By Janice Milanovich | July 2026
This spring, Chicagoland educators gathered downtown for two Hands-on H2O: Project WET Make-and-Take Workshops hosted by Illinois–Indiana Sea Grant. Held on March 12 and June 10, the workshops offered a fresh take on professional development by emphasizing active participation and classroom-ready resources that educators could immediately bring back to their students.
Hands-on Learning
Educators participated in six hands-on activities from the Project WET Foundations of Water Education Guide, experiencing the lessons just as their students would. Thanks to funding from National Great Rivers, participants also received classroom-ready kits to lead four Project WET activities with their learners.
Project WET facilitator Ann Roth volunteered to co-lead this workshop and reflected on the experience.
“Working with educators is truly inspiring,” Roth said. “Educators are engaged learners and are always looking for ways they can bring new resources and skills back to their students. Project WET curricula offer interactive, hands-on learning activities that an educator can put into action right away.”
Incredible Journey
One activity that captured this hands-on approach was the Incredible Journey, a participant-favorite that explores how water moves through the water cycle.
During the activity, educators became water droplets, traveling through different parts of the water cycle based on the roll of specially designed dice. Along the way. They experienced how water moves among rivers, lakes, soil, plants, animals, the atmosphere, and even glaciers.
The lesson also introduces the concept of residence time—the average amount of time that water molecules remain in a particular location. Participants quickly discovered that firsthand as some found themselves “stuck” in a glacier for several rounds before the dice finally allowed their water droplet to continue its journey.
Did you know? The average residence time for Lake Michigan is 99 years, while the residence time for the Chicago Area Water System is about eight days, depending on flow conditions.
From Workshop to Watershed
By combining hands-on exploration, place-based connections, and ready-to-use resources, the workshop equipped educators with practical tools to help students better understand water systems and their connection to the Great Lakes. As these lessons make their way into classrooms across the Chicago region, the impact of the workshops will continue well beyond a single day of professional learning.
Photos Credits: Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant
About Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant
Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant is one of 34 Sea Grant programs supported by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in coastal and Great Lakes states dedicated to the stewardship and sustainable use of the nation’s Great Lakes and ocean resources.
