Grand.

EDITOR'S NOTE: During this unprecedented time, ADOT is creating transportation activities for kids. Please visit azdot.gov/ADOTKids or use the hashtag #ADOTKids on ADOT's Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts to see what we have going on. 

By Steve Elliott / ADOT Communications

Thanks to everyone who took part in our first ADOT Kids activity about snowplows! I hope you had fun. We at ADOT sure enjoyed doing it. 

Everyone here loved the colorings you shared. And thanks for sending us so many great questions about snowplows.

As promised, there's a slideshow below with everyone's colorings. At right, you can watch a fun video with an ADOT engineer who knows A LOT about snowplows and how we keep highways safe during winter storms. His name is Jesse Gutierrez, and his job is Deputy State Engineer for Operations. We sure appreciate him answering your questions about snowplows.

We have more fun ADOT Kids activities lined up for you. Until next Wednesday, April 22, we hope you will take part in our Keep It Grand Art Challenge. We want you to use sidewalk chalk or anything else you have handy to encourage people to keep Arizona looking great by not littering. Please follow this link for more information. 

Next Wednesday, April 22, we'll have a new activity about how engineers build bridges. For more ADOT Kids fun, please keep checking back at azdot.gov/blog or by following the #ADOTKids hashtag on our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts. 

Now let's look at this terrific art you sent us!

Please visit azdot.gov/ADOTKids or use the hashtag #ADOTKids on ADOT's Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts to see what we have going on.

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

When ADOT talks trash, it's usually a little different than what most mean by "trash talk." When we "talk trash" it's usually about cleaning up litter along state highways and the Adopt a Highway volunteer program.

Yesterday we launched an activity for kids to submit their version of the Keep it Grand logo, reminding everyone not to litter. We can't wait to see the art you submit to [email protected]! 

Today we have a short quiz to test your knowledge of litter in Arizona and the Adopt a Highway program. You can get answers to the quiz on the ADOT website and the Adopt a Highway site. Good luck! If you get all the answers right, we give you permission to "talk trash!"

EDITOR'S NOTE: During this unprecedented time, ADOT is creating transportation activities for kids. Please visit azdot.gov/ADOTKids or use the hashtag #ADOTKids on ADOT's Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts to see what we have going on. 

By Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

Kids have long been fascinated by ADOT's big bridges and heavy construction equipment. Now they can bring the fun home, minus the concrete, rebar and dust!

As kids have turned to Zoom meetings for online learning or connecting with friends, we're offering custom ADOT backgrounds with future engineers in mind. These backgrounds feature everything from the US 60 bridge crossing Pinto Creek east of the Valley to equipment pushing dirt to build the South Mountain Freeway. For those who like watching things being demolished, there's an option for that too. 

Below are six free downloads for virtual backgrounds that can be used on Zoom meetings. Kids: Be sure to check with your teacher first if you want to use the background during class.

The Zoom website has instructions for uploading and using virtual backgrounds, but here are a few tips we've found helpful:

1. First, start or join a meeting, then try uploading your virtual background.
2. It works best if you're sitting in front of a solid-colored wall. 
3. Turn off "mirroring" so the image isn't reversed.

You can download each of the images below with a right click/save. 

If you love your background, please share a screenshot on social media (with an adult's permission, of course) using the hashtag #ADOTKids. If you have a suggestion for another background, you can also let us know on social media!

 

 

 

 

 

 

EDITOR'S NOTE: During this unprecedented time, ADOT is creating transportation activities for kids. Please visit azdot.gov/ADOTKids or use the hashtag #ADOTKids on ADOT's Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts to see what we have going on. 

Caroline Carpenter / ADOT Communications

Did you know a snowplow weighs as much as five elephants? If you didn't, that means you may have missed our first ADOT Kids blog about snowplows. Over the next few weeks, we'll be helping kids learn more about transportation, construction and engineering. We'll be providing fun, educational activities for kids of all ages. You can search "ADOT Kids" on our website for activities or search social media using the hashtag #ADOTKids. 

