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Annual Festival at the Garfield Park and Community Center |
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Approximately 1,000 area 4th graders attend |
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Students participate in a variety of hands-on water learning games and activities |
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The Topeka Water Festival is designed to increase student awareness, understanding, and knowledge of water. Students participate in exciting hands-on activities and games that explore a variety of cultural and historical water issues and investigate informative exhibits that teach about how we use water and how to protect and conserve this valuable natural resource. There were approximately 1,000 area 4th graders from 40 classrooms representing more than 25 schools in attendance at the 2004 festival.
A statewide Water Celebrations training is held in conjunction with the Topeka festival. Both formal and non-formal educators from all over the State of Kansas attend this training and the Topeka Water Festival to help them prepare for a water celebration in their own community. For more information on the Statewide Water Celebrations Program, contact Melissa Arthur with the Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education (KACEE) at 785-597-5452.
Over 100 volunteers help make the Water Festival a success each year. These volunteers are from local and statewide businesses, government agencies, non-profits, and volunteer organizations. Without them, the festival could not be held. A partial list of sponsors and presenters include: the Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education (KACEE), City of Topeka Water Pollution Control Division and Water Division, Shawnee County Recycling Department, Westar Energy, Perrier, Jackson Heights High School Stream Team, EPA Region 7, United State Geological Survey, Kansas Department of Health and Environment Bureau of Water, Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, Shawnee County Conservation District, Shawnee County Health Agency, Shawnee County Extension Master Gardeners, Kansas Department of Agriculture Division of Water Resources, National Weather Service, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Shawnee County Farm Bureau, Shawnee County 4-H and others.
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