Milwaukee campers at Boatworks RiverVentures finish building 18-foot canoe

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- A group of kids finished a pretty cool summer project in Milwaukee on Friday, July 17 -- and they immediately took it for a ride. 

They built an 18-foot wooden canoe and carried it to the Menomonee River. 

The group is from the All Hand Boatworks RiverVentures Camp for kids 10 to 17 years old. They work together to learn about what it takes to make a boat that stays afloat. Among other things, it's a pretty good STEM education. 

"Boat building lends itself to a lot of different teaching opportunities, so we tend to focus on basic math skills, getting kids more comfortable using math in a real world application as well as an introduction to the trades, so learning to use tools, learning about safety," said Matthew Rohrer, RiverVentures Summer Camps. 

After a christening ceremony, the kids got to try out the canoe and sure enough, it worked! 

They named the canoe as well, calling it the "Aurora Veil." 

Great work! 

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