At Summerhill Park Kindergarten awe have installed a drinking fountain in the kinder grounds with funding from a City of Boroondara grant.
The bright blue drinking fountain, installed at kindergarten-friendly height, provides easy access for our kinder children to drink fresh, clean water any time during outside play.
Regular hydration is important for everybody – and especially active young children. Water makes up to 70% of a child’s body mass, and is needed to keep all parts of the body functioning properly.
As part of our healthy eating program and be water wise, we regularly talk about drinking water and how we use water at SPK. Drinking tap water is a great healthy habit to get kids into, and we encourage regular water top ups and have a ‘water drinks only’ policy and expect re-usable drink bottles to be provided for lunches and snacks.
Tap water is also more environmentally friendly than bottled water. Australians recycle less than 50% of the PET plastic drink bottles we purchase, with the rest going to landfill or dumped as littler. What a waste!
At SPK we are responsible water users – using grey water to flush toilets, and rain tanks collect water for our indigenous and native plantings, vegie patch and water hardy gardens. Our rain gardens help filter storm water through the kindergarten grounds, and rain water is used as part of water play in the creek bed and other areas.
There is a free App available to help you find drinking fountains, BBQs and public toilet across Melbourne (vital information when adventuring with little ones!). Visit www.yvw.com.au/choosetapapp to download your copy.
For more information on SPK’s commitment to wise water use, please contact us on 9889 1543.
From the Yarra Valley Water Choose Tap program
Did you know?
Water makes up 80% of the brain
70% of a child’s body mass is made of water
If a child is thirsty, the are already far behind in fluid intake and their mental performance declines by 13%
Water helps keep a child’s body temperature at about 37C
Drinking water helps prevent dental problems, increases metabolic rate and strengthens their immune system
And drinking tap water is better for our environment because it reduces plastic waste.