Early childhood

The workbook is aimed at nurturing young children's appreciation of the value of water so that they become the water ambassadors of the future. It has been prepared specifically for teachers at the Early Childhood level.

It includes a workbook containing suggested activities, activity sheets, a set of stickers and a set of Walter the Water Drop posters to reinforce particular water issues.

We encourage you to involve, wherever possible, parents/guardians and grandparents in waterwise activities. This not only assists parents at home and promotes community spirit, but also helps to extend waterwise messages beyond the classroom.

Waterwise Starters Workbook

Encourage students to education their families about waterwise principles by providing a range of waterwise activities for your children. You can:

• Communicate water-related messages via school and community newsletters.
• Inform the community of waterwise projects within the school and the community.
• Publicise on a monthly basis how the school is going with its water use, via assemblies, newsletters, outdoor signs etc.
• Have students carry out curriculum activities at home (such as home water use surveys).
• Communicate with the P&C Association about your progress in the Waterwise Schools Program.
• Participate in National Water Week, World Water Day activities and other water-themed events.
• Work with the local media to publicise waterwise projects occurring at the centre.
• Provide advice on water-related matters, such as using water efficient appliances around the centre.
• Organise school fetes to raise money for waterwise activities. 
• Collect litter from a nearby wetland area on Clean Up Australia Day, World Water Day or World Environment Day.
• Arrange for a parent/guardian who is a licensed plumber to work around the centre.
• Mentor another Early Childhood centre to become waterwise.

• Stick to the centre's watering roster and inform the children and parents why it is important to do this.
• Encourage children to bring their own re-usable water bottles to the centre.
• Create a waterwise garden with the children.
• Teach children to tip their leftover water from drink bottles into the garden instead of down the sink.
• Place posters and stickers around the centre at water use area (taps, hoses, toilets, washing machines etc.) to encourage conservation.
• If your centre doesn't have dual flush toilets, place a 2L water filled contained into large toilet cisterns to reduce the water used in each flush.
• Encourage students to use the half flush.
• Mulch the centre gardens.
• Catch rainwater in buckets (securely put up high for safety), a barrel or a tank for use during water play.
• Measure the water children use for play so they become aware of how much they are using. Set water use challenges to see if they can make the amount last the whole day.
• Create badges and designate student 'water monitors' each day/week to check any dripping taps and monitor water conservation.
• Encourage students to turn off the water and sing a waterwise song when lathering their hands.
• Avoid pre-rinsing dishes before putting into the dishwasher.
• Use a water efficient washing machine and only turn on when it is full.
• Use a broom to clean outside instead of a hose.
• Use environmentally friendly cleaning products and empty dirty buckets of water into the garden.

We have a range of colouring-in sheets that you can use to encourage discussion of water and how we use it.

Four seasons

How water is used

Walter the water drop – set of 10

You can order posters and stickers to put around your facilities and to educate your students and reward them for positive waterwise behaviours.

Order online

Class Ideas K-3 is a subscription-based magazine for teachers of lower primary. The first section is in full colour and provides articles of interest and practical use to teachers about various educational topics. The second section contains ready-to-use blackline masters based on the issue’s theme.

The theme for issue #64 was Splish-Splash: It's fun with water

We have split this magazine into 3 parts for you to download:

Part 1 includes the introduction, the overview and articles from great organisations including Water Corporation and SERCUL.

Class Ideas issue #64 part 1

Part 2 includes the 'hands-on' and 'teacher-to-teacher' sections

Class Ideas issue #64 part 2

Part 3 includes 31 pages of blackline masters activity sheets

Class Ideas issue #64 part 3

City of Gold Coast – Watersaver Early Childhood kit

Little Green Steps WA

Peep and the big wide world