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On the morning of September 27^th, the voices of elementary students mingled with the voices of 30 JDLA high school students as the 2^nd Annual Water Festival got started.  JDLA students organized and hosted this event in an effort to teach younger students about the importance of water in our world.  JDLA students researched and studied the science of water and the current global water issues to prepare for the Festival.  They hosted 60 third graders from Oskaloosa Elementary School, 24 third graders from Perry Elementary School and 50 fifth graders from Atchison County Community Middle School for 10 different educational stations.   

JDLA students hosted seven different stations for the elementary students to visit.  The stations included a wide variety of water related issues.  The station called Mammals of Northeast Kansas allowed JDLA students to teach about the characteristics of mammals and the habitat requirements of each.  They used pelts and skulls of the mammals for the elementary students to touch and compare as they discussed the importance of water in the lives of mammals.  Is there Water on Zork?  was a station that taught the scientific properties of water by having the elementary students run various experiments on liquids to determine the properties of water.  The activity called Hooks and Ladders, allowed elementary students to “be salmon swimming upstream to spawn”.  This consisted of elementary students running a complicated obstacle course to reach the spawning grounds and to learn about the challenges present in nature.  Gooey Garbage demonstrated how sanitary landfills protect our environment from pollution by making a miniature landfill and testing it.  Water Olympics allowed elementary students to compete in three different experiments demonstrating the cohesive and adhesive properties of water.  Peacejam was a station that expanded the Peacejam (www.peacejam.org) curriculum to teach the elementary students both about Nobel Peace Prize winners and the Global Call to Action they have generated which is to allow easy access to clean water sources for everyone on earth.  At this station, students learned that people in other countries don’t have the easy access to drinking water that we have here in America.  Students practiced hauling clean drinking water in a relay race to demonstrate youth in Africa hauling their daily water.  JDLA students also hosted the Welcome station where elementary students rested and received a coloring book, a take home sample of Oooze (60% corn starch and 40% water) which creates an interesting demonstration of the properties of water. 

Three guest presenters participated, they were:  Ronda Schuler and Dottie Harris from the Jefferson County Conservation District with their Stream Table which demonstrates the problems of erosion, Sondra Megrail from the Kansas Department of Health and Environment Bureau of Water used the “Incredible Journey” exercise from Project W.E.T. curriculum to teach about the water cycle and Kirk Tjelmeland the fish Biologist from the Kansas Department of Wildlife who educated students about fish.   

JDLA students hosted this special event at the JDLA outdoor classroom, The Leopold Conservation Education Area near Lake Perry.  JDLA is an alternative high school program serving students from the six Jefferson County High schools as well as Atchison County Community High School.  JDLA is a Learn and Serve School and the water festival was part of the First National Learn and Serve Challenge.  (www.learnandservechallenge.org) Students at JDLA use Service Learning to expand their regular academic instruction by sharing what they have learned with the community to meet a community need.  Both the JDLA students and the elementary students enjoyed learning at the Water Festival.   Response has been so positive that the 3^rd Annual Water Festival scheduled for September of next year is already at capacity for participants with all three attending elementary schools planning to attend again!! 

For more information about Service Learning or about JDLA, please contact Denise at 785-887-6004.

JDLA students researched and studied the science of water and the current global water issues to prepare for the Festival. This picture shows Gooey Garbage, and demonstrated how sanitary landfills protect our environment from pollution by making a miniature landfill and testing it. 

JDLA Hosts 2^nd Annual Water Festival 

John Dewey Learning Academy