Our Water Matters Competition Teachers’ Notes BHee has teamed up with the Brighton Festival and Southern Water to launch a competition focusing on water, a resource on which all our lives depend, yet many of us take for granted. This is a great opportunity for children, teachers and parents all over the city to start discussing: Where does the water we use in Brighton & Hove come from? How does it get to our houses / schools / workplaces? Where does it go when we flush it down the drain? How can we help look to look after this vital resource? The competition challenges pupils to think of ways that they, their families and their schools can save water. A simple template allows individuals, small groups and Eco Committees to submit their ideas, responding to the question ‘What is YOUR idea for saving water?’ Having drawn a picture to illustrate their idea, older pupils can add annotation to explain their idea in more detail; younger children may want to dictate an explanation or labels to an adult. We have water-themed Brighton Festival goody bags for the best ideas, and are looking forward to fantastic entries from pupils from Nursery to Y6. The competition template has been emailed to the Eco Co-ordinator in all Brighton & Hove primary schools, or can be downloaded here: www.bhee.co.uk/index.php/competition The closing date for entries is Friday 12th June. Introducing the competition: Our Water Matters videos To launch the competition, we recommend two new videos which focus on the water cycle in our unique local environment, now a UNESCO ‘World Biosphere Region’. Both have been produced for a KS2 audience, but could be used with KS1 pupils with appropriate adult explanation. Animation (6 mins) produced by the University of Brighton with Patcham High students. Fly-through in Minecraft (2 mins) produced by BlockBuilders with Patcham High Students. Both videos can be viewed here: http://biospherehere.org.uk/resources/video/ Show them in assembly to involve the whole school, during lessons or in an Eco Committee meeting. If you would like copies sent via file-sharing site please email: [email protected]. Continued overleaf Using the Our Water Matters competition template There are several ways to use the competition template: As a whole school home-work challenge - encourage children to talk to their families about ways they can save water at home. Older children might like to think about how they could involve people in their local community in saving water e.g., their football club or brownie pack. With the Eco Committee – focus on how the school can save water, and add your ideas to your Eco-Schools Action Plan. This could be the perfect way to launch a whole-school water-saving campaign. Linked to the curriculum – the competition supports KS2 work on the water cycle, as well as work on rocks and soils, as our local water cycle is closely linked to the geology of the South Downs. Or how about learning about the issues and using them as a topic for persuasive writing? Extension for Upper KS2 The competition is designed to be simple so that even the youngest primary pupils can take part. Of course the judges will be looking for more imaginative and sophisticated ideas from older KS2 pupils! As part of your introduction to the competition you could explore: Less common ways of saving water, such as rainwater harvesting to flush toilets. Ways we can look after our water by limiting the pollutants that we put down our drains. The Southern Water booklet ‘An Underground Tale’ introduces children to one problem: the ‘fatbergs’ caused by accumulation of fat, oil and grease in our sewers. (See supporting resources below.) Another example often visible on our local beaches is the sticks from cotton wool buds, which pass through purification filters (www.sas.org.uk/campaign/think-before-you-flush/). How we can take care of our ground water, the source of all of our drinking water, by being careful what we do to our land above e.g., minimising the use of use of chemicals in your school grounds / garden. The different ways people access and use water around the world. The energy used to pump and purify our water, and the impacts of this energy use. Supporting resources Southern Water: www.southernwater.co.uk/primary Resources for primary schools, including 4 online flipbooks. Water Explorer: www.globalactionplan.org.uk/get-involved-with-water-explorer A fun online programme that sets a range of water-based challenges for 8-14 yr olds. WaterAid: www.wateraid.org/uk/audience/schools/the-water-resource Sign up for a free teachers’ pack, including curriculum-linked resources and stickers. Oxfam: www.oxfam.org.uk/education/resources/water-for-all An interactive resource featuring colour photos to teach about water and its significance, with a particular focus on the global dimension. The Brighton & Lewes Downs Biosphere: http://biospherehere.org.uk/the-hidden-treasure-beneath-our-feet Fascinating information about our local environment, including habitat maps and a blog on the groundwater environment.