The Magic of Water Leaves Kids Spell Bound!

27 August 2014 12:18

Ali and Marcia -Ann from Castlewellan attempt to turn dirty water into safe clean water but discover the process isn’t as simple as “Abracadabra” as schools across Northern Ireland prepare for the start of the new term, and are invited to discover the magic of how NI Water cleans water and sewage, reinforcing the importance of water for all aspects of life.  
10,000 primary and secondary school pupils were visited by our Education Team in the last school year; an increase of 1,000 pupils from the previous year.
Pupils from across 150 schools listened to our educators talk about how to save water; how much water to drink; what not to flush down the loo; water conservation and some even had the chance to see a working sewage works! That’s without mentioning the chance to become a nature detective for a tour around the scenic Silent Valley Reservoir and become a passenger on our travelling classroom, the Waterbus!
Jane Jackson, Environmental Education Manager at NI Water, comments: “We had a really busy year in 2013/14, visiting over 150 schools across the country. We had lots of fun teaching the children about water, sewage and how we all have roles to play in both conserving water and breaking the habits of flushing the wrong things down the sewer.
“We are also delighted to announce our victory in winning the ‘Waterwise Community Award’ for our roles on the Waterbus in the Environment Agency and Waterwise UK Water Efficiency Awards.
‘‘We are looking forward to getting out and about again in the new school year and bringing the Wonderful World of Water to more children.’’
Anna Marshall, NI Water’s Outreach and Learning Officer talks about what she enjoys about her job: “What I always find funny is when we are talking to the children about the sewerage system, that they are afraid (at first) to talk about or even say the word ‘poo’! This lesson always gets a few giggles but the message goes through, ‘only flush the 3p’s: Paper, Poo and Pee!
“The Silent Valley visit is always fun too, as the children really enjoy stepping into the role of nature detectives and spotting all the different bugs and insects.”
Signed up for the programme in this new school year are over 110 schools to date. If you are a teacher and would like your class to get involved with NI Water’s Education programme, email education@niwater.com