Adedayo Mark-Adeyemi
Nigeria Water Forum, www.nigeriawaterforum.org
dayowumiayo@yahoo.co.uk,
nigeriawaterforum@gmail.com
 The Blue Earth Children Club, emanated from the
activities of a set of nursery and primary school
Children in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Nigeria promoted
supported by , Adedayo Mark-Adeyemi. In the process
of the program, a rhyme was produced for the school
program dedicated to the use of water. The rhyme will
go on to be a regular sound track for the
advertisements of the Ogun State Water Corporation
see www.nigeriawaterforum.org home page.
Two Strategic Approaches
 Create a unique physical presence
 Raise advocacy up to the highest level of government
Create a unique physical presence
 In the whole Abeokuta , there is no single established
park elaborate for Children to play, creating a Water
park with a small museum to show case Water, Climate
and Environment issues in the most graphic and
electronic format that will fascinate children will be a
veritable way to make children converge and learn.
There are beautiful water fronts with nice vegetation
that can be put use in this regards.
Raise advocacy up to the highest level
of government.
 This strategy seek to bring the attention of the
authorities at the Federal Ministry of Education,
National Board on Technical Committee on Education,
State Ministry of Education, National Assembly
Committees on Education and their Counterparts in
the Water and Environment sector to the following
submissions:
PRESENTATION ON USING THE CURRICULUM TO
MAKE THE WORLD BLUE
Prevalent Rhymes and its meaning
Umpty dumpty sat
on the wall
Umpty dumpty had
a great fall
All the kings men
Could not put
umpty dumpty back
again
Social Relevance
Direct implication could
be, obesity must be
avoided, but little import
to children
Could human beings break
into pieces No! Amusing
but not inspiring
Social relevance Nil
LONDON BRIDGE AINT FALLING
London Bridge is falling
down, falling down, falling
down
London bridge is falling
down
My fair lady
Relevance : Nil
(Most children in sub-Saharan
Africa have never seen the London
bridge even in pictures)
Peter and Paul
There are two little birds
Sitting on a wall
One name Peter, one
named Paul
Fly away peter, fly away
Paul
Come back Peter, come
back Paul
Oh, come back little bird
And sit on the wall
These are the first set of rhymes that our children spend their first three years in school to learn. Yet the children are
the most effective tool to elicit behavioural changes even among adults.
Rhymes; Make the World Blue
Water has no enemy
“water has no enemy, don’t waste it, water has no
enemy use it wisely, all we need to do we use water,
use it wisely, don’t waste it, in the morning time
we use for bathing, we use for washing and use for
cooking, untreated water will kill you slowly, use it
wisely don’t waste it, water has no enemy let it
flow….. water is life
Wash your hand before you eat
 “ wash your hand before you eat,
 invisible germs can through your hand,
 enter you and make you sick,
 wash your hand friend wash your hand,
 wash your hand before you eat”
Wash your hand always
 Seven times you wash your hand,
 when you come in from work wash your hand,
 when you come from toilet wash your hand,
 when you clean your nose wash your hand,
 when you touch any sick thing wash your hand,
 wash your hand all the time,
 this is the way to live healthy.
Use Water Wisely
 Water! Water! everywhere,
 what comes around goes around,
 waste it here, lack it there,
 use it wisely here,
 share it there,
 let water flow every where
Clean the toilet
 When you enter the toilet
 You are happy , it is clean
 When you leave the toilet
 Please leave it clean
 make the next user happy
Rain

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I once asked my father
Where does rain come from
He answered, Heaven!
Then I asked my father
where it goes from here
He answered, heaven!
What comes down
Goes around and goes back up
It is a cycle that keeps the earth
Please don’t break the cycle
Don’t Dump your waste
 Don’t dump your waste there
 Don’t dump your waste in the drain
 Don’t dump your waste in the river
 Don’t dump your waste by the road side
 Don’t dump your waste next door
 Keep your waste away safely
 Let us live a healthy life
Climate Change 1
When it is
December
We say its
winter
Dry, cold, hazy
sky
Climate Change 2
When its April we
say is autumn
Thunder sound, the
rain heralding
Climate Change 3
When its august
We’re in the heart of
summer
Sunny, rainy comes
the harvest
September marks
the end of wetly
times
Climate Change 4
Spring is the day before
snow falls
But little children
Often ask these days
Why rain in winter,
Tough snow like none
before?
Intense heat, yet rain delay
One answer comes so quick
to mind
Climate change is here for
real
Do you have a toilet?
 Do you have toilet?
 What do you mean?
 Where do you ease yourself?
 Just behind the back
 How do you like the stench?
 We have lived with it
 What will then be your plea
 Please build us a toilet
Open Defecation
Open defecation
What a shameful act
Open defecation
What a dirty act
Open defecation
What a dangerous act
Open defecation
What a deadly act
Desertification
Desertification
Let’s do something for the
earth
Our mother land is
growing bald
Fall a tree but just plant Six
Seven days that make a
week
Restore the earth
Please make it green
Curriculum Influence.
 Political Action
 The English Subject could be a means of spreading the
Blue Earth message among children. Composition,
comprehensions in school books and examination
could be tailored towards water and environment.
Book Review (Survey)
 Universal Basic Education Edition
 Nigeria Primary English
Broad Topics
No of Titles
Events
Adventure
Moral
Relationships
Places
Water and Environment
Nil
Healthy Living
Nil
 Social Activities
 The Blue Earth movement can be formed in schools
just as am awareness creating social network among
students. They could introduce water based
competitions like swimming, Water and environment
quiz, water related community support activities, like
clearing the drain, planting of trees etc
Visit to Government Officials (Lobby)
 Visit to the Abuja to meet the Honourable Minister for
Education and Water Resources and the Chairman
Legislative Committees on Education and Water
Resources, to present the request to replace irrelevant
rhymes and themes of the compositions in the school
books with Rhymes that promotes best practices as
composed by the club.