Installing new water delivery options (or improving existing water sources) is an important first step in any water program. Schools should pair new water projects with promotional and educational activities that highlight the benefits of drinking water.
Ideas to Get Started
The first step in developing the educational and promotional components of your water program is to decide what information about water you wish to convey to students. That is, what do you want students to learn about water? What messages might motivate students to drink more water and fewer sugary beverages?
You can incorporate information, lessons, and activities about water and other beverages into classroom activities in diverse subject areas, from science to the humanities. Lessons and activities can be tailored to specific age groups and then integrated into the curricula for school courses or for afterschool programs
Get students Involved
When you involve students in designing and implementing your educational and promotional activities, you not only get some extra hands to help with your program, you will also increase the likelihood that your materials and messages resonate with students. There are many ways to involve students in promoting water. For example, students can:
- make posters
- create music videos
- design logos for reusable water bottles
- help teach lessons about water in class or afterschool programs
Remember to partner with students and teachers in your school’s art, music, photography, and digital media classes to design and implement class projects promoting water consumption. For example, students can make water bottle logos in a digital media class, or even make reusable water bottles out of clay in a ceramics class.