Water lessons filter through on World Water Day

22/03/2017

Children at one Auckland primary school celebrated World Water Day by creating and testing their own water filters.

Mt Carmel School in Meadowbank is participating in the Watercare Education Programme this term. 

Watercare education coordinator Sally Smith is taking drinking water lessons for students aged between 5 and 11 years old.

“World Water Day is held every year on March 22, but this year it’s more important than ever for Aucklanders to be thinking about their water usage,” Sally says.

“I’m talking to the children about how drinking water in Auckland is treated, and how our Hūnua dams have been affected by the recent ‘Tasman Tempest’ weather event.”

The lessons are tailored to different age groups. Each includes a drama session in which children play the role of a water drop going through the water cycle, as well as the chance for the kids to test their own water filters using sand, bark, paper towels and cotton wool.

Mt Carmel School assistant principal Amy Massey says this is the first time the school has participated in the Watercare Education Programme.

“Our science focus this term is all about water. We’re looking at the properties of water and learning about water as a resource, and how we need to look after it.

“We’ve already had Sally here taking water experiment lessons and the feedback has been amazing. The kids were really engaged and have been learning lots.”

Sally is also giving the children tips on how to be waterwise – a particularly pertinent message while the city is striving to meet our daily water usage target of 400 million litres or less.

Watercare has supplied more than 1000 Auckland schools and early childhood education centres with posters encouraging kids to reduce their water use by 20 litres a day for the next few weeks.

The Watercare Education Programme is a free programme for primary and intermediate schools. About 8000 Auckland schoolchildren participate in it each year. 

More ideas on how to Be Waterwise can be found here