The Arizona Water Festival program is a water education unit developed and delivered by Arizona Project WET (Water Education for Teachers) through the University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center. Arizona Water Festivals instill a deeper understanding of water in the earth system and Arizona’s water resources through a community water festival event, teacher professional development workshop, and extensive volunteer and community involvement.
Chandler has sponsored the yearly Chandler Water Festival since 2004, bringing water education to more than 500 Chandler teachers and 20,000 4th graders. With the help of local water experts and volunteers in our community, students participate in hands-on activities covering water conservation, our water supply, ground water, surface water and the water cycle.
Water festivals occur nationally, in all 50 states. In Arizona, Water Festivals have reached more than 200,000 students statewide since the year 2000.
Water Festivals are designed to emphasize important water education principles within a fun, interactive environment.
Some subjects that will be addressed include the hydrologic cycle, groundwater, spring water, water quality, wetlands, water management, water conservation, soils, living history, and more.
Water festivals consist of multiple structured learning stations where students actively engage in hands-on water activities and investigations.
The hands-on, interactive learning stations are designed to cater to students with diverse learning styles, including those who struggle in traditional classroom settings.
The water festival format has proven to be an effective method of promoting awareness and increasing knowledge of water resources.
Water festivals have been widely used to deliver factual, up-to-date information on a variety of water-related topics to both students and adults.
The awareness and respect for water resources created can encourage a personal, lifelong commitment of responsibility and positive community participation, ensuring Chandler's water conservation program goal of instilling a water conservation ethic and permanently reducing water use.
Benefits for Educators
Creative Activities and Assessments
Pre- and post-festival activities and creative assessments are included in the materials provided to all participating teachers to help reinforce the lessons from the festival.
All activities support state instructional standards.
Materials and Curriculum
Arizona Project WET edits materials and produces programs that address Arizona's water challenges.
Project WET aims to educate classroom teachers and other educators through workshops focused on an interdisciplinary water curriculum.
Project WET Activity Guide
Each participating teacher receives the Project WET Activity Guide upon completion of our teacher development course. The Activity Guide has more than 90 complete, teacher-tested lessons for grades K-12 and indices to aid instructional planning.
In addition, the exhibits and activities at the event are accompanied by materials to help teachers integrate more water-related activities into their curriculum.
During recruitment season, which is a few months before the festival in November, volunteer information will be provided. When it is off-season, those interested can email Water Conservation Office.
Sponsorship donations are greatly appreciated as the contributions help us support nearly 130 volunteers who are needed to organize the event. The sponsorships provide breakfast, snacks, lunches, and transportation for volunteers. For each day of the festival, we need about 80+ volunteers to help coordinate buses, assist with activity rotations, teach the students activities and more.
We couldn’t support our volunteers without the generous support of our sponsors, and we couldn’t have a festival without our amazing volunteers. Our sponsors’ support is so important to Chandler’s Annual Water Festival. It has become a premier event that our students and teachers not only look forward to but remember for a lifetime.
