How important is water? These kids know
Water Festival held at Riverview Park and Zoo
The future stewards of the environment learned about the importance of water Wednesday at an annual water festival.
Nearly 700 elementary school students participated in the 17th annual Peterborough Children’s Water Festival at Riverview Park and Zoo.
The festival provides engaging and interactive learning opportunities, designed to bridge the gap between science and environmental issues.
It’s spread out over two days, with about 25 area schools taking part. Roughly 1,700 students in Grades 2 to 5 will have attended the festival on Wednesday and when it wraps up Thursday.
Through a series of 36 handson activity centres, students explored concepts of water conservation, technology, protection and science.
The centres were set up throughout the lower grounds of the park, with high school student volunteers manning the activities and providing kids with statistics and facts about water usage and conservation.
Kathy Reid is the communications and marketing co-ordinator for Otonabee Region Conservation Authority (ORCA), one of several members agencies that put on the festival each year.
Reid said the activity centres teach students why water is so important and that maintaining a good, quality supply of water is everyone’s responsibility.
“Each station offers the kids a take away – something that they can learn about water and incorporate that into their daily life,” said Reid.
Elements of math, science, literature and arts are also incorporated into each station, Reid said, so kids are learning curriculum-based knowledge throughout the day as well.
While the education aspect is important, it’s not always top of mind for students.
“The most important to the children is that it’s fun,” said Reid.
This year’s event introduced two new activity centres in the grassy lower area of the zoo, along the river – Salty Solutions and Drop in a Bucket. Other events include a scavenger hunt.
“The students will also be encouraged to take part in a scavenger hunt we call Aqua Quest that test their knowledge of waterrelated facts and figures introduced at the various learning centres,” stated Patricia Skopelianos, chair of the organizing committee, in a press release.
Past years’ favourites such as Healthy Shorelines, Healthy Rivers, Doing the Laundry, Inspector H2O and Tapping the Source were back.
Throughout the last 17 years, the festival has educated more than 23,700 students in the area.
As part of Wednesday’s events, the festival hosted the annual Festival Appreciation Luncheon, aimed at acknowleding the local support the festival receives.
This comes from financial donations and in-kind support .
This year’s special guest was Elder Dorothy Taylor of Curve Lake First Nation.
NOTE: Member agencies taking part in the Children’s Water Festival include Peterborough Utilities, Riverview Park and Zoo, City of Peterborough, GreenUP, Otonabee Conservation, Trent University and the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, as well as numerous community volunteers and participating high school students.