Designing a Method to Teach Water Conservation
An educational initiative combining a picture book, digital and physical learning materials, and gamification elements to teach children about water conservation.
SDG 4: Quality Education
Estimated number of school-children in the UK educated on water-saving habits by end of 2028:
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The Challenge
Currently, 1 in 4 people globally still lack access to safe drinking water, and 1 in 3 children faces severe water scarcity. However, there is a critical global gap in education about water management and conservation, with it varying due to cultural differences, resource availability and socioeconomic disparities. Educating children, who influence their communities, is essential for developing solutions and making informed decisions to safeguard water resources for future generations.
Water is the foundation of life, yet children often lack a deep understanding of its importance.
The Innovation
The Design for Good team created ‘Splash and the Water Guardians’, a playful education toolkit designed for children ages 5-12, blending storytelling, interactive activities and real-world challenges.
From the classroom to beyond
Co-created with educators and environmental experts, and aligned with UK Year 1 curriculum, the toolkit instils early eco-awareness and action, aiming to build water-conscious adults of the future. Together, the benefits can touch several parts of a community:
Water companies benefit from improved community engagement, brand trust and real conservation impact.
Schools benefit from open-source educational materials that help them to achieve their learning objectives for Year 1 kids, beyond water conservation.
Parents and kids benefit from having educational materials that teach about water in a fun and interactive way.
Nature benefits as water is protected from over consumption and pollution, and biodiversity is restored.
A story framework and identifiable characters
The team identified four areas to build stories from: Overall water themes, water threats, actions to take, and rewards and recognition for mastering learnings. From these, illustrated main characters, including relatable children and an anthropomorphic droplet representing all water, guide children through big issues but in an understandable manner.
The toolkit includes a picture book and physical and digital materials, such as games, certificates and challenges.
The project will be implemented in the United Kingdom by WaterWise and Time to Help UK.
The Results
This project is still in development – check back later for future updates!
Help us make a difference
All our projects are open-source. Go ahead and use them to do good.