World Water Day is a great chance to teach your kids about the importance of water. Often we take water for granted so it's crucial to teach them to appreciate how lucky we are to have clean, safe water from a young age. Be a part of World Water Day by introducing your family to an educational activity, trying a few long-term tricks to monitor water use at home, or ‘Going Blue’ and donating to charity.
WHAT IS WORLD WATER DAY?
World Water Day is an international day of observance that encourages people to not only learn more about how water impacts the lives of others, but also to teach people new ways to positively impact water usage world wide. This year, charities such as Water Aid and Just a Drop are encouraging people to ‘Go Blue’ on World Water Day to show their support and raise money to help those who do not have access to clean water.
There’s plenty of things you can do – paint your face blue, dress in blue, or bake some blue cakes. Kids are bound to love the opportunity to get messy, but will also enjoy learning some World Water Day facts & raising awareness for a good cause.
WORLD WATER DAY ACTIVITIES
When we’re little and the world is such a big place, water is one of a million things that we explore on a daily basis. As we grow older, we learn more about the importance of water and just how many ways it impacts us. If you’re looking for a way to make World Water Day for kids an educational and fun experience, consider making rain inside your home!
YOU’LL NEED:
A glass jar
A plate
Hot water
Ice cubes
Gather the family around the kitchen worktop and pour about 5ml of hot water into the jar. Cover the jar with a plate and pause for a moment. Take this opportunity to ask your little ones what they think is going to happen. This is a great time to explain how water impacts their surroundings: the food they eat, the gardens they play in, the bath they take at night. It’s all affected by water! While they’re trying to figure out what will happen, put the ice cubes on the plate and make sure they watch inside the jar. Pretty soon, the hot and cold elements will cause the water in the jar to condense, rise into the air, and form rain droplets from the top of the plate! Once the water has cooled, make sure you re-use it to avoid unnecessary waste. You could use it to water a houseplant or even rinse some dishes.
For more information on how we use water every day, check out this article that connects the use of water with things you and your children come into contact daily. You might be surprised!
Remember – all kids’ activities need adult supervision. Always supervise your kids when using hot objects, and read all instructions before starting a craft or game.
MORE WORLD WATER DAY IDEAS
To keep your kids thinking about water use on World Water Day and beyond, consider trying some of the activities below:
Make a Checklist: Have each member of your family tick a chart each time they use water and get together at the end of a week to think about ways you can cut back. For ideas, check out our article on how to save water: one of our top tips is to use Persil Liquid when doing the laundry. It's formula is concentrated and works brilliantly even in a quick wash!
Be a Detective: Put on your best spy suit and take the family on a new kind of treasure hunt, checking for leaks around your house.
Take a Family Trip: Plan an excursion to a nearby (or far away) ocean, lake, or aquarium and see first hand how many awesome forms of life depend on water.
Did you and your family have a little rain shower inside? Tell us which activities you tried and let us know what other facts about World Water Day you learned along the way in the comments below!