Nearly 300 students took part in Ecology North’s Rivers To Oceans event in Yellowknife Tuesday.
The annual event is designed to teach grade 1 and 5 students about the importance of water stewardship.
Children rotated between 15 interactive stations set up at Somba K’e Civic Plaza, learning about everything from responsible water use to aquatic ecosystems.
“You have to start them young because they’re our future,” said Ecology North’s Jennifer Broadbridge.
“We want them to get excited about water, to be aware of water and where it comes from and to hopefully become water stewards for the rest of their lives.”
Some stations were more interactive than others, including one that taught children how human waste is broken down.
“Some of the kids are putting on blankets and pretending to be poo in the toilet,” said Ecology North’s Catherine Thomas.
“The other kids then come along dressed as bacteria and start eating some of the poo so that when it makes its way into Great Slave Lake it’s not as disgusting as when it starts out,” she said with a laugh.
The event was also put on by Fisheries and Oceans Canada and the NWT’s Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Here are some photos from the afternoon session.
