Around The Bend Nature Tours

Discover Florida Heritage
We facilitate the learning!
You can relax and allow our
Nature Guides to lead your class
on an outdoor learning adventure!

Many of our field trips are FREE to schools,
complete with a bus reimbursement stipend,
thanks to sponsorship from
several environmental conservation organizations.

Organized by location:

Emerson Point Preserve, Palmetto

Curriculum choices include:
Nature Walk (All ages) walk through the woods
and witness ancient artifacts and tools. Temple Mound this place of chiefs was used as a homesite by early settlers.

Eating History (All ages) a creation myth relating how the Indians got their oysters, then taste smoked mullet and learn about other Native American foods
Native Technology (All ages) discover hands-on the tools that the Indians used and relate to the group how they may have been used. The guides will then reveal the actual use.

History Quest (5th-8th) role-play a day in the life of a Native American child - 1000 years ago.

Florida Timeline (5th-8th) through the use of a rope timeline
we’ll discover the scope of ancient Florida.

Focus on Fiddler Crabs (K-2^nd) handle, observe
and catch fiddler crabs. Hear the story
“Why the Crab Has No Head” an African tale.

Spud-Busting! (4th-8th) learn native vs. exotic plants while
removing Air Potato plants.
Check it out at this website: Palma Sola Trip

Nature Search (4th-8th) walk and record observations
along the Restoration Trail.

Dip Netting: (4th-8th) take nets into the grassflats of the estuary ecosystem and discover the diversity of life found here.

Rye Preserve, East Manatee
Oscar Scherer State Park, Osprey

Curriculum choices include:

Scrub Study at Rye Preserve
or Oscar Scherer State Park
Scrub Restoration Monitoring: In 3x3' transects classes will monitor plant growth, and calculate the diversity index. Old growth was cut in Oct. 2004, burn is scheduled in late summer 2004.
Scrub Jay Game: Students become scrub jays and compete with man for their living space, see the effects of dwindling food supplies on family groups, and deal with other man-made obstacles.
Rye Wilderness History/Nature Walk: On this walk, students will witness firsthand the restoration of the scrub habitat and see the Rye Cemetery, all that remains of the thriving settlement of the 1850’s.
Oscar Scherer Scrub Jay Walk: We almost always interact with scrub jays as we discover the biological diversity of the scrubby flatwoods.

Durante Park, Longboat Key
Also at Emerson Point, Leffis Key, Ken Thompson Park

Curriculum choices include:

Estuary Study at Joan M. Durante Park
or South Lido Key
Nature Walk (All ages) through a created lagoon
system and forested mangrove wetlands.
Focus on Fiddler Crabs (K-2^nd) handle, observe
and catch fiddler crabs. Hear the story
“Why the Crab Has No Head” an African tale.
Field,Forest,Lagoon (3^rd-8^th) observe and record habitat
changes including temperature and soil moisture. Includes 3 activities:
Water Wonders (3^rd-8^th) become a water drop and
follow the water cycle.
Pass the Jug (3^rd-8^th) local history blends with
modern water conservation.
Osprey Game (3^rd-8^th) students become ospreys and
discover the impacts of human activities.
Dip Netting: (4th-8th) take nets into the grassflats of the estuary ecosystem and discover the diversity of life found here.
Also at Emerson Point, Leffis Key, Ken Thompson Park

9:30am - Noon
Cost: $100/guide (up to 20 students)
Chaperones free!
Grants Available - Many trips FREE!

Dipnet Adventures
Ages 8 and up can participate in a
"critter catching expedition" in one of Manatee or Sarasota County's many waterways
including the Manatee River & Sarasota Bay.
We take dip nets into the grass flats to discover the many animals that start their life cycle in the estuary, nursery of the sea. Emerson Point, Durante, Ken Thompson Park