Race Details
The Delaware Riverkeeper Network and Green Amendments For The Generations present the Virtual Canoe Race, an online exploration of watersheds that offers information and activities on geography, history, culture, and environmental science in a trivia contest format. The Virtual Canoe Race uses the Delaware River Watershed as a basis for the race, but the race is ideal for any educator teaching about watersheds and looking for a tool to teach critical thinking, teamwork, and research skills.
How does the Virtual Canoe Race work?
Participants' boats are put in at Hancock, New York, where the east and west branches of the Delaware join to form the main stem Delaware River. Of course, the race is virtual. No need to actually go to Hancock. You play online from your home or classroom, or even from your mobile device.
Every Monday for six weeks, ten questions about the Delaware River watershed and the Green Amendment movement will be posted under This Week's Challenge. Every correct answer will move your boat farther down the virtual Delaware River. You can watch your boat move down the River and see where others by using your Virtual Canoe Race login you receive when registering. Bonus miles can be earned each week by completing additional tasks or activities.
What skills do students build when they participate in the Virtual Canoe Race?
The Virtual Canoe Race is designed to help students learn about watersheds by using questions on science, history, geography, and literature based on the Delaware River Watershed. The 10 weekly trivia questions help students to build up knowledge to use throughout the race, beginning with defining words like watershed and estuary and using these terms and ideas in later questions to help students build on their learning. Students gain direct knowledge, but also use their memory and critical thinking skills. The race is also designed to help build teamwork among classrooms, as they are all in a canoe together and must work with each other to gain miles through correct answers and paddle down the river – just like in a real canoe! Additionally, because students are competing against classrooms across the nation it helps them see how our environment is all connected! Seeing their own boat travel down the map helps solidify this by visually taking students through the length of the Delaware River Watershed. We also offer bonus miles activities like short reports, visiting streams, or creating art projects that help to build research skills, active communities, and unleash creativity!
Are there prizes?
Yes! Boats that go the farthest for each grade win specialty prizes for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. Even if you don’t win, every participant will get a small prize for their hard work learning about the Delaware River Watershed.
Who Can Play?
All young paddlers should be 14 years old or younger as of the first day of the race. Young paddlers should play under the supervision of a parent, guardian, or educator.
Race Time
The Spring Virtual Canoe Race will begin at 9am on April 12th. The Virtual Canoe Race runs for three weeks. All answers and extra mile opportunities questions and must be submitted by 11:59pm on May 3rd. Even if you enter after April 12th, you can still make it to the front of the pack if you paddle hard.
How to Enter
Registration is required, but is free as a way to provide accessible resources to educators, parents, and guardians as learning continues to be affected by COVID-19. If you would like to make a donation support of the Virtual Canoe Race to ensure we can continue to provide this resource you can do so here. You can also choose to utilize the fundraising page created upon registration. All donations to the Virtual Canoe Race are used to continue providing this resource at low cost for all students in the Watershed and beyond. We appreciate your support!
How to Play
Each week, starting on Monday, April 12th, a series of multiple choice questions, along with extra mileage opportunities, will be posted under This Week's Challenge. Virtual Canoe Race questions test knowledge of Delaware River watershed geography, history, culture, and environmental science. Questions will be posted by 11:00 am Monday of each week. Parents, guardians, and educators should work with their young paddlers to answer the weekly sets of questions and submit their answers by 11:59 pm on the following Sunday.
Earn River Miles by:
1. Answering the questions of the week correctly. Each correct answer moves your boat ten miles down the virtual Delaware River. A total of 300 River Miles can be earned answering all of the weekly questions correctly (three weeks of questions with 10 questions per week and each question is worth 10 points).
2. Completing extra mile activities. Three extra mile activities will be made available. The number of river miles awarded for these activities varies. Undertake all, some, or none of the extra mile activities. Extra mile activities remain posted for the entire Virtual Canoe Race. All answers for suggested extra mile activities must be submitted by 11:59pm on May 3rd. A total of 30 river miles can be earned by completing all of the extra mile activities correctly: each extra mile challenge is worth 10 river miles.
The Virtual Canoe Race runs for three weeks.