The H2O Heroes program was developed in response to Ireland's commitment to the UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 6 which focuses on clean water and sanitation. The researchers recognized that water education is increasingly important due to climate change predictions that suggest Ireland will face extremely dry summers and wet winters, bringing significant water management challenges.
The program's structure includes providing children with laboratory coats to "become scientists" and engaging them in hands-on activities with water samples from local rivers or lakes. These activities are designed to foster a sense of ownership and connection to their local environment - a key factor in developing environmentally responsible behavior. The program also includes "take home" elements specifically designed to promote parental participation and stimulate discussion between children and family members.
Using a mixed-methods approach, the researchers collected data from 41 children through pre- and post-workshop questionnaires, as well as interviewing 8 parents/caregivers six weeks after the workshop. The questionnaires assessed ecological knowledge, enjoyment of the workshop, and interest in science, while the interviews explored how children had communicated their experience and whether family behaviors had changed.
The findings revealed several key outcomes:
- Knowledge gains: Children showed significant increases in their understanding of water sources (30% improvement) and water conservation strategies (40% improvement). Their drawings and written responses demonstrated a deeper understanding of hydrological cycles and water systems after the workshop.
- Communication patterns: Interestingly, while children generally didn't discuss the specific workshop activities in detail with their parents, they strongly communicated the environmental message about water conservation. This suggests that the central message was more important to children than the delivery method.
- Behavioral change: All parents reported noticing changes in their children's water-related behaviors within six weeks of the workshop, such as turning off taps when brushing teeth and flushing toilets less frequently. The specific phrase "If it's yellow let it mellow, if it's brown flush it down" was mentioned by all interviewees, clearly demonstrating message transfer from the workshop.
- Intergenerational influence: Half of the parents interviewed reported changing their own water usage behaviors due to their children's influence. Even those who hadn't changed behavior yet admitted increased awareness and intention to change, with many feeling guilty about their water consumption.
The researchers identified three overarching themes in the parent interviews: engagement (children's enthusiasm for the program), communication (how environmental messages were shared), and change (behavioral shifts in both children and adults).
For educators and environmental practitioners, this study offers valuable insights:
- Hands-on, experiential learning with real-world local examples can effectively build environmental knowledge
- Children can function as environmental ambassadors when they feel empowered with knowledge
- Simple, memorable messages (like the toilet flushing slogan) may be more effectively transmitted across generations than detailed scientific information
- Even short-duration programs can lead to meaningful behavioral changes when they engage children as active participants
- The "take home" written materials had minimal impact, while the lived experience of practicing conservation behaviors proved more influential
The researchers acknowledge limitations including the small sample size and focus on a single school. However, they emphasize that the findings support the potential for child-to-adult intergenerational learning as an effective way to achieve environmental change, particularly in water conservation behaviors.
The Bottom Line
This article examines the effectiveness of "H2O Heroes," an environmental education program piloted with primary school students (ages 7-10) in rural Ireland. The program brings children on a 3-hour interactive classroom-based tour of a water catchment, focusing on the connection between human activity and water quality. The research investigated whether the program could promote environmental education and facilitate intergenerational learning, where children transfer environmental knowledge to their parents and influence household behaviors. Results showed that not only did children significantly increase their knowledge about water conservation and water systems, but they also effectively communicated environmental messages to their families, leading to measurable changes in household water conservation behaviors. The study demonstrates that children can be powerful agents of environmental change when provided with engaging, hands-on learning experiences.