Environment DEC
From the November 2003 issue
"Make a Splash with Project WET" Water Festival Held
On a beautiful, late September day, about 400 schoolchildren from the City of Syracuse and their teachers participated in DEC's Fourth Annual "Make a Splash with Project WET" (Water Education for Teachers) Water Festival. DEC's Environmental Education Program organized and staffed the event, which was held in Long Branch Park on the shores of Onondaga Lake in Liverpool, near Syracuse.
The festival was full of activities related to the water cycle, point and non-point source pollution, springs and stormwater runoff. The Incredible Journey Workshop took students through the water cycle. In this exercise, students pretended to be water molecules, and-moving from station to station just as water moves from location to location-the students discovered how water constantly changes form. Students experienced how water moves through soil, clouds and water bodies, and through animals and plants as well.
Another activity, called Sum of the Parts, gave students a new perspective on sources of pollution, including themselves. Each child received virtual roadfront property, which they could develop in whatever way they wanted. However, their land was polluted with stormwater runoff. The students, who had great plans for their parcels, decided to implement Best Management Practices to reduce pollution, which included curbing their own bad habits. Rounding out the day, staff from Rogers Environment Education Center participated with students in a skit about pollutants and their effects on a neighborhood storm drain.
Here, students learn how water is
filtered as it moves through various
substances, including sand and soil
History of Splash Festival
Nationally, the Make a Splash Water Festival is one of the largest environmental education events in the country, with 149 festivals conducted in 52 states and provinces this year. The national Make A Splash Festival is organized by Project WET, with support from Nestle Waters North America. Project WET is an international, interdisciplinary, water science and education program for formal and non-formal educators of kindergarten through twelfth-grade students. The festivals bring together parents, students, teachers, government officials, and clean water enthusiasts of all kinds for one cause: to raise awareness of the need for water education and to draw attention to the vital role this precious resource plays in our everyday lives.
Each year, the festival is held at a different location within New York State. In past years, festivals have been held in New York City and Albany. The event always draws large numbers of students, teachers, and even a few elected officials.
