pcv projects
“ Yuck , what did you put in this water ?” These aren ’ t typical words you hear after giving someone water to drink ; but , then again , you weren ’ t in my classroom on March 22 nd . Call it clever , tricky or just plain mean , but seeing the look on a kid ’ s face after they drink water with vinegar in it , is priceless ! “ Why would someone do this to the innocent (… well … not so innocent ) seventh graders ?” you might ask . Aside from being an entertaining activity – for everyone else , that is – this was a great way to jump start the discussion on clean water in our communities and the fact that the word “ clean ” is more than just what we are able to see .
For World Water Day Aaron and I gave presentations to the fifth through eighth grade students at the school where I work . With the help of our local friends , coworkers , and pictures from around town , we created a presentation along with small handouts .
We also discussed our impact on the environment and how our everyday actions affect the world around us today and for many gen-
erations to come . We made the kids gasp in astonishment as they saw photos of how animals are affected by the pollution of lakes , rivers and oceans and we showed them simple ways to reduce and reuse shopping bags and water bottles .
Our main objective was to teach the kids easy ways that they can make a difference : 1 . Throw trash where it belongs !
2 . Reduce our use of materials and reuse them !
3 . Be aware and speak up when others pollute !
4 . Take action !
After school , we provided the kids with the opportunity to show off their budding science skills by testing water in the Vardar River . We also challenged them to utilize their critical thinking skills to develop water filters from natural materials . Thirty-three kids followed us through muddy paths and roaring winds to where there is a small sand bank along the Vardar where we split them into two groups ; water testing with Aaron and water filtering with me . The kids eagerly participated in our activities and even had time to show off their projects once they saw our camera . As irony might have it , the only hiccup that arose was that part of our water testing kit was taken by the wind and washed down the Vardar River . Oh , if anyone in Southern Macedonia happens to find it , can you return it to the Peace Corps office for us ?
Photos by Aaron Weaver
Spring 2013 – 29