Festival program

This opening show aims to inspire, amuse and challenge your students as they are introduced to the basics of groundwater, what it is and why it’s so important. This session, presented by Science Alive, ensures that all students have the same basic understanding of groundwater prior to participating in class workshops.

As always, there will be a great line-up of fantastic, fun, Free Time activities for students (& adults!) to enjoy during your class’ lunch break and scheduled ‘Free Time’ sessions.

Here’s an outline of what you can see and do in Free Time this year:

• See the impact we have on the environment in Boot River and Wacky Wetlands
• Create some colourful Sand Art
• Make an Insect Hotel* for your garden
• Meet some local Birds of Prey*
• Sport a water drop ,dragonfly or other creature with Face Painting*!
• Get up close to a python at Snakes Alive* - if you dare!
• Make and take your own memorabilia in the Badge Bazaar and Eco Bags
• Rock on with some mighty minibeasts for some Nature Life Drawing*
• Get your hands dirty making Seed Bombs for your garden
• Try out your Circus Skills*
• Play your way with Recycled Water Sounds*

Be sure to pop into our Hardwater Café for the ultimate test in determining who has the most discerning taste when it comes to water – and which water source will be crowned champion of the 2025 Festival!

Please note: Students must be supervised in this area. So, as advised, please bring as many parent helpers as possible along on the day. The smaller the group, the more choice the kids will have to participate in the free time activities they want to do!

Activities marked * commence at 12noon.

Edible Aquifer

Students will explore the concept of water movement through different types of substrates such as sand, clay, rocks and gravel in this tongues-on activity! As they build (and eat!) their very own edible aquifers, students will gain an understanding of confining layers, water tables and aquifer geology.

Groundwater Spider

This activity provides students with a fun and easy way to understand the geology of an aquifer. As students build their own edible aquifers out of ice cream, ice and lemonade, they learn about confining layers, contamination, recharge and water tables.

Bucket Brigade

This popular activity encourages students to think about their water usage as they compete to move the amount of water a person uses in a day from one point to another as a team. This interclass competition is great fun and the pre-and post-discussions help the students understand more about their water use choices.

Every Drop Counts

In this prop-filled activity, students will take part in a game of chance to see how much water they can save or waste in different areas of the house before coming up with their own solutions to saving water at home.

Flush It!

Introducing students to the “Three Ps” in an active race, this activity provides an understanding of what can, and can’t, be flushed down the toilet. Students will classify waste according to the appropriate method of disposal.

What do you do when you can't turn on a tap?

This simulation activity of daily life in a village introduces students to ideas about what it is like to live in a place where water is not readily accessible. Students will consider how this may influence life in positive and negative ways.

Presented by the One World Centre.

Water Ways

How many places can water travel and be stored during its journey through the water cycle? Students will chart the complex path water takes as they discover that new water cannot be created and how little is fresh water.

Danger in Our Town

Have your students got what it takes to become the town's ‘Contamination Busters’? In this problem-solving activity, students build their own model towns and discuss types of land uses that can cause pollution of groundwater before probing their models to determine the source of contamination of the community’s water supply.

PollutiON, PollutiOFF

After constructing their own landscape, students will be able to see first-hand how human actions pollute an environment. They will observe how contamination can spread underground and experiment with ways to clean it up!

River Food Web

Phosphorous is a key nutrient contributing to algal blooms in the Swan River. Students will discover how our daily activities contribute to the amount of phosphorous entering the river then, as they become part of an aquatic food chain, they will see first-hand how algal blooms affect the plants and animals that live there.

Delivered by South East Regional Centre for Urban Landcare.

[Formerly known as What's for Lunch?]

Join Bel Cox for an authentic hands on Noongar Cultural experience where you will create your own bush art. Students will hear the ancient Noongar Dreamtime story of the Water and the Waugal, then feel it come alive through dance.

Presented by Djirrily Dreaming.

Wetland Wonders

What is a wetland? And why are they important? In this engaging and exploratory session, students will learn about wetlands and the role they play in keeping our rivers, lakes and oceans clean by becoming ‘turbidity’ detectives.

Food Chain Chase

In this active learning experience, students gain an understanding of how water pollution spreads and multiplies through the food chain and its effect on the natural world. Then they will discover some of the ways pollution enters our water sources and think about how we can stop it!

Frog-o-logic

Frogs know all about water quality, and your students will too! In this giant board game, our froggy teams will compete to see who knows the most about frogs, conservation and groundwater. The winners go home with a chocolate frog, and everyone goes home understanding how all living things depend on a healthy ecosystem to survive.

Students will learn the importance of native fish species in our freshwater waterways and how to sustainably fish for the future!

Presented by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development Community Education team.

Root Pursuit

Can your banksia reach the groundwater before summer? Learning about our local banksia woodlands and how they are dependent on groundwater, they will explore the impact of dropping groundwater levels as they race their roots to water before its too late!

Wildlife Detectives

Students will use their detective skills to help us find evidence of our Endangered black cockatoos. In doing so, they'll learn the importance of water in ensuring the survival of these unique species.

Presented by Perth NRM through the Carnaby's Cockatoo project.

Carnaby’s Cockatoo are a flagship species for Perth NRM as they work to restore and connect essential habitat. This work forms part of the ‘Building Resilient Landscapes in the Swan Region’, Carnaby’s Cockatoo project funded by the Australian Government Natural Heritage Trust and delivered by Perth Natural Resource Management, a member of the Commonwealth Regional Delivery Partners panel.

Pictured: A Cockitrough at Whiteman Park

Would You Like Salt With That?

Students explore the impact of forest clearance on our land, water cycle and water quality. By tasting increasingly salty liquorice, they discover first-hand the effect that increased levels of salinity have on our native vegetation and how it is caused.