Each year, our first grade students learn about the value of water. They explore the water cycle, scarcity, and do interesting experiments to understand how water impacts our world. Last year, we had the good fortune of Skyping with Splash.org, a devoted group of individuals based in Seattle, Washington but with a team all over the world, working together to bring clean water to children. They really brought to light the efforts that are occurring to ensure that access to clean water is an obtainable goal around the world. We learned about girls who are at a disadvantage having to walk to clean water sources to supply water to their family. We learned about children the same age as our first graders who are so much like us but are suffering for lack of access to clean water. We discovered a variety of different water filtration systems that have been invented to help in these efforts.
We were so inspired by these stories, very different from our own, that we created our own prototypes of water filtration systems. One of my favorite prototypes involved an apparatus that took condensation from clouds to create access to clean water. Each of the groups shared valuable ideas and worked together toward this common goal.
This week, we launched our 2018-2019, water initiative by creating a lesson for the first graders to understand water scarcity through an experiential activity. We signed on to join the Junior Water Walkers, which inspires children to learn about water scarcity, adopt a body of water, protect the water, and finally to walk the water. In an effort to learn more about water scarcity, we shared Joanne Robertson's book, The Water Walker, which tells the original story of Nokomis Josephine Mandamin's Native American culture and the valuable role that waters plays and how her culture works to respect water. The last line of the book ends with "What are you going to do about it?". The hope is that it will inspire students to social action.
Following the telling of Josephine's powerful story, students were put into seven groups and given a "home base". Each individual within the home received a bucket and were assigned a body of water (a section of blue butcher paper laid out on the floor) that they had to journey toward. It was a long walk to their assigned body of water! After all, they had to get to a clean water source, one that was not littered with trash. After reaching their water source, there was so much water in it but their bucket was only so big so they could only fit four drops of water in the bucket. Each water drop represented something different. For example, they could choose a water drop that specified water for brushing teeth, watering a garden, taking a bath, cooking food, drinking water for pets, and more. However, they could only choose four uses for their water as that is all they could contain in their bucket. The decision making was not easy. After they filled their buckets, they journeyed back to their home base. In small groups within their "family", they shared their water selection choices and discussed why they chose what they did, how they prioritized, and what was difficult to leave behind. After having our family meetings, as a larger group, we discussed what we would do tonight to help preserve water. The suggestions were fantastic: turn off the water while brushing our teeth, don't flush the toilet every time when it isn't necessary, and only fill our water glasses with the amount water that we know we will drink because we can always come back for more.
We were so inspired by these stories, very different from our own, that we created our own prototypes of water filtration systems. One of my favorite prototypes involved an apparatus that took condensation from clouds to create access to clean water. Each of the groups shared valuable ideas and worked together toward this common goal.
This week, we launched our 2018-2019, water initiative by creating a lesson for the first graders to understand water scarcity through an experiential activity. We signed on to join the Junior Water Walkers, which inspires children to learn about water scarcity, adopt a body of water, protect the water, and finally to walk the water. In an effort to learn more about water scarcity, we shared Joanne Robertson's book, The Water Walker, which tells the original story of Nokomis Josephine Mandamin's Native American culture and the valuable role that waters plays and how her culture works to respect water. The last line of the book ends with "What are you going to do about it?". The hope is that it will inspire students to social action.
Following the telling of Josephine's powerful story, students were put into seven groups and given a "home base". Each individual within the home received a bucket and were assigned a body of water (a section of blue butcher paper laid out on the floor) that they had to journey toward. It was a long walk to their assigned body of water! After all, they had to get to a clean water source, one that was not littered with trash. After reaching their water source, there was so much water in it but their bucket was only so big so they could only fit four drops of water in the bucket. Each water drop represented something different. For example, they could choose a water drop that specified water for brushing teeth, watering a garden, taking a bath, cooking food, drinking water for pets, and more. However, they could only choose four uses for their water as that is all they could contain in their bucket. The decision making was not easy. After they filled their buckets, they journeyed back to their home base. In small groups within their "family", they shared their water selection choices and discussed why they chose what they did, how they prioritized, and what was difficult to leave behind. After having our family meetings, as a larger group, we discussed what we would do tonight to help preserve water. The suggestions were fantastic: turn off the water while brushing our teeth, don't flush the toilet every time when it isn't necessary, and only fill our water glasses with the amount water that we know we will drink because we can always come back for more.
To conclude the water launch, we watched a clip from the short film When A Town Runs Dry produced by Joris Debeij and shared by the Global Oneness Project. The film is told from the perspective of a farmer, a high school football coach, and a grocery store owner, each of which share their story of how their central California town is impacted by a water shortage. We recognized that water shortages are not just an issue in third world countries but can impact us right here in the United States, again begging us to ask the question, "What are you going to do about it?".
Just as water is part of a natural cycle, we will circle back to water again. Our eighth graders this year will participate in a One Book, One Read program reading A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park. We strive to inspire our community to take social action and hope that the exposure to these stories will move our students to do something about it.
