Water Education Resources

The Hamilton Children’s Water Festival is tentatively planned to take place both in-person and in-class at the end of May 2022. Educators can sign up to attend in-person at Pier 4 Park for a fun day of activities or to receive a water festival activity package that can be completed in-class or at home. There will be more than 20 in-person activities and 10-15 activities in the in-class package provided by many of our community partners such as Green Venture, the Royal Botanical Gardens, the City of Hamilton, McMaster University and many more! The in-person event will follow all public health guidelines and is subject to cancellation. Please visit www.hamilton.ca/ChildrensWaterFestival for the most up to date information.

Did you know that 2.4 billion people worldwide lack access to basic sanitation like a toilet or latrine? In places without toilets where waste isn’t safely managed, drinking water becomes easily contaminated leading to illness, malnutrition and even death. World Toilet Day, held on November 19th each year, was created by the United Nations to bring worldwide sanitation issues to light.

Taking part in World Toilet Day is easy. Just send your class information to [email protected] and you will receive an electronic activity package designed to increase your students’ knowledge of their water, wastewater and related worldwide issues. Along with the package you will also receive a class challenge that you can complete for a chance to win a water bottle and other cool swag for each of your students! Show our community that we can make a difference by signing up today. 

Hamilton Water aims to make a difference every World Toilet Day by raising awareness by educating Hamilton students on water and sanitation issues and by collecting donations from generous local organizations. Every dollar that is raised goes directly to Water for People Canada, a charity working in struggling communities around the world to increase lasting access to clean water and sanitation.

Register your class by November 1 to receive the electronic activity package containing a lesson plan, activities and other resources designed to teach your students about:

• The importance of clean water and sanitation (like toilets, sewers and wastewater treatment)
• Where our wastewater goes and how it is treated in Hamilton
• Global issues caused by lack of access to proper toilets and infrastructure

For more information or to register, please email [email protected]. When registering, please include your name, school, grade and number of students participating.

Take advantage of your hydration stations and green your school by ordering reusable water bottles for your staff and students. Schools within the City of Hamilton can order bottles with a custom logo on one side and the City of Hamilton logo on the other. We combine orders from schools across the City to provide you with the best possible price.

The best part? Your school only pays 50% of the cost!

Program details:

• Orders are placed twice per year. Order deadlines are February 1 and October 6
• 900mL BPA-free plastic and 500mL stainless steel bottles available
• Each bottle features a custom logo of your choice (1-colour)
• 100 bottle minimum order
• Historically, schools have paid between $2 - $3 per bottle
• Average delivery time is 4-6 weeks. Manufacturing time varies by vendor.

To order, access the online water bottle order form 

Bring awareness to your school’s hydration stations during the school year with colourful posters featuring designs created by your students. Hamilton Water provides the template and your students provide the designs that promote the benefits of drinking tap water and using reusable bottles.

This poster contest can be run at any time during the school year and provides a great opportunity for eco-teams or individual students to develop skills and confidence gained by running a school-wide program.

How does it work? This program can be run by your eco-team, staff or students and everyone in your school can participate! Each student in your school can create a poster design related to drinking water (or a water topic of your choice). Your school then picks up to 3 winners and Hamilton Water will have those designs professionally printed and mounted for you to hang above drinking fountains in your school.

Download the poster contest guide to get started today