Pre-Festival Activities

Introduce water concepts in class before your festival to prepare students for the day and put the festival in context. Teachers should utilize activities that support your goals and objectives. A few recommendations include:

Water Words Pre-Test
Determine key vocabulary that will be used at your festival and conduct a pre-test to assess student knowledge.
Sample vocabulary words and definitions

Water Models
Students construct models of the water cycle to illustrate its major components and processes, and adapt their models to show how they think water would cycle in various ecosystems. View an animated tutorial and print activity. Requires Flash player.

Water Festival Journal
Discuss expectations of the festival. Have students create questions about water they would like to ask at the festival and record them in a journal they will carry at the festival.
Download printable journal


Day of Festival Activities


We encourage you to use the following Project WET activities at your festival. To attend a Project WET Educators Workshop, receive our books, and learn more outstanding activities contact the Project WET coordinator in your state.

The Incredible Journey With the roll of a die, students simulate the movement of water within the water cycle. View animated tutorial and print activity. Requires Flash player.
Get the Ground Water Picture Students will “get the ground water picture” and learn about basic ground water principles as they create their own geologic cross section or earth window. We suggest using Part I and II and following up in class with Part III. View animated tutorial and print activity. Requires Flash player.
Springing to Life Students investigate springs by studying the components of a spring and constructing spring models. View animated tutorial and print activity.
Springing into Action Students construct a model of an aquifer, then role play moving through aquifer layers and emerging at a spring. View animated tutorial and print activity. Requires Flash player.

Post-Festival Activities


After festival day you can follow-up with concepts that were covered to see how your goals and objectives were met. A few recommendations include:

Get the Ground Water Picture Part III of activity. View animated tutorial and print activity. Requires Flash player.

Incredible Journey Water Story:
Have students write down the story of their journey throught the water cycle. Have them share their stories with the class.

Water Word Post-Test:
Test student knowledge of water vocabulary after the festival. Sample vocabulary words.

Journal Follow-Up:
Have students share their journal entries from the day of the festival. Have the write down questions that they still have about the water topics that were covered. Have them research the answers to the questions.


Additional Suggested Stations


These activities will help round out your festival. Feel free to add others!

Non-Point Source Pollution:
Teach student about what your community is doing to address NPS pollution.

Macroinvertebrate Investigation:
Learn to identify aquatic macroinvertebrates in your local lakes and streams. Follow up with the Project WET activity Macroinvertebrate Mayhem. Discuss how macroinvertebates can be used as indicators of water quality.

Ground Water Flow Model:
Use a Project WET Ground Water Flow Model to demonstrate key concepts of ground water. Models are available for purchase at the Project WET store.

Build a Rainstick:
Build rainsticks and explore the significance of rain ceremonies. Support this activity in the classroom with The Rainstick, A Fable by Sandra Chisholm Robinson.

Water History:
Who helped bring water to your region? Who irrigated the first tract of land? Who dammed the river for hydroelectric power? Learn how to create a water history trunk with the Project WET publication Liquid Treasure Water History Trunk: Learning from the Past.

Hometown Water:
Where does your water come from? Where does it go? Invite someone from your local water treatment plant or wastewater treatment plant to explain. Build a model or a map of your local water system.

Dancing Water:
Let students express themselves through creative dance and movement. Discuss the cultural significance of rain dances and instruments in your region and around the world.