The Peterborough Children’s Water Festival is going virtual in 2021 with fun and educational activities for children throughout the month of May. Instead of students and teachers “bringing the blue” to Peterborough’s Riverview Park and Zoo this year, they will be bringing their enthusiasm for learning to the screen as the festival flows into classrooms and homes.
Each Wednesday in May mark your calendars as #WaterWednesday! One of many opportunities to splash with water on Wednesdays, the Peterborough Children’s Water Festival will welcome a new water-related theme each week with guest stars from the community, videos, and all the hands-on fun the festival is known and loved for.
Participants will learn about cultural perspectives on water, water conservation, protection of water, and water science and technology.
The Peterborough Children’s Water Festival is a powerful and fun opportunity to learn about the many ways that we interact with and impact water each day.
A highlight of the first-ever online festival will be virtual field trips across the Otonabee Watershed, including a stop at the City of Peterborough’s wastewater treatment plant.
Thousands of students will be joining Kent Keeling, chief environmental officer with the City of Peterborough and long-time festival steering committee member, on a behind the scenes tour to discover what really happens to water after we flush our toilets.
“Quite often when giving tours of the wastewater treatment plant, I run into people with a flush-it-and-forget-it mentality,” observes Keeling. “If you have never given it any thought, it can be quite surprising how much science and technology goes into the wastewater treatment process in order to protect our local watershed.”
In addition to letting thousands of students explore through virtual field trips, taking the festival online gives us a chance to look at our impacts on water from new perspectives. Since students will join the fun through the use of technology, we will explore the relationship between water and computers, tablets, and phones.
For instance, did you know that it can take up to 333 litres (or one full bathtub) of water to make one laptop? There will be lots of learning for us all!
The grand finale of the 2021 virtual Peterborough Children’s Water Festival will move us from education to action.
Over the last three years the festival and GreenUP have partnered on the Wonders of Water program, which supported schools and students with deep learning experiences and on-the-ground actions. We will wrap the festival sharing these experiences, inspiring all participating students and schools to equip themselves with the knowledge needed to improve their impact on water.
Join us! Registration is open at pcwf.net and there are a few spaces left for teachers within the City and County of Peterborough.
Still want to participate even if you are not in Grades 2 to 5? We want you to inspire us and others by following #WaterWednesday and @ptbogreenup on social media and sharing your water wisdom.
Here are three ways to bring some Peterborough Children’s Water Festival activities and #WaterWednesday into your home this May:
1. Be a water watcher, not a water waster
Become an “H20 Holmes” detective!
Explore your home to make note of where water enters and exists your home (taps, drains, etc.).
Check each tap closely to ensure that you spot zero leaks!
2. Race against the clock
Start a friendly competition in your house to see who can be the cleanest, yet have the shortest, showers.
Use a handy kitchen timer (or timer on your phone) to track how long you are in the shower.
Live alone? Each time you shower try to decrease your time by one minute!
3. Show your gratitude for water
When you first use water in the morning (brushing your teeth, filling the kettle, etc.), say thank you to water four times.
Then cut out a paper water droplet shape, and colour or paint a message of gratitude to water.
The Peterborough Children’s Water Festival is a community event for children in Grades 2 to 5. The festival provides students with the opportunity to discover the importance and diversity of water.
The festival works in partnership with educators, water quality and quantity specialists, community volunteers, conservation groups, industry and government to create a festival full of activities that are educational and fun.
To register, financially support, or find out more, visit pcwf.net or email info@pcwf.net.
