Do you know a California teacher or a student in 4th-6th grade? If so, then read on because there is some awesome Swag involved!
If you live in California, then you are probably familiar with the term “drought”. You see the signs posted throughout your neighborhood, you get the notices on your door, you hear about the consequences all over the media. It’s a little price we pay for year round perfect weather.
(Kate Sessions Park, Pacific Beach)
But we CAN do our part to give back to Mother Earth and that’s by not being all greedy with all our water.
I try to explain the drought to my kids, but they don’t seem to care. Shocking, I know…I would expect more out of a two and four-year-old. But, no, they seem to be more concerned with what color cup they are drinking from rather than environmental issues.
So, I have to do the next best thing – demonstrate water conservation. I usually do this by turning the water off while we are brushing our teeth or only filling up the bathtub part of the way during bath time. I also tell them that we only fill up our cups with what we will drink so that we don’t let any water go to waste. And when it does rain (which contrary to popular belief, it does actually rain in Southern California.), I make sure they see the rain and explain how the trees and plants love all of the extra water.
Well what does all of this have to do with Swag?? I’m glad you asked! Every year, the West Ed/K-12 Alliance and North American Association for Environmental Education collaborate with the California Water Service to create the California Water H2O Challenge.
What is it? The challenge is all part of a project-based learning initiative that is becoming more popular throughout classrooms around the world. Participating classrooms must create and execute a 4-8 week-long project that is designed to explore water as a global resource while addressing a community-based issue.
Who are the judges? A panel of experts who work in the education and/or environmental field and will utilize an objective rubric. The rubric includes water topics, project goals, action plans, outcomes, as well as several other relevant elements.
When is the deadline? Registration ends January 31st, 2017 and submissions are due February 28th, 2017! So get signed up today!
You can watch last year’s video here!
What are the prizes??
The Swag Mama 