Marisa O’NeilThe Children’s Water Education Festival should...
Marisa O’Neil
The Children’s Water Education Festival should come with a disclaimer
-- “Warning: You will get wet.”
Thousands of students, including classes from Newport-Mesa
schools, enjoyed the eighth annual festival, put on by the Orange
County Water District on Tuesday and Wednesday. Third- and
fourth-graders visited exhibits designed to soak as well as educate
them about conservation and environmental issues.
“Our hope is that they will take everything they learn back to
their schools, back to their communities, parents, brothers and
sisters,” festival director Rebecca Long said. “Children are our
future. It’s up to them to make the world a better place.”
A series of interactive displays taught students about recycling,
ocean creatures, environmental issues and little-known facts.
“There’s 10% water in bread,” said Chad Fackler, a 9-year-old
California Elementary School student.
“And 87% water in cranberries,” added classmate Sara Eling, 8.
Gary Poe, executive director of the Windows-on-Our-Waters
environmental education program, taught the students that plastic
grocery bags can kill animals who swallow them or can break down and
scatter through the environment. Litter can wind up in sea life,
which in turn ends up in products most people use or eat.
Some cookies, for example, contain seaweed. And fish scales help
make lip gloss glossy.
“Ewwww!” students said, cringing at the thought.
The Aquarium of the Pacific exhibit had spiny urchins, squishy sea
snails and even baby swell sharks for students to touch. Children
could play Water Jeopardy, a Wastewater Survivor obstacle course and
Who Wants to Go to Disneyland? to win tickets to the happiest place
on Earth.
At the Water Traveler exhibit, California Elementary School
students learned that half of the world’s population have sewer
systems more primitive than the ancient Romans and Greeks. To
demonstrate, they constructed a water pipeline and a human chain to
compare water transportation methods.
Students had to sit, one in front of the other, and pass a series
of cups filled with water to the person behind them. Problem is, one
of the cups had holes in the bottom.
“I got dropped on,” 9-year-old Miguel Florentino laughed as he
shook water off his soaked baseball cap.
But for all the fun and games, they learned how to take better
care of the world around them.
“Pick up trash or recycle it,” Lisa Hyndman, 9, advised. “And
don’t throw oil down the drain.”
* MARISA O’NEIL covers education. She may be reached at (949)
574-4268 or by e-mail at marisa.oneil@latimes.com.
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