On September 9th, at the Athens-Clarke County Water Festival, EcoReach talked to kids about the variety of water habitats that animals depend on and how keeping water systems clean is important not only for river, marine & salt marsh species, but humans as well. Our activity “Wild Water Kingdom” allowed kids to connect animals like the beaver, rainbow trout, loggerhead sea turtle, and salt marsh harvest mouse to their respective water ecosystem and learning fun facts about each species.
This year’s water festival, which was hosted by the Athens-Clarke County Water Conservation Office, was themed after the Pixar movie “Elemental.” With around 1,000 event attendees and 125 presenters/volunteers at Sandy Creek Park, kids were able to learn about the science of water and how to conserve it, all while participating in memorable water games and activities.
The activity involved a visual print-out of a marsh ecosystem, animal cut-outs, and fun facts about the variety of species. Kids were encouraged match each animal to their fact and then place in either the ocean, beach, river or salt marsh habitats of the ecosystem. The goal of the activity is to show kids the variety of ways that marine animals (and humans) depend on water and water habitats, connecting the importance of keeping water systems clean.
Interested to find out about upcoming programs and opportunities with EcoReach? Email us at ecoreachuga@gmail.com for more information!
