NORFOLK, Neb. — Fifth grade students from across four counties in northeast Nebraska learned about the importance of ground water in a fun, hands-on way.

Over 15,000 students have gone through the Lower Elkhorn Natural Resources District (LENRD) program from Pierce, Madison, Stanton, and Antelope counties in the course of 30 years.

“One of the best ways to learn is by having fun,” LENRD Education Coordinator Julie Wragge said. “We do a lot of hands-on, fun learning activities so that they can really get engaged and learn by actually doing an activity.”

From edible aquifers to launching bottle rockets, the activities help accomplish the goal of learning about the importance of ground water.

Due to the importance of the Elkhorn River in the region, Wragge said conserving resources is an important message for the children to understand.

“They go turn on the water faucet and they think, ‘There’s the water,’” Wragge said. "But they don’t realize that it’s coming from the ground and how we have to protect that resource that we have."

As the program reached its 30th anniversary, Wragge says excitement from the students and positive responses from the teachers from schools in the area makes the time spent putting everything together worth it.

“To see the kids interact and really learn,” Wragge said. “They keep coming back year after year and they get excited. They hear about it from their brothers and sisters and they can’t wait to get to fifth grade so they can come to.”

The Elkhorn H2O Daze is scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday and Wragge anticipates over 500 students will participate in the activities over the two days.