Millions of children around the world wake up each morning without access to safe water to drink or brush their teeth with. In fact, did you know there are 2.2 billion (!) people on our planet who don’t have access to this basic need? For these children and their families, water can mean health, hygiene, dignity and productivity.
Today is World Water Day 2021, which is the perfect opportunity to teach our children about how precious H2O is – and what we can do to help preserve it for other kids all over the world!
Here in Perth, Western Australia, most of us are lucky enough to have access to an abundance of clean water to use for drinking, playing and watering the plants – so, it can be easy to forget that millions of children in other parts of the world aren’t so lucky. Want to teach your children about saving water? Whether you’re an early educator, are training to work in an early education setting or are a parent keen to teach your littles ones about the value of water, here are a few ideas you might like to try with your kids today:
1) Grab a piece of paper or coloured cardboard and add a sticker each time you use water throughout the whole day. Afterwards, count your stickers and brainstorm ways you could reduce this water usage tally tomorrow.
2) Have a ‘race’ to see who in your family can have the quickest shower (you can just use the timer setting on your IPhone). If your kids have baths, can they have a shallower bath tonight?
3) Go on a detective hunt looking for any leaks around your house or garden.
4) Cook a delicious meat-free dinner tonight, then chat with your family about how veggies and grains need less water to grow than meat does.
5) Plant a tree in your garden to help keep our water clean.
We would love to hear your water-saving ideas!! If you’re a parent, an early educator in Perth (or both!), we’d love to know any clever tips or games you have for teaching children about how to look after our precious water resources in the comments below.
Are you an early childhood educator looking to upskill to a Diploma qualification? Or perhaps you’re considering beginning your journey to train as an educator in the early childhood education sector? Here at Meerilinga in Perth, we offer excellent professional training, including the CHC30113 Certificate III in Early Childhood Education and Care, and the CHC50113 Diploma if Early Childhood Education and Care. Want to find out more info? Click here