World Water Day, celebrated annually on March 22, focuses attention on the importance of water. This year’s theme is “Nature for Water” – exploring nature-based solutions to the water challenges we face today.
The UN World Water Day website (http://worldwaterday.org/) shares some illuminating facts about the natural environment and the world’s water resources:
- Damaged ecosystems affect the quantity and quality of water available for human consumption. Today, 2.1 billion people live without safe drinking water at home; affecting their health, education and livelihoods.
- Sustainable Development Goal 6 commits the world to ensuring that everyone has access to safe water by 2030, and includes targets on protecting the natural environment and reducing pollution.
Learn more about the importance of water, as well as ways to take action and get involved this World Water Day, by checking out these resources:
“Water, A Most Precious Resource”
In this article, Brenda Boreham shares useful books, websites, and a teacher’s resource for planning ahead for World Water Day or for any classroom study of water. Especially useful for this year’s theme is The Watershed Handbook, which outlines an inquiry based approach to having students become familiar with the watershed that they live in and covers topics such as habitat restoration and adaptation; watersheds and how they connect to climate; and Indigenous connections to watersheds. Read the entire article here: https://canadianteachermagazine.com/2017/09/15/water-a-most-precious-resource/.
Every Last Drop: Bringing Clean Water Home
In a previous issue of Canadian Teacher Magazine, George Sheppard reviewed Every Last Drop: Bringing Clean Water Home. This book celebrates water and aims to teach children how to “care for the precious liquid that gives us life.” As Sheppard reveals, Every Last Drop “explains the water cycle and the current global crisis of drying aquifers, while showing how proper conservation and a common sense approach to water would go a long way toward the maintenance of this essential resource. Interesting ‘water facts’ appear on every second page or so, and the work is illustrated with dozens of colour photographs.” Read more of the review here: https://canadianteachermagazine.com/2016/04/14/3795/
Kids International Development Society
K.I.D.S is pleased to assist families by providing rain catchment systems for houses. [Photo via: http://adrianneandrickatkids.blogspot.ca/2017/06/rain-water-collection-systems.html]
Check out the organization’s recent blog posts to see what they’ve been up to in developing countries: http://adrianneandrickatkids.blogspot.ca/
UN World Water Day
Learn more about this year’s theme and find useful World Water Day resources on the UN World Water Day website: http://worldwaterday.org/theme/
“Wherever you are and whatever you do on March 22, make it about nature and water” – UN World Water Day
