Hosted by the Department of Water and several of its community partners, more than 650 students in the fifth grade were immersed in water education at the Vidinha Stadium soccer fields during the Make a Splash with Project WET festival.
WET stands for “Water Education Today,” and is based on the Common Core Standards, Next Generation Science Standards, and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics, or STEM, Educational Coalition objectives, states a press release from the DOW.
Project WET is a curriculum designed to empower educators to engage young people in understanding water and solving local and global challenges. The hands-on, investigative activities of Make A Splash prepare students for the water resource challenges of this century.
This is the 20th year DOW has presented Make a Splash, and Kauai is the only island in the state that provides the single-day water education festival for fifth-grade students. This brought volunteers from the neighbor island Department of Water to Kauai to help with instructing the field of hungry learners.
“DOW is committed to educating our young people on the issue of water,” said Joe Tait, DOW’s manager and Chief Engineer. “We hope to inspire them to protect, conserve, and best manage Kauai’s water resources for generations to come.”
Participating schools included the Elsie Wilcox Elementary School, Hanalei Elementary School, Island School, the Kanuikapono Public Charter School, Kapaa Elementary School, the Kauai Christian Academy, Kekaha Elementary School, Kilauea Elementary School, the King Kaumualii Elementary School, and the Koloa Elementary School.
Students were grouped to visit eight different activity stations guided by the Project WET Foundation’s curriculum and instructed by water department professionals, community groups, and specially-trained cadets from the Kapaa High School JROTC.
Topics included the movement of water through the water cycle, source pollution, groundwater extraction, water management challenges, the impact of water consumption on the local water supply, water’s adhesive and cohesive properties, environmental restoration, marine mammal rescue and response, and water conservation.
One of the more popular activities is called The Long Haul, where students compete in a bucket brigade-style competition to fill a barrel of water. DOW professionals cannot help but become involved in the relay races, resulting in wet clothes all around and a lot of laughter and smiles.
Partner agencies contributing to the success of Make A Splash with Project WET include Aqua Engineers, the Catholic Charities of Hawaii, the City and County of Honolulu, Stormwater Quality Division, the Department of Land and Natural Resources, Division of Aquatic Resources, DLNR, Division of Forestry and Wildlife, East &West Soil &Water Conservation Districts, the Grove Farm Company, The Hawaii Community Foundation, the Hawaii Department of Health-Safe Water Drinking Branch, the Hawaii Department of Transportation, the Hawaii Department of Water Supply, Hawaii Rural Water Association, the Hawaii Water Environment Association, the Kapaa High School JROTC, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration-Kauai Marine Mammal Response Program, and The Nature Conservancy.
Source: The Garden Island
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