Category: Clean Water

• Key idea: Life for humans, animals and plants depends on clean water – e.g. identifying when plants need watering. Caring for the needs of animals and wildlife such as water for birds UC1.4.

Emergent learning:

Children learn by doing things, and they learn to care when they share in our efforts to look after plants, animals and the natural world. And we are all need clean water. We can encourage children to recognise when house and garden plants begin to droop, and we can encourage them to regularly water the plants and provide water for the local wildlife, especially for birds and bees.  The child’s understanding of the natural water cycle will emerge over time, in the early years we can make the most of every opportunity to draw attention to the different stages, to the rain in clouds and rainfall, to streams and rivers, and to our household and community water supplies.

Activity recommendation:

Children can test puddle water filtering it identify the suspended particles. Hand Hygiene Training Kits are also available that provide a UV potion and LED UV torch. Have the children wash their hands before they test them, and they will see how much more effort is needed to clean them adequately. Talk about germs and viruses and invite the children to imagine/draw/paint how some really NASTY GERMS might look. You can also demonstrate the use of Drinking Water Test Strips – an example is provided by Vikrami lighting See Here.

A partnership activity developed between a preschool in the Global North (UK) and South (Kenya) in celebration of the United Nations World Handwashing Day illustrates how a theme like Handwashing can contribute towards education for global citizenship. See here.

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