River field trips return for Columbia Public School students.
Missouri River Relief is hosting Missouri River Days for the first time since 2019. This program provides fourth-graders from Columbia Public Schools with a field trip to the Missouri River, where they will get to experience its muddy waters aboard one of Missouri River Relief’s motorboats.
Missouri River Days will take place on April 25, 27, and 29, and also on May 2, 4, and 6 at Cooper’s Landing Riverside Resort and Marina, 11505 Smith Hatchery Road, south of Columbia off Route K.
Missouri River Days is designed to get kids out of the classroom and onto the river in order to have their own hands-on experience with its waters, says Kristen Schulte, education director for Missouri River Relief.
Missouri River Days is held in partnership with the Columbia Public Schools Science Department. Students actively learn about the Missouri River through four different education stations where they meet a fisheries biologist, walk through a cottonwood forest, create a watercolor based on their observations, and participate in a boat ride.
In preparation for the boat ride, students will be fitted with life jackets and learn basic safety rules prior to boarding one of Missouri River Relief’s motorboats.
Each of these education stations are designed to provide a different experience with the Missouri River.
“Students can only learn so much about the Missouri River in their classrooms,” Kristin explains. “This program offers a whole new dynamic to their education on the river. A boat ride is far more engaging than a picture slideshow.”
Photo—Robert Linder on Unsplash
