2 Day School Field Trips

Bone Valley Images Summary

4th Grade - High School (2 day trip)
Study Florida's Geologic History, Paleontology and Endangered Ecosystems

Students will follow in the footsteps of Captain Francis LeBaron as they discover fossil wonders of our state, much as he may have done in 1881! The trip will begin at Archbold Biological Research Station, where students will investigate the endangered Florida scrub and its endemic species, including the captivating scrub jay- a bird with great biological significance and a great personality! After a hearty lunch, we will travel to Joshua Creek, known for its wide variety of fossils and authentic Native American artifacts. Here, we’ll learn to be real fossil hunters, finding ancient treasures. Many sharks teeth and perhaps a manatee rib bone later, we'll then travel to our campsite, settle into our cabins and enjoy a great "home cooked" meal. A full evening of activities includes a genuine Native American campfire, story telling and our ever popular Spirit Creature game.

After breaking camp the next morning, we'll whisk away for the core of Bone Valley...a canoe trip down the Peace River! We'll launch our canoes into the meandering river, where we're bound to spot turtles and many varieties of native birds. Students will discover the real Florida of the past as they use specially designed tools to screen through black phosphate pebbles on the river bottom. The diversity of fossils is amazing! Following a picnic lunch, we'll head home. The bus will become a "traveling museum", as we identify and categorize our finds...and learn to make shark tooth jewelry!

Gulfside Glimpses Summary

4th Grade - High School (2 day trip)
Marine and Barrier Island Ecology

As we cross the Everglades, students work cooperatively in teams recording what they observe in their "travel-sect" journals. We'll journey northwest to Ft. Myers to explore 6 Mile Cypress Preserve. Here we'll have the opportunity to hike through a Cypress Slough (a guided trail, walking through the pristine clear water among the cypress trees). Following lunch, we'll depart for Sanibel Island where a visit to the historic shell museum will fill us in on all the mysteries of the beautiful treasures of the beach. After we set camp at Periwinkle Park, a late afternoon session of beachcombing will allows to us find some of Sanibel’s famous shells for ourselves before watching the glorious west-coast sunset. After a well-deserved dinner, a moonlit hike will take us to a site on the beach where Native Americans may have gathered, where students will enjoy a campfire. The final trek will take us back for a night of sleep under the stars.

After breakfast, it's back to the beach to see what new treasures the morning tides have washed ashore...then off to Tarpon Bay! At Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge, we sense the history as we kayak through the mangroves wondering how Sanibel's Native Americans, the Calusa, were able to survive among the prop roots. After we complete our study of mangrove ecology, we head back to break camp and refuel with a picnic lunch. We'll depart homeward along Alligator Alley, continuing to identify plants and animals along the way. We’ll hear the tales of pirates that made Sanibel and Captive infamous during the early 19th century as instructors share the secrets of how to make shell jewelry!

Glances On The Gulfside Summary

5th Grade - High School (2 day trip)
Comparative Ecosystems, Marine and Barrier Island Ecology and Florida Native American Studies

Journey to another time as we cross the state in search of some Florida pre-history. We’ll begin our adventure amidst the epiphytes and ancient cypress trees of the unique 6-mile Cypress Slough. As we do the quiet heel-toe walk of the Native Americans, we’ll spot dragonflies stalking their prey as we learn about this valuable water-cleansing ground saved from destruction by schoolchildren. The gallons of fresh water might wash away the evidence of the people who once inhabited this place, but we’ll soon find them as, after lunch, we set out to a local Calusa archaeological site. Large shell mounds are evidence of the ocean where our first inhabitants found their food. Our Florida adventure continues as we board the Tropic Star, an authentic “jungle queen” riverboat. Dolphins join our journey, jumping in our wake as we make our way to beautiful Cayo Costa. We’ll set camp and head off to one of best shelling beaches around. Our bags filled with the oceans discarded treasures, we’ll return for a “home-cooked” dinner. We’ll be prepared for an evening of activities, including our Native American campfire, before retiring to our tents to sleep under the stars.

