Childrens Water Festival Makes a Big Splash
By Kathy Parker
After 14 years of entertaining and educating 4th grade students, the Children’s Water Festival has been upgraded and updated.
A new home at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley is the perfect venue for this free, day long event. Water Festival presentations and exhibits fit nicely into the Student Center or are under the sun on the campus lawns. Three ballrooms, a fireside lobby and atrium allow for creative arrangements of presentations and exhibits. With over 65 presenters and 1100 students attending, it’s vital that classes be able to move easily and quickly from one interactive presentation to the next. UNC hits the mark.
The theme for this May’s festival, “Wild about Water,” opened the door for innovative ideas in water education. Fresh presentations and exhibits were featured including a live bald eagle and owl brought by the Rocky Mountain Raptor Center. An airy upstairs room devoid of furniture created a serene atmosphere for students to sit on the floor and be as close as possible to the majestic predators. In awe the children watched every movement of the birds while the handlers told how raptors cannot survive without clean water.
Inside the earth balloon at the Water Festival.
Photo: Greley Tribune
Other festival firsts included a water magician who delighted and amazed, a puppet show about water and story-teller complete with comfy chairs by the fireplace.
Most important were the end results of the presentations. A teacher from Cameron School remarked “My students became more aware of water issues regarding conservation, pollution, and the significance of water for life. This was an effective and fun reinforcement of our life science curriculum.”
The Water Wizard competion (a water knowledge trivia bowl) saw changes, and now questions are presented with computer graphics on a large screen. Kids use electronic buzzers and colored lights to add to the excitement of competing in teams for the correct answers to questions about water. The popularity of Water Wizards has grown, with two challenges needing to be scheduled.
Organizational changes contributed to the overall success. A newly formed Children’s Water Festival Committee helped with event planning. Committee members volunteered for months, convinced of the importance of the festival. Members included Dr. William Hoyt from UNC, Gabrielle Vergara from the Weld County Health Department, Paulette Weaver from the Poudre Learning Center, Lynn Perrich, Dos Rios Elementary School 5th Grade Teacher and Heather Lawrence from the UNC staff.
Numerous volunteers are needed every year to help run the festival. This year they received more training than ever. Volunteers were recruited from CCWCD, the City of Greeley, students at UNC, the Exchange Club of Greeley and students from St. Mary’s Catholic School. Each volunteer wore a festival tee shirt, making it easier for classes and presenters to find someone when they needed help. The tee shirt design highlighting the festival theme was designed by a Greeley Central High School student who entered the design contest. Derek Murata won a $100 gift certificate to the UNC Bookstore for his art work.
Festival organizers received a huge helping hand this year from Colorado businesses who sponsored portions of the festival. These sponsorships helped defray costs and covered the expense of a school bus, allowing a class to attend that otherwise would not have been able to.
Another first for the Festival was inviting home schooled children to attend. These students came all the way from the Hudson area and were so excited to participate.
The Festival Committee and event organizers are preparing for the 2010 Festival, which will take place May 12. They’ll continue to look for new ways to keep the Children’s Water Festival fresh and exciting.
As one teacher commented, “I love the fact that the kids had studied water and then it was applied throughout the event. I think you did a great job in educating before and after! Way to go!”