Water Jamboree

Water Jamboree Logo The Water Jamboree is an educational fun day for fifth and sixth grade students from schools located in the Tri-Basin Natural Resources District and Lower Republican Resources District (Phelps, Gosper, Harlan, Franklin, Kearney and Furnas Counties in Nebraska) and north central Kansas (including the cities of Phillipsburg, Norton, and Kensington). Students attending will be involved in interdisciplinary water activities relating to aquatic life, recreational uses, water quality, non-point source pollution, irrigation, historical aspects of water, plants and water, and how water quality affects wildlife.

Extension Educator talking to kids around stream table — Kids around Stream Table

This event is a cooperative effort provided by the Tri-Basin NRD, Lower Republican NRD, Nebraska Extension, Post Rock Extension, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the US Army Corps of Engineers. The Water Jamboree will be held on two days in late April, with schools attending the day of their choice. Activities are held both indoors and outdoors at Camp Joy and the Harlan County Reservoir.

In 2024 we held the 31st Water Jamboree. Nearly 400 students and 140 adult volunteers attended the festival. We are looking forward to the 2025 Water Jamboree on April 29-30th.

Registration is in October & November, the deadline to register is December 1st. Contact Lori Swanson at the Phelps County Extension office by email at lori.swanson@unl.edu or by phone at (308) 995-4222.

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Activities

Bubbleology: Students will study the science of bubbles and use bubbles as tools to learn about the recreational value of water.

Water Rockets: Demonstrate Isaac Newton’s Third Law of Motion: “The action of one body (or force) on another produces an equal but opposite reaction.”

Water Filters: Students design and test hypotheses for cleaning water by making filters.

Water Safety: Discussion of safe boating procedures and water rescue.

Stream Table: The Stream Table shows students how flowing water can affect the land by causing erosion and sedimentation. It can also demonstrate the interaction between ground water and surface water.

Evolution of Irrigation: Interactive irrigation methods are presented. The history of irrigation is taught with a focus on several key terms and principles.

The Secrets of Harlan County Dam: Discover the truth behind the construction of Harlan County Dam.

Fishing Fun: Students will get the opportunity to practice their casting skills.

Pollinators: Learn about honeybees, their importance as pollinators, & what they can teach us about our environment.

Weed Warriors: Students will learn how river spraying and an Argo machine assists with aquatic noxious weed control.

Benthic Beauties: Dive into the different types of benthic macroinvertebrates found in Nebraska rivers and streams and discuss how they can be used in water quality assessments by scientists. Observe and identify live specimen and decorate a caddis fly case!

Forest Buffers: Students learn how trees and other plants provide filtration & bank stability as water moves into a stream, river, lake, or ocean.

Hydropower: What is Hydropower? How does water make electricity? This session will cover how A Hydroelectric Dam Works, demonstrate a Hydropower Model and discuss the benefits.

Water Wipeout: Students create hypothesis as to what will happen with a flood. Where the safest place to build will be. Floodplain model shows how to mitigate floodwaters.

Water Olympics: Investigate two properties of water (adhesion and cohesion) by competing in water games.

Water Carnival Activities:

Water Wheel of Fortune: Participants spin the wheel and answer questions related to water conservation and water management issues.

Hand Washing: Germs! Germs! Germs! Learn why hand washing is so important and the proper techniques.

Water Cycle Beads: Learn key characteristics pertaining to the movement of water above on and below the earth's surface by creating water cycle bracelets.

Wetland Trivia: Learn about the benefits wetlands provide in a fun carnival game.

Nature Tattoos: Temporary Tattoos of natural resources.

Coordinators

The following agencies are proud to serve as coordinators of the Water Jamboree. Click on the links to visit their websites.

Lower Republican Natural Resources District, Alma, Nebraska (308) 928-2182

Central Nebraska Public Power & Irrigation District, Holdrege, Nebraska, (308) 995-8601

USDA/Natural Resources Conservation Service, Holdrege, Nebraska, (308) 995-6121

K State Research & Extension - Phillips County, Phillipsburg, Kansas, (785) 543-6845

Post-Rock

Tri-Basin Natural Resources District, Holdrege, Nebraska, (308) 995-6688

US Army Corps of Engineers, Republican City, Nebraska, (308) 799-2105

Nebraska Extension - Phelps County, Holdrege, Nebraska, (308) 995-4222

Nebraska Extension - Harlan County, Alma, Nebraska, (308) 928-2119

Donors

The Water Jamboree Committee Members would like to thank the following businesses and individuals for their generous support of the Water Jamboree:

AgWest Commodities	Holdrege
Banner Capital Bank	Alma
Becky Kindschuh	Axtell
Bruning State Bank	Holdrege
Camp Joy Bible Camp	Republican City
Central Valley Irrigation of Holdrege, Lexington & Kearney	Holdrege
Chas. Sargent Irrigation	Holdrege
CHS Agri Service Center	Holdrege
Community Bank	Alma
Cornerstone Bank	Wilcox
Cornhusker Agronomics, Inc.	Axtell
Duncan, Walker, Schenker Daake	Oxford
First Bank & Trust Company	Minden
First Central Bank	Edison
First National Bank and Trust	Phillipsburg
First State Bank	Loomis
Guaranty State Bank & Trust	Beloit
Holdrege Irrigation	Holdrege
Holdrege Well Service	Holdrege
Linda Gaffney	Holdrege
Melissa & Mike Drain	Holdrege
Miller Dentistry	Phillipsburg
Minden Exchange Bank and Trust	Minden
Norton County Farm Bureau Association	Norton
Olson Irrigation	Minden
Phelps County Community Foundation	Holdrege
Phillips County Conservation District	Phillipsburg
Rusty's Fertilizer	Elm Creek
Smith County Conservation District	Smith Center
Titan Machinery	Holdrege
Trinity Ag, LLC	Smith Center
Twin River Agronomics	Minden
Waconda Boats and Motors, LLC	Republican City
Wagner's Irrigation	Holdrege
Waypoint Bank	Cambridge

Teacher Resources

Click on a link to access water-related resources:

Water Jamboree Activity Resources

Water Rockets Assembly

More Educational Resources Here