Act for Eden's rivers

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.

Carton of a water droplet with a smiling face

These resources 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.

Using the resources

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:

To flush or not to flush experiment (for best results complete before you watch the film!)
Watch the River Champions Act for Eden film
Missing words quiz
Sewer monsters activity
Picture this activity
Water bingo activity
Sewage in our rivers worksheet

For students

Graphic of a rivers and water quiz worksheet.

For students

From experiments and maths puzzles to a missing words quiz, fun activities for Primary School students to learn about what happens when water leaves our houses and the impact this has on rivers and the environment.

For teachers / parents and carers

Graphic of a worksheet for teachers titled: 'To flush or not to flush.

For teachers / parents and carers

Getting started:

First download our handy guide to Act for Eden’s Rivers … FOR LIFE! resources for an overview of all the resources in this topic.

There are also answer sheets and lots more information and links to help you plan your lessons.

Watch 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.

What teachers say about Act for Eden ... for LIFE!

“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.

“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.