Britain’s rivers and canals provide an unrivalled resource that spans science, technology, history, geography and the arts, says Roger Hanbury, chief executive of the Waterways Trust, one of three associations that have launched a new education programme, Wild Over Waterways. Teachers can download free materials for seven to 11-year-olds from the website www.wow4water.net And WOW is planning national and local events for children and their families.
A survey to mark the launch revealed startling ignorance about canals: nearly half of seven to 14-year-olds did not know they were man-made; 41 per cent did not know they were built for transport; and one in five seven to eight-year-olds thought they were just homes for ducks.