School Education Program

Water... From Source to Sea

The mission of the MWRA School Education Program is to educate teachers and students about the public health significance of water supply and wastewater treatment, including source protection, treatment and distribution of drinking water and the environmental benefits of a state of the art wastewater treatment facility.

The MWRA offers in-person classroom presentations and hands-on activities designed to be done with individual classes in the classroom setting for grades K-12. Subjects range from the Quabbin Reservoir and the distribution system to Deer Island and the transformation of wastewater into effluent.

Check out the link to our new booking website here: https://MWRASchoolEducationProgram.as.me/

Presentations will be booked on a first come/first serve basis, and are expected to fill fast. A list of available presentations is listed below. Please note that these presentations are currently NOT available as auditorium presentations.

Presentations Available
 

• Dwayne The Storm Drain: Recommended grade level: K-4
  • “Dwayne” takes students through each season explaining how nature and humans affect the storm water system. After reading this colorful big book, students will understand their connection to the system.
• Drawing the System: Recommended grade level: 2-4
  • Students are introduced to the water delivery system. Using crayons and large paper rolled out in the middle of the classroom, students work together to create a map connecting pipes to buildings in their community.
• Building the System: Recommended grade level: 3-5
  • Using straws and cardboard tubes, students will build a model water distribution system throughout the classroom. Discussion subjects include water pressure, public health and safety, maintenance, repair, and planning of infrastructure.
• pH Activity: Recommended grade level: 5-8
  • Questions answered during this presentation include…How does the MWRA treat drinking water?…What makes water safe to drink?…What is lead and how does it present a problem in drinking water supply systems? Using gloves and goggles, students will work in groups to measure the pH of drinking water.
• EarthEcho Water Challenge: Recommended grade level: 5-12
  • Students conduct water temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity tests on a local body of water.

Schools are not charged for this service, however, they must be located in an within the MWRA Service Area 

Feel free to download the flyers here to share with your colleagues that may also be interested in a presentation from the MWRA. A list of May and June presentation dates will be shared in the beginning of April.

The background and instruction to get started. PDP certified. Learn more

Fun, educational activities for parents, kids and teachers presented by the American Waterworks Association.

Fun, educational activities for parents, kids and teachers presented by the Massachusetts DCR Division of Water Supply Protection.

The Responsible Flushing Alliance worked with a curriculum specialist to provide activity pages to help children learn and understand the importance of knowing what not to flush down the toilet.