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Materials for teaching about clean drinking water to girls aged 5-7 years

CDietvorst
Safe Water Strategy
KnowledgePointAdmin
RedR CCDRR

I am a local Girl Guide leader in Nova Scotia Canada and am looking for ideas on how to teach about clean drinking water to girls aged 5-7 years old. If you have brochures, games, songs etc that would be great.


1 Answer

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CDietvorst
Safe Water Strategy

We have an extensive Water for kids section our site with a selection of resources which might help you to teach kids about water https://www.irc.nl/page/30389. You need to explore the various sites selected by us to download what you can use for your age group.

You should first try the UNICEF office in Canada. I know by experience that local UNICEF offices produce local materials for teaching children the importance of clean water and saving water.

I copy below some pointers from Age-appropriate Life Skills for Hygiene, Sanitation, and Water in Schools:

Early primary school age (5-7 years)

Skills: Children are very imaginative and discover the world and their own capabilities in a playful way, meanwhile gaining self-confidence and taking the first steps towards independence. They like to imitate older children and adults.

Knowledge & attitude: Children in this age group experience the positive effects of personal care on their appearance (washing themselves, combing their hair, and brushing their teeth). They tend to value things in a simple way; for example, looking and smelling good means feeling good.

Children's participation: In this age group children could become actively involved in the design, planning, maintenance, and operation of facilities. However, they cannot be held fully responsible and require close guidance from adults or older children.

Implications for the design of facilities: Facilities should reflect the sensation of being clean: light colors, sufficient natural light, and adequate ventilation. Themes used in hygiene promotion materials can be used for decoration to strengthen the link between education and practice. Facilities should be designed so that a teacher or older student can stand next to the child to teach proper ways of using the toilet and washing hands. However, most children can complete simple actions or tasks on their own or with minor assistance. There is no direct need for privacy; children like to observe others and imitate their behaviors. See for more on this https://www.schoolsanitation.org/BasicPrinciples/ChildrensLearning.html.

Answer by Dick de Jong (IRC, retired), 16 November 2011