Now, back to those really big snowplows! Kids, did you finish your snowplow coloring activity? Make sure you email it to [email protected] so it can be featured on our website! If you haven't finished your coloring project, visit the ADOT Blog to print our snowplow images for coloring. You can also read more about snowplows and watch videos of them in action when you visit the blog. 

After you've emailed your snowplow art to [email protected], take our quiz below to see how much you know about snowplows. If you still have questions about snowplows, get them answered by an ADOT engineer! Email your questions to [email protected] or post them on social media using the hashtag #ADOTKids. 

EDITOR'S NOTE: During this unprecedented time, ADOT is creating transportation activities for kids. Please visit azdot.gov/ADOTKids or use the hashtag #ADOTKids on ADOT's Twitter, Facebook and Instagram accounts to see what we have going on.

By Ryan Harding / ADOT Communications

Did you know that one ADOT snowplow weighs as much as five elephants? That’s 30 tons!

Snowplows keep the highways in Arizona's mountain areas clear of snow and ice to help everyone stay safe. Operating these powerful machines are drivers who receive a lot of training, including spending time in a snowplow simulator machine. That training is important, since a new snowplow costs at least $250,000. 

Check out the video at right showing ADOT snowplows and snowplow drivers in action. It's from 2014. 

A snowplow driver’s job is very important in keeping roads safe for travel. The city of Flagstaff, which is about a two-hour drive north of Phoenix, can get 90 inches of snow in a year. If that all fell at once, it would be taller than Deandre Ayton of the Phoenix Suns!

There are two busy freeways near Flagstaff, Interstate 40 and Interstate 17, so that area has a lot of ADOT plows on the road when it snows. That helps keep everyone safe.  

Snowplow drivers work for 12 hours. That’s like starting when you first get up for school and finishing at dinnertime! Can you imagine sitting behind the wheel of one of these large vehicles in a snowstorm for that long?

If you think that these snowplows are big, check out the second video about the TowPlow. ADOT has two TowPlows. They attach to the back of a regular snowplow, and the driver steers it clear even more snow and ice.

TowPlows are HUGE! They allow one driver in a snowplow to do the work of TWO regular snowplows.

By now, I hope you love snowplows as much as I do. There's lots more to learn about them at a website we call Know Snow. You also can check out our Know Snow YouTube channel with videos about snow, snowplows and winter driving. Both links will take you to lots of safety tips. Most of these safety tips are for drivers, but here's one every kid should know: Never play in the snow next to a highway. One reason is that snowplows throw A LOT of snow and ice way off the roadway. You don't to be in the way when that's happening!

We also have activities for you:

COLOR A PICTURE AND SEND IT TO US: When you color one or both of the snowplow pictures below (click on them for a version you can print), have an adult scan or take a picture of your coloring and email it to [email protected]. We'll add every one we receive by 5 p.m. Wednesday, April 15, to a slideshow and put it right here on Friday, April 17, so you can see your masterpiece along with everyone else's. We've included spaces for you to include your first name (only your first name), your age and where you live. We can't post photos of you with your art, but we'd love to show just your art. UPDATE: We've added a slideshow with everyone's colorings below. 

SEND US QUESTIONS: When an adult emails your picture to [email protected], please send us questions you have about snowplows. We'll share the most popular questions with an ADOT engineer who knows A LOT about snowplows. UPDATE: We've shared this video below in which Jesse Gutierrez, our deputy state engineer for operations, answers your questions. 

I can't wait to see what you do with these drawings and to see what questions you have about ADOT snowplows!

 

Print Snowplow Exterior Sheet

 

Print Snowplow Interior Sheet

Answers to your questions about snowplows!

Thanks for all of your great questions. Here is a video in which Jesse Gutierrez, ADOT's deputy state engineer for operations, answers them.

Here's a slideshow with your art!