Field Trip to Nature’s Classroom

On November 10th, early Monday morning, a group of cold garden club members met at Woodmont to carpool to Nature's Classroom Environmental Education Center in Thonotosassa. 

We were met by the facility coordinator Karen Johnson at the Teco Building where Karen gave us a brief into to Nature's Classroom, a Hillsborough County Public School. Founded in 1969, the mission is to plant the seeds of conservation through hands-on environmental education in order to create lifelong guardians of nature. This facility is the only one of it's kind in the state of Florida.

On the day we visited, we saw over 200 6th graders arrive for the day. 

The center is designed to immerse students in Florida's diverse ecosystems, from wetlands to upland habitats. By integrating hands-on and interactive activities, the program aims to inspire a life long commitment to environmental responsibility and connect with nature in meaningful ways. 

Miss Johnson gave us a wonderful tour of classrooms featuring  baby alligators, a section showing skins skulls and scat. Deer hides. Snakes, reptiles, amphibians and fish displays. We went on an ecosystem hike, saw the Hillsborough river were children get to asses the health of the river on several boats. We saw many birds; cormorants, ibis, herons, etc.

We saw deer, a bald eagle, a large alligator, bobcat, cayote and much more.

This field trip was a fantastic experience. The 6th grade children  getting to experience this outdoor classroom are indeed very fortunate to learn at Nature's Classroom.

Submitted by Sue H., 1st VP
November 10, 2025