Say NO to Water Pollution

Hello!

Water pollution is a serious concern in our world and we all know the consequences. 

When discussed as a topic in class with 7 year olds, I encourage them to share their knowledge or experiences with everybody. It not just allows them to speak their minds out loud but also creates awareness among them. 

We actually did a 'water polluting' activity in class to watch and understand how water changes once polluted and what could happen if all the water on our planet is polluted!

I kept a tub of water and a few other things like - wrappers, banana peel, straws, oil, rocks, some mud, that could be used to pollute the water.

I called the kids closer to where the water was kept and asked them to dump all the other things into the water. At first, they looked at me like I was out of mind but then they too wanted to understand what actually happens if water is polluted. 

The wrappers and straws started floating on the surface and they discussed and wondered that how difficult it must be for water animals to come to the surface and breathe. Sometimes these wrappers look like some sea creatures and they are swallowed by other big animals. Also, how fishing nets get entangled around the necks of many sea animals and results in their death.

The rocks and some mud changed the colour of the water, leaving the water dirty. The kids made a connection between how they like to take a shower with clean water, keep their home clean and so, sea creatures too would want clean water for themselves. Students also related to immersion of idols in India and it's impact on our seas and rivers.

Finally, when I asked them to pour some oil in that water they were shocked to see what happened. The oil was floating on the water surface and we could not see the water anymore.

The discussions were never ending. It was enlightening to see students participate actively in discussions. They felt sympathetic for the sea creatures and realised the amount of damage that is done to our planet Earth because of human actions. 

The activity also helped the students think about ways to protect water from getting polluted and what could be their roles in order to stop people from polluting the water. 

Kids understand their responsibilities more than we think they do. The session left us thinking the whole day about our actions and ignited a sense of duty towards saving water and the life in water.