With the temperatures soaring, keeping hydrated is crucial. This also is the time of year when people enjoy outdoor recreation, from backyard barbecues and swimming to hiking and camping. These activities depend on clean water and air. Sometimes we take for granted the air we breathe and the water we drink – they always seem readily available.

Tomorrow, Explorit visitors will gain a better appreciation for clean water and air. Between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m., a Family Explorations program titled “The Air We Breathe, the Water We Drink” will take place in Explorit’s west wing classroom, located at 3141 Fifth St. in Davis. This program is free with paid admission to the exhibit hall. Guests will have the opportunity to learn about air and water pollutants and how scientists go about detecting them. Hands-on experiments, water tests and activities will help visitors learn how to protect our natural resources.

Although about 70 percent of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, only 5 percent of that water is fresh water that is available for use by humans and animals. About 15 percent of all water is frozen in ice caps and glaciers, and the remaining 80 percent is salt water. Program participants will make a bracelet to wear and take home that is a visual representation of these statistics. They will also have the opportunity to perform water quality tests and create and observe models that emphasize that each person’s activities do impact watersheds and water quality.

On the topic of air, Explorit visitors will learn that atmospheric layer closest to the Earth is called the troposphere, and the concentration of pollutants in the troposphere is increasing. Each day, scientists measure five contaminants – ozone, particulate matter, carbon monoxide, nitrous oxides and sulfur dioxide. Their findings make up the Air Quality Index (AQI), which is reported on the news and in the weather section of the newspaper.

The numbers of the AQI range from 0 to 500. Ideally, the AQI would not rise about 50. If the number reaches 150 or higher, people are encouraged to limit their outdoor physical activity. For more air quality information, check out www.airnow.gov.

As part of their discovery about air pollution, Explorit guests will observe pollutants under a microscope. Then, they’ll learn specific actions they can take to reduce the pollutants in the air.

Tomorrow’s “The Air We Breathe, the Water We Drink” is sponsored by Davis Waste Removal. This program will be repeated on Saturday, Aug. 19.

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Explorit Science Center is at 3141 Fifth St. in East Davis. The current exhibition is "Way to Grow: Health and the Human Body,” which continues through Sept. 10. Public hours are Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Tuesday through Friday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. For mo