Our friends at OAR Northwest are taking on the might Mississippi, and doing it with an eye toward educating.
Teachers: We’ve already discussed the opportunities for your students to connect to this project and learn in this post. Jordan, Greg and the team are serious about getting into your classrooms, and it would be a great way (and time!) to get your students into geography, biology and the environment and physical fitness all at the same time.
Following is the press release from a few days ago, but be sure to check the event web site in the coming weeks to follow their progress.
From OAR Northwest:
SEATTLE (8/29/2014) – Trading massive 30-foot ocean swells for gargantuan football field-sized shipping barges, OAR Northwest adventure rowers will dodge these beasts of commerce as they hit the mighty Mississippi River this fall for its next rowing adventure. The expedition, Adventure: Mississippi River, will bring the world’s 4th longest river to life for students around the world. Catch the adventure and free collaborative learning opportunity online at rowboatclassroom.org.
On September 2nd, Adventure: Mississippi River departs river headwaters at Lake Itasca, MN, for the 2,340-mile row downriver to the Gulf of Mexico, an expected journey of over 2 months.
The expedition audience can track the rowboat on a live interactive map, collaborate in real-time with the adventurers, and maybe even learn the difference between the old riverboat call ‘mark twain’ and the notable author of similar name, Mark Twain.
Adventure: Mississippi River is a first-annual OAR Northwest Education program. Freely accessible, STEM-focused, standards aligned curriculum – crafted in partnership with the Izaak Walton League – the program aims to inspire students to experience an adventure in their local environment, understand the potential environmental impacts of their actions, and engage the rich history and diversity of species along the Mississippi River and its immense watershed. Expect live school visits along the river corridor, and periodic webinars between students worldwide and science experts in their field.
For more about OAR Northwest, OAR Northwest Education programs, and the Adventure: Mississippi River education expedition, visit www.rowboatclassroom.org or www.oarnorthwest.com.
