BROOKINGS – Nearly 1,200 fourth-grade students from public, private and home schools will attend the 26th annual Big Sioux Water Festival, held Tuesday on the South Dakota State University campus. 

The students will spend the day exploring different aspects of water resources. 

“We provide a variety of interactive activities for the students,” said Deb Springman, coordinator of the event. 

Throughout the day, students attend a variety of 30-minute sessions from structured activities to exhibits, which provide hands-on learning opportunities.  

“Students have fun while learning at the same time, and they are learning from adults who work in water-related and environmental fields,” Springman said. 

The festival also provides a resource room for teachers where they can pick up materials for their classrooms. This year representatives from Ground Works-Midwest will be available to answer questions and talk about the new Ag in the Classroom curriculum called South Dakota Road Trip, which is expected to be fully ready for classrooms in the fall. There will also be representatives from the Izaak Walton League providing supplemental materials to teachers, as well.   

This festival is organized by a committee of partners, including the East Dakota Water Development District, the Brookings County Conservation District, the South Dakota Rural Water Association and South Dakota State University.  

Volunteers affiliated with education, government and the community are what makes this event possible. The festival is provided at no cost to the participants, and the event provides funding to help schools pay for a portion of their transportation costs.

Anyone interested in volunteering for the event or who would like to make a financial contribution is asked to contact Springman at 605-688-6741 or edwdd4@brookings.net.

Visit the water festival website http://bigsiouxwaterfestival.org for more information.