School Programs

 

Both public and private schools are served through our classrooms, including an outdoor learning center Chiki hut alongside the Intracoastal. The programs are designed to meet the Sunshine State Standards Requirement in science education.

Classes run October - May
Weekdays, 10:00 am - 1:00 pm
 

3rd Grade Experience: Exploring Coastal Animals

and Plants

Our focus for this grade is to introduce to the students the importance of our coastal ecosystem and man's impact on this fragile environment.

Students get an opportunity to go to Red Reef Park and explore the beach in search of "natural treasures." They may find anything from red mangrove seeds to hamburger beans, ark to oyster shells, or fragments of coral. The staff from Gumbo Limbo accompanies the class to the beach and aids in the identification and the interrelationship of these coastal life forms.

After eating lunch at the park's shaded picnic area, the students return to Gumbo Limbo Nature Center for a tour of the outdoor tanks and indoor nature center.

 

5th Grade experience: Life in the Hammock

Our focus for this grade level is to introduce the students to basic ecological concepts about life in the hammock. Students will learn the interactions between animals and plants in the forest ecosystem of a barrier island. Included in the 5th grade experience will be hiking on the boardwalk through the hardwood hammock, gathering data from their observations, and understanding why the forest is home to many forms of life. Students will also learn to use stereoscopes to view samples from the forest at different magnifications.

 

7th Grade Experience: Lagoon Life

Our focus for this grade level is to introduce students to the taxonomy of life and provide a unique hands-on experience in the study of marine animals. Through the use of stereoscopes and nets, students will gain a better understanding of the complexity of life that surrounds them. With the use of dip, cast and seine nets, students will enter the Intracoastal Waterway in search of life ranging from comb jellies to lagoon fish. At the tanks and in the lab, students will observe representative samples of major taxonomic groups.

Grade Level Expectations:
Know the interrelationships in the local lagoon ecosystem and understand how to identify organisms based on structural and behavioral characteristics.
 

 For reservations, please call (561) 338-1527 or send an email request to schoolclasses@gumbolimbo.org.