LIHU‘E — The county Department of Water continued its educational outreach efforts for fifth-grade students by providing a fun, “Make a Splash” in-a-bag experience in lieu of its annual Make a Splash with Project WET (Water Education Today) festival this year.
DOW has held an annual Make a Splash with Project WET water-education festival for fifth-grade students from public and private schools for the past 16 years, but the event came to a halt last year due to COVID-19 restrictions.
That hasn’t stopped DOW from continuing its water-education efforts around the island.
“It is our pleasure to serve students and teachers with water-education resources that help bring awareness about conservation and sustainability in our communities,” said Joe Tait, DOW’s manager and chief engineer.
In November, DOW reached out to teachers who previously participated in MAS to seek their interest in receiving a “MAS in-a-bag” experience for their students.
Due to limited supplies, bags were offered on a first-to-reply, first-served basis. After a few days, DOW received an overwhelming response from public and private elementary-school teachers in ‘Ele‘ele, Kalaheo, Koloa, Puhi, Anahola, Kapa‘a, Kilauea, Hanama‘ulu and Hanalei requesting the water-education activities.
The response resulted in the successful distribution of water-education activities to more than 500 students. Each bag contains a student-led Project WET activity with instructions, a DOW pencil, a MAS event lanyard, hand sanitizer, a collapsible water bottle, a five-minute shower timer and a Project WET activity book featuring a variety of water activities students can do at home or in the classroom.
“We hope to engage student interest in water education through this year’s MAS in-a-bag concept with student-led activities, conservation tools and supplies,” said Jonell Kaohelauli‘i, DOW’s information and education specialist. “As we prepare for the new year, our educational-outreach programs are also being refreshed for future participation at schools and within our communities.”
For more information on DOW’s conservation programs and classroom presentations featuring Project WET activities, contact the DOW at 808-245-5461 or email projectwethawaii@kauaiwater.org.