The next morning, we’re off for an exploration of the island’s many varied ecosystems. A short hike from the beach takes us on a natural journey from dune to hammock to pine flatwoods, discovering the many changes along the way. Next, we take to the kayaks, exploring the vital mangrove system and perhaps spotting a shy manatee along the way. After our estuarine exploration, we’ll head back to break camp and greet our dolphin friends once more. As we head home, our minds and hearts are filled with thoughts of the gulf coast’s astonishing natural beauty and the amazing people who witnessed it long before us.

Springs Safari Summary

4th Grade - High School (2 day trip)
Florida's Hydrology, Topography and Comparative Ecology

Come journey with us as we discover where our water comes from. We’ll pass lake after lake as we head north to Kelley Park campground. After setting camp and a hearty lunch, students and their buddies will grab a tube and ride down the refreshing waters of Rock Springs River. We’ll peer into spring water so clear that you can see turtles swimming beneath our feet. We’ll watch fish play in water that magically billows from the heart of the Earth. Along the way, we'll study plants and animals and begin to understand the amazing system of underground springs. Traveling in teams, students discover the special techniques of orienteering and the use of a compass while comparing and identifying the dominant plants of this unique ecosystem. Following dinner, we prepare for our distinctive Native American campfire (complete with Spirit Creature game) and a night hike. Will the chorus of frogs serenade us? Perhaps we'll spot the elusive snapping turtle!

The next morning we'll break camp and travel the Wekiwa River by canoe...which comes alive with fish, turtles and birds of all kinds. After our riverine exploration, we’ll head back to the main source of the river. Swimming over a boil that percolates millions of gallons of water a day, it's time for lunch and our trip back home. We'll review our incredible adventure and discuss the importance of the springs.

Florida Keys Adventure Summary

4th Grade - High School (2 day trip)
Comparative Mangrove and Coral Reef Ecology

Explore the delicate and beautiful ecosystem of Key Largo’s mangrove estuary! As we journey down to Key Largo, students discuss the KLOE (Kissimmee River–Lake Okeechobee-Everglades) system and observe the relationship between the Everglades and the Keys and the changing salinity of Florida Bay. As we spot the encroaching mangrove trees, we look out for osprey nests which line our route.

After arriving at the kayaking launch site, we’ll begin a brief kayaking lesson and set off across the bay to explore the mangrove estuary. As the herons soar past, we discuss the importance of mangroves both to humans and to wildlife. We learn that from the smallest invertebrate to large reef fish, an incredible diversity of organisms depend on both these mangrove communities and the submerged sea grass beds for their continued survival. Returning from our kayaking adventure, we'll head to John Pennekamp State Park for a swim in the lagoon and lunch. Departing Key Largo in the late afternoon, we’ll look out for hunting ospreys as we share stories, before we make one final stop at the famed “Robert is Here” tortoise farm and smoothie stand before journeying home.

Eyes On Islands Summary

5th grade – High School (2 day trip)
Comparative Island Ecosystems

Join us for a unique island adventure. We begin our journey with a boat trip to the prehistoric shores of Munyon Island. Once inhabited by Native Americans and later home to the eccentric inventor from which it takes its name, the island has been recently restored to its native state. Wetland birds and manatees abound. Brown pelicans and laughing gulls follow us to our destination, the historic Peanut Island. As turkey vultures circle above the exotic Australian pines and native palms, we will gear up for our snorkel adventure and may catch a glimpse of a shy octopus, colorful damselfish, or one of many other marine creatures that call this gulfstream-bathed, shallow water, island reef system home. After a tour of the historic Coast Guard station and maritime museum and Kennedy bunker, shelter of the late president, we will be ready for journey back to the mainland to our campsite. After we settle into our cabins and enjoy a “home-cooked” meal, we’ll begin our island campfire under the stars.

Morning brings a kayaking adventure that will allow us to get up close and personal with the creatures inhabiting the mangroves on Munyon Island. Crustaceans crawl out of our way as we glide through the still waters, learning kayak skills along the way. Our island adventure concludes with a journey to a unique multi-ecosystem barrier island at John D. Macarthur Beach State Park. Golden-orb spiders spin their webs just feet from the ocean’s edge as we hike, climb and stroll our way through the afternoon. After investigations of the coastal, hammock and estuary systems, we’ll have much to talk about on the journey home!

