Halton Children's Water Festival: home

TEACHER RESOURCES

Use the resources below to help prepare for your field trip to the in-person festival.

Elementary Teachers Guide

Activity Guide

Festival Site Map

Secondary Teachers Guide

Code of Conduct

TEACHER FAQ

General

Where is the Halton Children's Water Festival located?The festival is located at Kelso Conservation Area, 5234 Kelso Road in Milton, Ontario.

Does the festival ever get cancelled?As an outdoor event, the Halton Children’s Water Festival runs rain or shine. The festival may be cancelled in the event of inclement weather, serious incident or other potential hazards. Festival staff regularly monitor weather forecasts and will notify all organizers, vendors, teachers and volunteers of cancellation by 6:00 a.m. on any given festival date. There are no make-up dates for festival days that are cancelled.

Do you accommodate children with special needs?Yes. Our program aims to be accessible and to accomodate all students. We offer a variety of accommodations such as all-terrain wheelchairs or shuttle, private restrooms and changing pads to ensure students have a positive field trip experience. The festival coordinators will connect with participating teachers about available accomodations in the fall.

What should my students wear?Please wear comfortable clothing and closed-toe footwear. The festival happens rain or shine, so please dress for the forecasted weather. Sunscreen and insect repellent are recommended.

What is permitted and/or not permitted on the bus?Not all buses have a side-bin for storage. Coolers are permitted if they fit on the bus seat and do not block the aisle. Please contact the festival coordinators if you have questions about specific items. 

The following items are prohibited: 
- Non-collapsible wagons
- Skis/Ski Poles/Snowboards
- Hover-boards
- Hockey and other sport equipment (e.g., hockey/lacrosse sticks, golf clubs, curling brooms, Javelins)
- Long-boards/Scooters/e-Scooters/Roller Blades
- Animals (service animals accepted)
- Large musical instruments under (18 inches by 10 inches by 10 inches) 
- Alcohol, tobacco, vaping products, illegal drugs and cannabis (unless medically prescribed)
- Ammunition
- Explosives/firecrackers or any flammable object or substance
- Firearms or any weapons, including pocket knives
- Laser pointers
- Lighters
- Matches
- Toboggans

What does a typical day at the festival look like?9:30 am - High school students arrive

10 a.m. - Elementary students start to arrive

10:30 a.m. - Morning activity rotations begin

11:30 a.m. - Lunch

Noon - Afternoon activity rotations begin

1:30 p.m. - Activities conclude, elementary students depart and volunteers close their stations

2 p.m. - High school students depart

Elementary School Teachers

How do I register my class for the in-person festival?Teachers within Halton Region can register their classes for the festival on our Elementary School Teachers page. Registration opens at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, June 6, 2025. Spots are limited, so we encourage teachers to register early.

How many students can I bring?While teachers are encouraged to register all students in their classes, festival staff must divide bookings into 14-18 groups, with roughly 15-20 students per group. Registration is on a first come, first served basis. Teachers will be notified if students are placed on a waitlist. Group schedules will be available one week before the festival begins.

Can I change my registration information?Yes. The deadline for making changes to registration is Friday, September 12, 2025. The festival coordinators will do their best to accomodate changes, but large increases in numbers may not be accomodated.

Teachers will be charged based on the student numbers provided by September 12. Please contact waterfestival@hrca.on.ca to change registration information.

Is there a waitlist?Yes. If teachers do not receive a registration confirmation email for a group or grade of students, they have likely been waitlisted. Teachers will be notified of the grade and number of students on our waitlist via email. Should space for participants become available, we will contact teachers within the first two weeks of September.

If you were unable to register for the in-person event, please consider registering for our Virtual Field Trip.

What is included in the cost?The Halton Children’s Water Festival costs $12 per student. This cost includes a full day at the festival and busing to and from the event. Busing is organized and paid for by the event.

When is payment required?Elementary schools will be invoiced after the festival based on the confirmed numbers they provide by Friday, September 12, 2025. There are no refunds for absent students on the day of the trip.

What is the adult to student ratio?We request a 10:1 student to adult ratio. Some teachers may need to recruit additional volunteers to attend the event. All groups will require at least one adult group lead to supervise students throughout the day of the festival. There is no cost for adult chaperones or teachers to attend.

What should elementary students bring for lunch?Food and drink are not available for purchase on-site. Student lunches should be packed in reusable containers when possible. Water bottle refill stations are available on-site.

Secondary School Teachers

How many high school volunteers can teachers bring to the festival?The final number of high school volunteers should be discussed with our festival coordinators as students are assigned to specific activities. Contact us at waterfestival@hrca.on.ca.

Can students bring their own props and activity material?Each activity station includes all necessary props to deliver HCWF programs. While we do not recommend bringing personal props or materials for festival activities, please contact us with any suggestions at waterfestival@hrca.on.ca.

What should high school students bring for lunch?All students will be provided with pizza for lunch.

Food and beverage are not available for purchase on-site. Please ensure students bring additional snacks in resuable containers (when possible) and a refillable water bottle. Water refill stations are available on-site.

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