School for Dyslexia Enhances Student Learning | Field Trips
Research shows that children with learning differences understand and retain information better through experiences compared to other methods such as rote memorization. Therefore, at Educational Pathways Academy, a school for dyslexia in Florida, we provide hands-on experiential opportunities such as field trips to our students.
This spring our students had the opportunity to enhance their learning by enjoying field trips to the Conservancy of Southwest Florida, Wooten’s Everglades Airboat Tours, and the Creation Adventures Museum.
Conservancy of Southwest Florida
EPA’s lower school students attended an interactive educational program at the Conservancy of Southwest Florida. During this field trip, students experienced hands-on, multi-sensory lessons about the diverse ecosystems, wildlife, and invasive species found in Southwest Florida. Students actively engaged with lessons about ecosystems as they walked through exhibits of the Everglades, mangrove forests, wetlands, and coastal habitats. They received up-close encounters with a python and various other reptiles, such as baby alligators and touched a variety of sea creatures in the Conservancy’s Touch Tank. Students also gained contextual understanding about the importance of mangrove trees in Southwest Florida. Through a hands-on wave simulator, students were able to see how mangroves help prevent flooding. Lastly, students experienced an electric boat ride where they observed the natural beauty and wildlife of the Gordon River.
Wooten’s Everglades Airboat Tours
EPA’s middle school students participated in an exciting, educational tour of the Everglades by Wooten’s Everglades Airboat Tours. Students started out the day with an airboat ride. They experienced the thrill of gliding through the shallow waters of the Everglades grasslands and learned about the various plant and animal species that call the Everglades ecosystem home. Students then visited Wooten’s animal sanctuary which includes tigers, turtles, otters, crocodiles, and over 100 alligators. They attended an alligator show and each student had the opportunity to hold an alligator. EPA’s middle schoolers then finished up their experiential tour by traveling via swamp buggy through marshes and a lush cypress forest. They explored the cultural and historical significance of the Everglades, including the indigenous communities that have lived in the region.
Creation Adventures Museum
For their field trip, EPA’s high school students enhanced their learning by attending a Florida Fossil Adventures Workshop & Fossil Dig at Creation Adventures Museum. This hands-on, multi-sensory experience provided students with first-hand looks at fossils collected from Peace River and various other locations. They received in-depth teaching about the variety of different fossils, the creation of fossils and the formation of fossil layers. They also participated in an interactive lesson on how to properly collect, identify and differentiate fossils. The students then headed to the shallows of Peace River to experience a fossil dig of their own! They found a variety of amazing fossils including sharks’ teeth, manatee bones, stingray barbs, and more!
