The White Water Walk is a fantastic way to get up close and personal with Niagara Falls. As you stroll the 325 meters of boardwalk alongside the mighty rapids, you will be in awe of these powerful falls. The rushing water, the frantic currents, and the spiraling whirlpools will thrill you with their speed and volume. Rapids are rated according to their intensity. The scale used to measure their intensity is divided into six classes. Class one rapids are very mild with little or no waves. Rapids and falls rated as class six are the most severe of all and are considered to be unrunnable by rafts and boats. The water that you see at Niagara is rated class six, and, yet, some daredevils have tried to tame this water. In this activity, you will devise your own classification system to categorize different daredevils’ attempts to conquer the Falls.

Instructions:

As you walk the White Water boardwalk, you will read about the daredevils who tried to swim, raft, cross, and jump over the Niagara Falls. Consider each of their stories and think about how dangerous their attempt was. Using a large sheet of paper divided into six spaces, design your own scale for rating daredevil attempts according to the level of danger. For each category list the names of daredevils who fit into that class. For example: Class one may be the category that you would put yourself in. That would be one of no-risk as you observe the Falls from the safety of the boardwalk. Class six may be reserved for daredevils who didn’t survive their attempts to cross the Falls. People such as Charles Stephens and William Hill Jr. may belong in this class. The other classes that you create may include people who made an attempt and survived or those who made many attempts. You may want to illustrate each class with pictures of the daredevils attempting their stunts.

Conclusion:

The Falls have claimed many lives, and as a result there is now a law that prevents daredevils from risking their lives at Niagara. Your scale for rating the danger of each attempt will also be a fairly accurate measurement of the foolishness of each of these daredevils. At the end of your vacation at Niagara, you might want to create another scale to rate your enjoyment of each of the activities and sights that you experienced.

Supplies & Materials

-large sheet of paper
-colored pens or pencils

User Reviews

Tell everyone what you think!
Be the FIRST to write a review for this activity.

Copyright © 2009 Fogglight

HOME & ABROAD:   About Us |  Terms of Use |  Privacy