Act for Eden's rivers ... FOR LIFE!
River Champions Act for Eden’s Rivers is a thought-provoking and educational film, presented by and featuring the children of Lowther Endowed School, with a variety of supporting learning activities and teachers’ notes. They help children to understand our direct connection with rivers – every time we use water and every time we flush dirty water down the drain, highlighting the threats to river wildlife and our precious freshwater supplies.
Armed with this knowledge, and new-found sense of responsibility, pupils are then inspired to identify and make a small change to their everyday lives that will use water wisely or reduce pollution to protect nature.
Topics covered that support Geography and Science: rivers and the water cycle, undertake a scientific enquiry, how humans can have a negative impact on the environment and the sources and impacts of pollution and litter in our rivers.
Getting started
Download our handy guide to Act for Eden’s Rivers … FOR LIFE! resources (PDF)
Based on our experience of using the resources with schools in the catchment, we suggest that they are used in the following order:
1. To Flush ... or not to Flush experiment
A fun science investigation in which children compare a number of regularly flushed items with toilet paper, to find out which things are safe to flush and which are not. N.B. For maximum impact, this experiment should be carried out BEFORE watching River Champions Act for Eden! Film, or the children will know the answer.
Download PDFs:
2. River Champions Act for Eden
Presented by and featuring the children of Lowther Endowed School, River Champions Act for Eden is a short film (with accompanying activity sheets) that explores the
journey that water takes from source to tap and back again, and calls for everyone to take on at least one of seven river challenges.
River Champions Act for Eden missing words quiz >>
3. Picture This
A maths activity that helps children learn how many litres of water are typically used during the most common daily / household activities.
4. Water bingo
A homework activity sheet. Children challenge themselves and their families to see how many ways they can save water and reduce pollution at home by playing water bingo.
5. Sewage in our rivers
Online resources, including an interactive map. Learn more about why raw (untreated) sewage is sometimes discharged into our rivers, and discover exactly where and how often this has happened in Eden’s rivers in recent years.
What teachers say about Act for Eden
“Having the River Eden on our doorstep, means the children relate to the topic. The video was brilliant and accessible for the children (especially when they knew it was a local primary school who had made it!) Information learnt was shared at home, especially about the 3P’s!! The children have gained a sense of responsibility to take care of their local river.”
Year 5 teacher, Stanwix School, Carlisle.
... FOR LIFE!
“The importance of such things as not wasting water and the relevance of not flushing certain items down the toilet, and the consequences of this was very beneficial. Thank you so much for extending the children’s knowledge and understanding of such an important feature in all of our communities and for further developing the work carried out in class.”
Year 6 teacher/Deputy Head, Newlaithes Primary School, Carlisle.
“The children have [since] been talking a lot about the importance of protecting the river and saving the wildlife. They wrote a persuasive letter to government stressing the importance of protecting the river.”
Year 6 teacher, Austin Friar’s School, Carlisle.
