Kids have crazy amounts of energy. It's amazing how at the end of the day they are still spinning, running, playing, throwing, jumping, yelling, singing... The other day I picked my kids up at 6:03 (their school has extended care and kindly didn't notice that the 6 o clock deadline had come and gone). They had been playing outside since 3:30 and still weren't ready to go. They wanted to play wall ball for 5 more minutes, and then they had to stop by the swings for 10 minutes.
Phew! Which is why I was psyched to find that kids' love of playgrounds is not only universal, but some clever people have thought of way to bottle some of that energy. In South Africa, they have starting putting in merry-go-rounds for the kids to play on. And every time they take a spin and go running around, deep under their dizzy feet, water is being pumped up and stored in a tank high above the playground.
The kids have fun and there is enough cold, clean water for everyone in the village. Not only does it provide a consistent, clean water source, it also saves time by eliminating the need to carry water several kilometres per day (which results in hours of lost employment), and reduces the widespread use of poor-quality water.
By the way, it was just World Water Day yesterday and there are walks and virtual walks tomorrow March 24 to raise attention to the great things that happen when people around the world have access to safe drinking water. Not only health benefits, but greater economic and cultural stability as well.
So join the 100 pumps in 100 days campaign by visiting Playpumps International. It aims to raise enough money for 100 pumps between March 22 and June 29 and is another little thing you can do that will make a huge difference in a lot of lives.
Have a great weekend.
Jill at GreenDimes
www.greendimes.com
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