Rosie Emery is an international children’s entertainer who uses her singing and songwriting talents to teach children about their interconnectedness to the environment. Passionate about caring for the environment and as perky and playful as the youngsters in her audiences, Emery inspires Southwest Florida’s youngsters to celebrate Earth. Since 2004, this new media producer has been awakening in children a sense of wonder for the planet, as well as an understanding of the interconnection and relevance of all species.

Under Emery’s direction, dozens of kids from Southwest Florida have starred in the WGCU Curious Kids show that has received numerous industry awards, including a NATAS Suncoast Chapter Emmy and the 2016 Education and Community Engagement Collective Impact Achievement award by the National Educational Telecommunication Association.

“In the most recently filmed show, which airs in December, Curious Kids Sophie and Jaden spend the day on Lake Okeechobee with Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission biologist Barron Moody, who introduces them to the marine and wildlife that depend on this inland habitat. The kids learn the lake’s history—from its early formation more than 6,000 years ago, through the tragic hurricanes that led to the construction of the Herbert Hoover Dike—to its current status as a world-renowned bass fishery,” explains Emery.

From the lake, the cast moves down the Caloosahatchee to Matlache Pass Aquatic Preserve to meet educator, Susie Hassett and some of her students from Littleton Elementary School. Situated a few miles north of where the Caloosahatchee River flows into the ocean, the pass provides a glimpse into what happens when excessive amounts of fresh water are released into a fragile saltwater estuarine ecosystem.

A visit to Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed (CREW) to meet Florida Gulf Coast University Professor Win Everham helps Curious Kids understand why it’s important for water to flow slowly across the land in Southwest Florida. A marsh might seem insignificant to some, but as Everham eloquently points out, its intrinsic value is a proven fact.

From a civic perspective, a visit to the office of Representative Heather Fitzenhagen, in Fort Myers, provides some answers regarding how citizens can affect change. A trip to the Naples Botanical Garden to meet Deputy Director Chad Washburn shows the kids how rain gardens, swales and mini wetlands can help to mitigate harmful runoff from roads and parking lots.

In the show’s conclusion, Helen Wickert, mother to Curious Kids Jaden, invites the kids into the family home for a lesson on making effective non-toxic household cleaning products with essential oils, vinegar and baking soda.

“Lake Okeechobee has frequently been in the news recently, and we felt that a new Curious Kids show was a good way to keep the conversation going without picking sides or pointing fingers. We were looking for solutions and information that could inspire kids to learn more about what is happening and think about what they can do to take care of the environment,” says Emery.

Understanding natural capital, the world’s stock of natural resources and assets, makes sense to kids that are quick to understand how mangrove islands can buffer and offset storm surges along the coastline when hurricanes strike, and how plants remove pollutants from the slow-moving “river of grass”, making the water cleaner and clearer.

In the opinion of John G. Heim, founder of the SWFL Clean Water Movement, this particular Curious Kids show couldn’t have come at a better time. Restoring the river of grass and making water a basic human right is what this Fort Myers resident and clean water activist lives for. “The Lake Okeechobee polluted discharges are largely received via the Caloosahatchee River. The Curious Kids who learned all about our unique ecosystem will share it with their parents, who will hopefully also become curious to know more. This chain reaction, which Rosie is well aware of, is how we get more local residents joining in our efforts to form a caring community that is willing to unite their voices in speaking up and demonstrating their commitment to our environment and clean water. Kids are the future and we need their voices now,” he says.

For a complete schedule of Curious Kids Shows, visit WGCUCuriousKids.org.