Thousands of students are descending on the CM Wilson Conservation Area this week to learn more about water.
The 11th edition of the Chatham-Kent and Lambton Children’s Water Festival is underway, teaching elementary school students about five main water themes: science, technology, conservation, protection, and attitude. Dozens of hands-on activities are being offered in a giant outdoor classroom environment.
Some of the activities include First Nations Traditional Ecological Knowledge and highlight our partnerships with local First Nations communities in our watershed to enhance stewardship and species at risk efforts.
The water festival also includes messaging around climate change, and specifically shares with and teaches youth about the local impacts climate change has on our communities such as lakeshore flooding and erosion, algae blooms in the lakes and rivers, and methods to reduce phosphorus run off.
300 high school volunteers and 400 teachers and parents are also taking part in this unique educational experience.
“One of the goals of attending the festival is for students to learn and become catalysts for change by taking the knowledge and newfound respect for water back to their homes, schools and communities,” organizers say in a news release. “Teachers, parent leaders and students always come away from this event with new ideas and positive perceptions around environmental initiatives and it is our hope that this leads to future citizens with more awareness of environmental issues.”