Over the past week Project Eco ROVER has received contributions from Kiwanis International of Carbondale, IL, and from the Lutheran Women's Missionary League (LWML) of Our Savior Lutheran Church-Carbondale, totaling nearly $2,000. We are very excited to utilize these donations towards renovation of the ROVER. Thank you to all who continue to support the goals and mission of our work, it is truly a testament of your commitment to move education forward and encourage youth of our future.

An evening news clip from WSILTV helped spread the word of Eco ROVER across the region. After an enjoyable day working with 5th graders at Jefferson Elementary in Marion, IL, it is now time to get serious on the overhaul of the ROVER and the transition of this bus into a mobile science experience. Stay tuned to Project Eco ROVER for future pictures that reveal the progress of the bus renovation.

We would first like to extend a thank you to all of those who supported the mission of the ROVER in 2011. We were blessed to receive such kind words, contributions, and an overall wonderful experience across the region (and the midwest). As the new year begins, we are eager to embrace all that Project Eco ROVER has in store for us. We have faced several obstacles over the past six months and to those of you who have followed along, we thank you for your continued support. After the completion of the Kickstarter campaign, we now focus our attention on new horizons and with the right mix of people in place, we look forward to the excitement of 2012. Read more...

Five days in, to the 60-day Kickstarter campaign, our pledges total $2,225 from 11 backers. The time is now to make a move on education. We pose to each and every one of you to push this campaign forward with an astonishing two-week hiatus that can press the total pledge value to $20,000 by November 16th. What does this mean? It means we challenge each of you to share this site and the Kickstarter project with at least 10 family members, friends, or co-workers.

    If you are a teacher, you understand the importance of science education in the classroom, and the lack of support you are receiving from various agencies. If you are a parent, you recognize the excitement of your child when they engage in school projects that bring learning to life. If you are a member of a community, you realize that more and more job opportunities are being exported to other countries where citizens excel in the sciences and we rely on their knowledge for innovation and productivity. We have an amazing opportunity to re-write this script. Project Eco ROVER aims to provide for the classrooms that do not have the resources, by bringing the science and passion for learning to you.

    We cannot do this without the support of the parents and families in your schools. Project Eco ROVER needs all supporters on-board with the promotion of the project in your schools, offices, and communities. By creating a mobile classroom that engages students through hands-on science, Project Eco ROVER strives to design the first integrated classroom on wheels which can be replicated in communities across the country. Help us make this happen by spreading the word and by completing the 14-day challenge.

Saturday Science at Murdale was a success, with a large population of youth and adults in attendance. The event started off a little chilly, but as the day progressed, parents kept returning with children who wanted to get back to the river models instead of jumping around in the inflatable houses. Saturday Science marked the kickoff of our on-line campaign where Project Eco ROVER has 60 days to raise $85,000 to renovate the ROVER. The first two days were very successful, but we need to make a big push during the remainder of this first week. Read more...

All the kiddos in attendance were able to help us spread the message that the ROVER needs an overhaul and the importance of enhanced science education in the schools. With a few touch-ups from the children, the ROVER has a new look that adds some color to the dull, white canvas. A morning surprise from an amazingly supportive friend resulted in an early sugar-rush and a sugar cookie snack from Larry's House of Cakes. What a sweet surprise and a great start to the Project Eco ROVER campaign. A huge THANK YOU to all who supported the day and made this event happen!!!

At midnight, Project Eco ROVER went live on Kickstarter with the design of Tomorrow's Classroom. To "kickstart" this 60-day challenge, Project Eco ROVER is showcasing the bus at Murdale Shopping Center in Carbondale, IL, on Saturday October 29th from 8am to 3pm. To learn more about the Kickstarter program, check out Kickstarter.com (Search: ROVER) or click on "Pledge Here" to take you directly to the link. Thank you to all who have made this possible and hang on tight during this 60 day ride!

As the final days approach before the launch of Project Eco ROVER: Tomorrow's Classroom, the last pieces of the puzzle are being put in place.  The video is complete, the rewards are set, and all that remains are Saturday Science at Murdale and a number of engaged children. As we eagerly await the launch event, it is important that we remember the goals and mission of Project Eco ROVER. This mobile science classroom is unique in its design, but practical in its approach to education. Place-based education is a philosophy of education that connects a child's learning environment with the needs and expectations of their everyday life. In comparison to traditional education models, Project Eco ROVER chooses an approach that does not position the teacher as the authoritarian leader of classroom learning, but aligns children and teachers to be co-leaders of learning, where both student and teacher can learn from one another. With the modules aboard the ROVER, this mobile classroom works at partnering students and teachers to be leaders of social change within the communities they live and seeks to engage schools to take an active role in Moving Education Forward.

This morning Project Eco ROVER had the opportunity to join Glenda Greenhouse of WDBX radio on the Greenhouse Rebellion program. Glenda and Andrew discussed how the project of converting a bus into a mobile classroom came to be, and what the future has in store for Eco ROVER. The Greenhouse Rebellion highlights non-profit organizations working within Southern Illinois communities and generates awareness and support for environmentally focused initiatives.  The half-hour segment this morning with Project Eco ROVER centered around community involvement for education, specifically the Saturday Science at Murdale this weekend, and the lasting partnerships being developed between local schools and Project Eco ROVER. For more information about other local radio programs and WDBX, check out WDBX.org or tune to 91.1fm in the Southern Illinois area.

Educators from Park Community Charter School in Kaukauna, WI, partner with Little River Research & Design and Project Eco ROVER to unveil the new EM2 River Model that will be incorporated into the elementary curriculum.

On October 18th, teachers from PCCS explored the many uses of the EM2 River Model at 1000 Islands Environmental Center.  The river simulator will be integrated into the new charter school's curriculum and will be used as an outreach tool in the river community of Kaukauna, located on the Fox River. Learn more about Park Community Charter School and see additional photos on Facebook.

October 8, 2011
The blank canvas has arrived. It is official, Project Eco ROVER is the proud owner of a 1985 MCI Coach Bus.  Delivered just last week, the newest member of the Eco ROVER team sits on three axles, checks in at nearly 45', and is ready for an overhaul.

This is an exciting time for ROVER followers and for educators across southern Illinois.  With the official ROVER now in place, new adventures are on the horizon for hands-on, place-based education in the region. The real work now begins as Eco ROVER looks to launch an on-line fundraiser to generate financial support to give the new ROVER a face lift.  Towards the end of the month, Eco ROVER will be participating in the Kickstarter Program (www.kickstarter.com) where people can support creative and unqique projects all over the world.  Stay connected through www.projectecorover.org and our new facebook page, www.facebook.com/ecorover.