Field Trips
Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center provides educational opportunities for teachers and students. A variety of resources are available for students to learn about how people have interacted with ecosystems, plants and animals throughout their history in Florida. The following exhibits, hiking trails and activities are available at no cost to teachers and students. These activities are self-guided with teachers and adult chaperones being responsible for guiding and supervising students. A list of correlations to Science and Social Studies Sunshine State Benchmarks is available. In some cases, and with prior notice, a 20-30 minute introduction to the resources of Weedon Island Preserve can be provided by Center staff.

Center Exhibits
Weedon Island Preserve- Connecting People and Place
Our 6,000-square-foot interactive exhibit hall contains exhibits which highlight various aspects of Weedon Island Preserve's ecosystems, flora, fauna as well as Native American culture, technology and pottery specific to the "Weedon" Island Culture. The exhibits also highlight the recent history of Weedon Island Preserve and how the landscape has changed through time. The gallery culminates with current issues and information on the Tampa Bay Estuary and what we can do as individuals to help protect our environment for future generations. An exhibit hall scavenger hunt activity is available for students upon request.

Boardwalks and Interpretive Signs
A series of interpretive signs placed along the tower loop of our boardwalks and the connecting upland hiking trail provide students another opportunity to learn about Weedon Island Preserve. Twenty signs, spaced over approximately one mile, highlight different aspects of ecosystems, flora, fauna and past human impacts on Weedon Island Preserve. The upland and tower boardwalk trails wind through different ecosystems found at Weedon Island Preserve including pine flatwoods, oak hammocks and mangrove swamps. A 45-foot high observation tower provides a view of the Preserve and surrounding areas. Student field guide cards are available upon request.

Sifting Through the Past
Sifting Through the Past is an interactive classroom activity that focuses on archaeology and how the Native Americans who once lived on Weedon Island utilized and were supported by the natural environment and what it had to offer. Students sift and search through trays of actual archaeological remainder and artifact material as an exercise to help them draw conclusions from evidence left behind by Native Americans. Visual and written materials are available that help teachers guide their students through this activity.

Additional curriculum include:
The Islands and the Estuary
The Islands and the People