With a new school year looming, ACRF staff involved in the Education and Outreach Program worked with the ARM communications team to develop and implement an updated Education website. The redesigned website includes updated content and a fresh look to complement the recent ARM website redesign. For continuity, the website still features the familiar faces of Professor Polar Bear, Teacher Turtle, and PI Prairie Dog (each representing an ACRF site), but now provides easier navigation and great new learning activities.

Targeted at students, the Study Hall webpage includes a variety of activities and information designed to pique the scientific interests of kids in grades K-12.

The Education website is now divided into three specialized and easy-to-navigate sections: Homeroom, Study Hall, and Teachers’ Lounge. Homeroom features information about ACRF education and outreach efforts, providing news, events and publications. Study Hall is a resource for students, containing quizzes, activities, and commonly asked questions and answers about climate, weather, and global warming. This area also includes a new “Just for Fun” page that offers coloring pages, word seeks, and more. The Teachers’ Lounge provides teachers with sample lesson plans, activity ideas, and valuable background information.

A DOE stipulation for ACRF funding is to provide educational resources to anyone interested in learning more about climate sciences, weather, research techniques, or instrumentation. To this end, the website serves as a cost effective and globally accessible reference. In addition, Education and Outreach staff frequently participate in targeted public education venues such as WeatherFest, and work closely with communities that host ACRF sites.