Children's Water Festivals

Introduction

Each year, students from across the state have the opportunity to participate in a fun-filled, educational day of water-related activities at a Children's Water Festival. The day is filled with hands-on classroom activities, an exhibit hall, entertainment, and water-focused investigations.

Southern Maine Children's Water Festival May 2010 at the University of Southern Maine in Portland

Application Deadline: January 22, 2010

Applications will be sent out in mid-December via email. If you are a 4th, 5th, or 6th grade teacher in York, Cumberland, Androscoggin, Oxford, Franklin, Sagadahoc, Lincoln, or Kennebec counties, you and your students are eligible to attend. If you have not received an application, but would like to bring your students, please fill out the application below and email it to Camilla Fecteau at the Portland Water District.

Please join us in May 2010!!

2010 Informational Letter (msword file and pdf file)
2010 Children's Water Festival Application (msword file and pdf file)

Northern Maine Children's Water Festival- University of Maine

The next Northern Maine festival will be held in October 2010. Applications will be available in April of 2010 . If you have any questions, contact Ruth Hallsworth at Ruth_Hallsworth@umit.maine.edu or 581-3196.

What is a festival like and what will students learn about? Check out these resources:

Water Festival brochure with more information on Maine's Children's Water Festivals.
Here is an example of a water festival: Look at the links below to see information on the 2003 Southern Maine Children's Water Festival. It was held on May 23rd at the University of Southern Maine, Gorham Campus. Twelve schools from six southern Maine counties sent their fifth and sixth grade students and teachers. We had over 750 students, and more than 50 teachers and chaperones attending the festival. Pictures and more information on a recent festival.
Iinformation and pictures from an earlier Festival.

What did students do for the day?

Students worked in teams to interpret clues to find out where in a watershed certain water samples came from. Students heard songs about water and sang along with Maine's own Matt Loosigian of Earth Jams. Students attended classroom presentations on many water topics including invasive aquatic species, water conservation, the animals found in vernal pools, and how sediments can affect water quality. Students explored the many activities in the exhibit hall, which provided hands-on learning opportunities such as papermaking, aquatic bird adaptations, a ground water pollution hunt, marine animal touch tank, and how to work in hazardous material protection gear.

students trying on haz mat gear

Events & Presentations