LIHUE — “It works!” chirped a team of students from Kekaha School. They watched water drip from a filter they created Thursday during the Make A Splash water education day at the park fronting the former administrative offices for the
LIHUE — “It works!” chirped a team of students from Kekaha School.
They watched water drip from a filter they created Thursday during the Make A Splash water education day at the park fronting the former administrative offices for the county Department of Water.
Starting with a glass of murky water sprinkled with vegetative debris, the students watched the glass of water turn clear after being filtered during an exercise in percolation hosted by Aqua Engineers.
The station was just one of 10, including Healthy Habits, Long Haul, H20 Olympics, Sum of the Parts, O‘opu Life Cycle, Humpty Dumpty, 8-4-1 One for All, The Incredible Journey, Understanding Ground Water, and a final station hosted by the Kauai Fire Department.
Each station offered a facet of water education while being sprinkled with hefty doses of hands-on interaction for nearly 900 fifth-grade students.
“This is the most students we’ve had since we started doing Make A Splash 14 years ago,” said Jonell Kaohelauli‘i, DOW spokesperson.
She said the event provides a unique opportunity for students to learn about the importance of water conservation, natural eco systems, marine life, source water, and the impact people have on water future.
Each station presentation was influenced by the Project WET Foundation, a Montana-based organization which develops and delivers water-education resources, organizes special water events, manages a worldwide network of local implementing partners, and advocates for the role of water education in solving the world’s most pressing water issues.
“We’re so grateful for all our environmentally concerned partners who make this event happen every year,” Kaohelauli‘i said. “This event is so cool because it takes a long time to put together and even our staff learns things while preparing for the day. This pushes them beyond their specialty and professional areas. Everyone takes away something they can apply for the rest of their lives. It is really awesome.”
