National Water Week

United by Water 2023 School Competition

The theme for National Water Week 2023 is United By Water and we ask students to share with us what this theme means to them.

We have created 2 activity pages for teachers to use in the classroom to celebrate National Water Week and focus on water literacy. The first is an open-ended page where students can draw then write their own creative ideas. The second has a graphic for students to colour and lines for either students to write their thoughts or for a teacher to scribe ideas.

Once your students have completed the activity, we would love for you to send some photos to us at [email protected]. We have 10 National Water Week prize packs per school to give away.

Below are additional support themes with links to videos to support the teaching of the themes across different year groups. If you would like our Aqwest Community Education Officer to come to your school to run this lesson, please contact [email protected].

Please find below two colouring pages for schools to download and provide to students. 

Additional support themes with videos

Uniting Friends - Years K-2

6:46 min

Bluey is a bit nervous because she has never been to play at the creek before. Her friends support her on this new adventure as she discovers that this beautiful environment is a wonderful new place to play with her friends and family.

Uniting with Aboriginal Culture - Years 1-6

10:53 min

'Murrawee' means 'elder sister' in the language of the Ngarrindjeri people from the Murray River in South Australia. Through this story we see how two girls and their families interact with the same river at different points in Australian history.

Uniting a Community – Year 3+

5:54 min

The 2017 to 2019 period was the hottest and driest three-year stretch ever recorded for both New South Wales and the Murray Darling Basin. For the city of Orange located in central New South Wales, the long stretch of dry, hot weather saw water levels drop to critically low levels and the city faced the prospect of running out of water. But thanks to the community rallying around strict water saving measures, an innovative water recycling program and a relatively wet 2020, crisis has for now been averted. However, the experience shows just how vulnerable regional communities are to climate change. With climate modelling showing southern Australia will become even drier and hotter in years to come, experts argue water conservation programs like those in Orange should be the norm everywhere.

Uniting the World – Year 5+

29:00 min

Australian ultra-marathon runner Mina Guli wants everyone to know that the world is running out of fresh water. The 48-year-old athlete and CEO is on a mission to draw attention to the global water crisis. In order to do that she attempted a physical feat so extreme, most people would consider it impossible — running 100 marathons in 100 days across the world. Mina is driven by urgency: By 2030, it’s estimated the demand for fresh water will outstrip supply by 40 per cent. But when her body literally broke during marathon 62, Mina thought all was lost. Unexpectedly, the campaign took on a life of its own on social media across the globe.