The Haliburton-Muskoka-Kawartha Children’s Water Festival (HMKCWF) has for 20 years, been an annual outdoor Fall event that informs and inspires elementary students to become water stewards in their homes, classrooms and communities. Children have fun while visiting a variety of hands-on activity stations where they learn about all things water, while making ecological connections to the natural world around them.
We are the premiere program of local charity, the Friends of Ecological and Environmental Learning.
We also provide information, guidance and resources for educators to use in integrating engaging water stewardship lessons into their classes throughout the year. Recommended resources and Teachers' Festival Guides are available on our Teachers tab.
Our programs are adapting through climate change and to reach more regional families through sharing our learning activities at public events and smaller summer Festivals organized with partners. We continue to combine experiential activities with messages relevant to youth's daily lives, through which they can 'soak up' knowledge on the properties, uses, connections and importance of water through these Community programs and our linked Waterheroes on-line/hybrid initiatives.
Our programs are offered by a collaborative community, thanks to the generosity of volunteers, partner programs and sponsors. Please contact us for more information or to get involved!
On June 20th, we heard excited students from Bracebridge Public School talk about their positive experiences at the 2017 HMK Children’s Water Festival when we were presented by a substantial donation from the RBC Foundation! Students from this school and 13 others are already registered for the 2018 festival! It…
Congratulations to the students of Monck Public School in Bracebridge! For the second year running they have won the Water Hero Challenge and will be presented with the Big Splash Award in the New Year! Thank you to all who participated in the 2017 Water Hero Challenge and remember, it…
We had a beautiful sunny HMK Children’s Water Festival this year! Two whole days of sunshine where 1088 elementary students from the Trillium Lakelands District School Board learned about water in a fun hands on way! 47 activity centres were spread across the autumn Kinark Outdoor Centre grounds where children…
Register your classes now! There are still spaces but they are going fast! You don’t want to miss this active, hands-on learning experience for your students! It is a splashing good time! Contact the festival coordinator to register at info@hmwaterfestival.ca.
