(WJET/WFXP/YourErie.com) — Asbury Woods will be hosting the Children’s Water Festival this week.

The Erie nature preserve at 4105 Asbury Road will serve as host to more than 500 fifth-graders throughout this week as they learn about water.

The Children’s Water Festival had been held at Penn State Behrend since 2015. The program needed a new home due to changes on the campus, an Asbury Woods announcement said, and so the local nature preserve stepped up.

During the festival, local children will learn about the importance of water, taking care of watersheds, conserving water, and recognizing water as a vital resource. (The festival is based on the Children’s Groundwater Festival that was first introduced in 1988 in Grand Island, Nebraska. Many programs worldwide are modeled after that 1988 festival.)

“I was previously involved with Children’s Water Festival as a volunteer. When I started at Asbury Woods last year, I was thrilled that we were the new stewards of this critical education program,” said Sarah Bennett, director of education and community programs at Asbury Woods. “It’s a terrific fit with the environmental education programming we already offer, and with the opportunity to get the kids outside into the landscape, it will make the day all that more engaging, meaningful and fun.”

Schools won’t need to pay a program fee for their students to attend the program. Asbury Woods said the costs were covered by sponsors.

“We are so grateful for the donations which enable us to offer this program to public and private schools across Erie County with no fee to attend,” said Jennifer Farrar, Asbury Woods executive director. “Support of this program is an investment in our children, our future and our planet so that our youth understand how important it is to protect and conserve water.”