State of Missouri
February 2010
Xplor is the Missouri Department of Conservation’s coolest tool for reconnecting children with nature. The multi-media mash-up includes a magazine and website with tons of video, audio, lots of photos and extensive animation.
Aside from being fun for kids and parents, Xplor addresses child advocates’ concern about children’s growing alienation from nature. Author Richard Louv described the phenomenon as “nature deficit disorder” in Last Child in the Woods. The 2005 book distilled much of what was known about the phenomenon’s negative effects on children and society. It also spawned a national movement to connect kids to the outdoors, something the Conservation Department has been working at since the 1930s.
Xplor shows kids how nature artists and photographers capture their stunning images and how people with wild jobs have fun conserving wildlife. Xplor lets readers share other Missouri kids’ real-life adventures illustrated in graphic-novel style.
“We don’t want kids to just read the magazine or hang out on the computer all day,” said Xplor Staff Writer Joan McKee. “We want Xplor to send them running for the door so they can have their own adventures. The magazine will give them lots of ideas about things they can see and do outside. Then they can go to the website for more details about how to do them.”
Gorton Studios worked with Xplor staff to design and develop this media-rich website. The site is built using the Drupal framework, which is increasingly being embraced by the State of Missouri for a tremendous range of web needs. It also happens to be Gorton Studios' favorite tool to make great things happen for our clients.
