Students from Grey and Bruce counties are set to make a splash in Chesley this week as the 24th Annual Grey Bruce Children’s Water Festival kicks off.
From May 21 to 23, more than 1,200 Grade 4 students will get the chance to learn outside the classroom while having fun.
Event coordinators, Taylor Flett and Tara Rix, said participants will take part in over 40 activities covering water protection, conservation, and environmental science.
"We have lots of different areas that kind of hit all the science areas. It hits the hands-on areas," Rix explained. "We have a festival right at the base of the river, so they get right in there, into the water."
Flett said the students put on a rain poncho to learn a little more about how much water they use.
"They jump into the shower, and they take a trial shower, to see how much water they use in a short amount of time. And then they compare that to everyday life," Flett added. "There are stations where they brush a fake set of teeth with the water running into a bucket underneath that catches all the water that they use. It shows them how much water they use just in that short amount of time to brush their teeth."
Rix said they hope to inspire the next generation to care for the natural world around them.
"I think it's important to start at a young age, instilling the importance of water for these kids," Rix added. "And I hear a lot of kids later on in life, so remembering things that they've learned from the Water Festival."
The festival’s mission is to help young people better understand and appreciate the water they use and the ecosystems they live in.
However, a drought in support has Flett is concerned about the future of the event, and has appealed for donations to keep the event afloat.
"In today's society, it's a little bit of a struggle to find the sponsors that we once did to keep this festival running," she revealed. "We have really had to cut back on a lot of things to be able to keep going with it."
Registration information has been distributed through local school boards.