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.