Across the country, microschools and homeschool groups are redefining what learning looks like—curiosity-driven, community-centered, and rooted in real-world experience. At Cultivating Currents, we share that spirit. Our mission is simple: empower youth to explore the powerful connections between how we grow our food, how our rivers flow, and how our oceans thrive (or suffer).
In Fall 2026, we’ll launch the Living Loop Lab, a 6,000-mile research and education voyage around America’s Great Loop. This floating classroom and mobile lab will turn ports into learning hubs and give students a rare chance to do real science that matters—tracking water quality, investigating harmful algal blooms, and telling the story of how agriculture and environment are connected.
And we want microschools and homeschool groups to be at the heart of it.
Why You?
Microschools and homeschool networks already embrace the kind of learning this project is all about: hands-on, inquiry-based, and deeply personal. Your students are explorers, makers, and storytellers by design. Together, we can give them a role in a national science movement that bridges classroom to coastline, backyard to bay.
Ways to Get Involved
🔬 Pilot Student-Friendly Field Kits (Winter 2025–26)
We’ll be rolling out youth-friendly water testing kits—complete with pH, nitrate, and turbidity tests, pocket microscopes, and field journals. Early pilot groups will help us refine the kits and data collection before the full expedition launch.
📊 Join the National Citizen Science Network
Students can collect and upload water quality data that feeds into national databases (including NOAA’s Phytoplankton Monitoring Network). This isn’t simulated science—it’s the real thing.
🎪 Host or Support a Pop-Up Science Event
In 2026, before we set sail, we’ll be running pop-up science days and conference events across the country—gathering data through our Street Science initiative, and introducing communities to hands-on water testing. These events will need volunteers, sponsors, and local hosts to bring them to life.
⚓ Port Stop Event
Once the Living Loop Lab launches in late 2026 and navigates America’s Great Loop through 2028, your group can help host dockside workshops and community science days when we dock nearby. Imagine your students helping guide younger kids, parents, and neighbors through real sampling activities—turning your community into a living classroom.
🚢 Crew-for-a-Day Opportunities
Select students may have the chance to join us aboard the Living Loop Lab for a day. They’ll collect samples, learn navigation basics, and document the expedition as part of the crew.
📚 Bring Street Science to Your Community
We’ll provide Street Science Kits designed to keep discovery alive in your microschool or co-op long after the boat sails on. These kits come with tools, guides, and creative prompts to keep science playful, rigorous, and accessible.
📣 Share the Story
Not every family can get to the dock, but all can follow the journey. You can amplify student voices by sharing our story through your newsletters, podcasts, blogs, and social media.
Age Groups & Participation
Cultivating Currents is designed to connect teens to real science in meaningful ways.
- Citizen Science Project → Intended for teens (individually or as a group/class). Teachers, guides, or older students may also lead activities for younger children to ensure data integrity.
- Port Activities → Most workshops and dockside learning opportunities will be tailored for grades 5–12, with some sessions adapted for younger kids to spark early curiosity.
- Crew-for-a-Day → Reserved for teens ready to roll up their sleeves and step into a working science crew role.
Younger children are welcome at community events and family-friendly pop-ups, but the heart of this project is giving teens a real place in the science.
Why It Matters
This project isn’t just about water samples and data points—it’s about equipping young people with tools, trust, and a voice. When teens see that their observations contribute to national science and their stories shape public understanding, they don’t just learn science—they become scientists.
Take the Next Step
If you’re ready to explore ways your microschool or homeschool group can join us:
- Sign up for our newsletter (in the footer) to stay updated.
- Reach out through our contact page to start a conversation.
- Join a bi-weekly partner call to meet others shaping this work.
Together, we can connect land to water, data to story, and students to the future they deserve. 💧🌱