Footprints In Time Safari Summary

4th and 5th Grade (2 day trip)
Barrier Island Ecology and Archaeology

Walk in the footsteps of the Native Americans as we learn how they lived on Florida’s unique barrier islands. We are so close to home, tucked behind the dunes of Fort Lauderdale beach at Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, yet we are a world away as we explore the tropical hardwood hammock, the grocery store of the Native Americans. As we identify trees and discover their secret uses, we start to build a picture of the “real” Florida as it was hundreds of years ago. We add to our picture as we retrace the steps of the barefoot mailman and hunt for beach treasures Mother Nature has left behind. The evening brings the opportunity for new discoveries. After a short hike, we arrive at the Bonnet House to unlock the secrets of its nocturnal residents of the furry kind. As we are led through the house’s extensive grounds, we may glimpse a bat or spot a spider! After rounding off the evening with a Native American campfire, complete with s’mores, we are snug in our cabins as the cicadas sing us a lullaby.

The morning brings new adventures as we embark on more explorations. Navigating the tranquil freshwater lagoon in canoes, we discover how this amazing ecosystem has changed with the arrival of developers and exotic species. Water testing provides us important clues as we wonder if this place provided all these ancient people needed. At the end of our trip, our field journals are full and we have made some important conclusions about the value of this natural place.

Dolphins and Key West Safari Summary

4th and 5th Grade (2 day trip)
Dolphin Behavior and History of Key West

Join us for a Florida Keys adventure! We will begin by exploring Key West, once the largest city in Florida. We’ll soak up some Florida history as we hop on the Conch train for an overview of this fascinating city. From touring the lighthouse and visiting the Wreckers museum, to checking out the treasure in Mel Fisher’s museum, we begin to understand how history has shaped Key West. A unique walk on board of the USS Mowhawk allows us to explore the Coast Guard vessel responsible for attacking 14 submarines in WWII and a visit to the Eco Discovery Center orients us to the local flora and fauna of this southernmost key. No trip would be complete without visiting the Hemmingway House and exploring many shops and art galleries along Duval Street. Following dinner, we’ll arrive at Mallory square for sunset. As we browse through the many vendors and watch the many performers that have made the Key West sunset so famous, we can’t help be captivated by panoramic views. As darkness falls, we head for our hotel to rest for our morning’s adventure.
Following breakfast, we prepare for our encounter with some of the most compelling marine mammals, dolphins. Our 4 hour visit to Dolphin Plus/Dolphin Cove and Island Dolphin Care finds us learning about the behavior of these very intelligent species through several interactive programs: the Marine Mammal Care Lab, the Dolphin “Wade” program, direct interaction in the water with the dolphins, and a hands-on Touch Tank. Together, these make for an unforgettable environmental experience with this beloved mammal. As we leave Florida’s southern island chain, we have a chance to grab on more taste of the Keys at “Robert is Here” fruit stand in Florida City. We’ll enjoy one of their famous smoothies while viewing the giant tortoises- a tasty end to an amazing two days.

Traveling Through Time Summary

4th and 5th Grade (2 day trip)
A Visit to Old St. Augustine

We’ll explore the cobbled streets and feel the history of old Florida on our 2-day adventure through beautiful St. Augustine. The old village is our first destination- the tour giving us a real sense of the layers of rich history here. A trolley will carry us to places of great significance, including the old church and old jail. The Florida Heritage Museum provides a moment for closer study before we head back to the trolleys for a Ghost and Gravestone Tour! The next day provides an opportunity to visit the unique coquina limestone walls of the famous Castillo de San Marco. After a tour of this magnificent fort, we’re off to explore the oldest school and the Spanish Quarter Living History Museum, seeing how everyday people lived so long ago. Add a visit to the lighthouse or the famed Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum and your students will have much to discuss and remember of this historic place on their homeward journey!