Parks and Public Spaces across Missouri Participate in a Campaign to Engage Kids in Free
Outdoor Learning Experiences on their phones
In response to the huge demand for free fun active outdoor experiences, partners including: Wonders of Wildlife, the U.S. Forest Service – Mark Twain National Forest, the Missouri Department of Conservation, Boone County, Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum, Dogwood Canyon, Lost Canyon Cave and Nature Trail, Kansas City, McDonald County Historical Society, and the Lee’s Summit Parks and Recreation have come together to get people exploring, learning, and having fun with their families.
The campaign uses Agents of Discovery®, an educational technology platform that enables educators to create their own augmented reality games – think Pokemon Go for parks and education.
The Missouri Explorer will run from March 14th to May 11th, 2025. Anyone can join in by
downloading the free Agents of Discovery mobile app and completing “Missions”, or games at
participating locations. Each Mission is made up of educational “Challenges” that teach players
about local history, culture, ecosystems, and safety. For example, at the Mark Twain National
Forest, players can learn about forest habitats and how to keep them safe. At another location,
the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium, players can learn about different types
of animals and their habitats.
Ryan Hawkins, Education Manager at Dogwood Canyon, says, “The Agents of Discovery
gaming platform has allowed us to create a cohesive, repeat-player program across all three
Conservation Attractions. The platform invites guests to enhance their experience, providing
additional education interpretation and engagement without the presence of education staff. We
utilize a variety of mission types between our aquarium, museums, and nature trails, including
public on-site missions using both physical and GPS triggers, as well as play-at-home missions which are available to the public. The Agents of Discovery augmented reality technology offers
a truly unique and modern enhancement to our conservation and nature attractions.”
The Campaign includes amazing prizes to reward players, or “Agents” who participate. Once an
Agent completes a Mission, they’ll earn a lanyard and a player card. If Agents complete three
Missions, they will receive a Missouri Explorer Patch and they’ll be entered into a raffle to win
tickets to the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium, Dogwood Canyon Nature
Park, Discovery Center, Arabia Steamboat Museum, Missouri’s Cave Fantastic Caverns, Talking
Rocks Cavern, and Missouri Botanical Garden. If they complete six Missions, they’ll fill out their
player card and get upgraded to a new lanyard.
To download the free Agents of Discovery app, go to Google Play or the App Store. Once
downloaded, find the Missions near you and download them before heading out. No data or
WiFi is required to play a Mission once it has been downloaded.
About Agents of Discovery
Agents of Discovery, winner of the 2020 Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals
Excellence Award, is an innovative educational tech platform that utilizes web, mobile and the
latest in augmented reality technologies to get kids active and learning about the world around
them. Agents of Discovery provides educators with a unique way to gamify information,
incentivizing kids to be active while learning and exploring. The easy-to-use Mission Maker
allows educators to pull Challenges from their extensive Agency Library or to create customized
content specific to their site. Educators can then easily publish Missions for players to complete
on their devices. For more information, please visit www.agentsofdiscovery.com