There is a box so magical that if students wanted to really dig in and learn about the Florida Everglades, they could open it and learn as much as possible without setting foot in the River of Grass.
That box is really a thing.
Called the Everglades Learning Exploration Kit, it has enough lesson plans, reference books, and maps for a class of 16 students – 32 if everyone shares – to learn a lot about the Big Swamp’s ecosystem, flora and fauna, and its history, present, and future.
“We're super-excited about this because we have realized that a lot of kids in South Florida, despite being so close to the Everglades, don't have a lot of experience with them,” said Amanda Purnell, whose job it is to educate everyone who will listen about the River of Grass. “So we have developed these kits that have books and maps and games and hands-on activities that will help kids to experience the Everglades right in their classroom.”
The Everglades Learning Kits are being given out for free by Friends of the Everglades, which was founded in 1969 by the famed Marjory Stoneman Douglas, who gave “The River of Grass” its name. The Miami-based nonprofit works to preserve the Everglades and its interconnected ecosystems.
"Marjory knew that the kids were the future and that if we don't get kids excited and involved then our hope for the future of the Everglades is pretty small" - Amanda Purnell
Instead of a one-or-two hour lesson in the classroom, the educators behind the free kits “can spend, you know, four weeks really diving deep into these issues and being inspired by the legacy of Marjory Stoneman Douglas," Purnell said.
“At this critical point in Florida’s ecological history, our youth are essential to the future of the Everglades,” she said. “But many young Floridians have yet to experience the wonders of this vital ecosystem. We’re bridging that gap.”
The lessons are designed as much to make it easy for the classroom teacher to instruct, as they are to fascinate the students while they learn about biodiversity, threatened and endangered species, and the history of water in the Everglades system as well as highlighting contributions made by Marjory Stoneman Douglas.
“Now, we know there's actually no supplement for going out and experiencing nature on its own, but this program aims to sort of eliminate some of the barriers that might be associated with getting out into nature,” she said. “Marjory knew that the kids were the future and that if we don't get kids excited and involved then our hope for the future of the Everglades is pretty small.”
Most of the kit can be downloaded from the Friends’ website here.
To acquire a kit, or to donate money to the nonprofit to produce more, contact Purnell at (305) 669-0858 or amanda.purnell@everglades.org
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