Schools

Rouge River Water Festival

The Rouge River Water Festival is a water education event held the third week of September since 2003 at Cranbrook Institute of Science (CIS). Fourth and Fifth grade students from the Oakland County portion of the Rouge River watershed attend the festival.

During the event, students learn about the central role water and the Rouge River play within their region. Cranbrook Institute of Science in Bloomfield Hills, situated on three sub-branches of the Rouge River, offers an outstanding learning environment.

Each class attends a series of outdoor and indoor presentations. Presentations will be 25-minutes and will be designed, as much as possible, to be interactive, hands-on learning experiences. All presentations and exhibits relate to water, its uses, and critical importance to us and our environment.

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Local professionals volunteer their time as presenters and 35 different organizations participate in the event. The festival utilizes both museum classrooms and the campus as teaching areas, including a section of the Rouge River. Presentations include the water cycle, storm water pollution, Great Lakes history, groundwater, Rouge River wildlife, Great Lakes invasive species, native plants and more.

The festival utilizes the beautiful grounds of CIS to make the event special. A giant Stegosaurus sculpture, world-class architecture, fountains, and flow pools are the setting for outdoor presentations – creating an exceptional experience for students. Indoor presentations provide access to view the Institute’s world-class gem and mineral collections, and Geology and Anthropology exhibits.

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