NATURES ACADEMY INC
Mission Statement
Nature's Academy is a nonprofit organization committed to enhancing science literacy and environmental stewardship through hands-on, experiential learning trips provided to K-12 youth and other special groups, including cancer patients. We bring the classroom outdoors, leveraging the wonder of nature to improve scientific understanding, and inspire youth to become active, leading environmental stewards.
About This Cause
Through our innovative Science Literacy Project, we employ sponsorships, donations and grants to provide inquiry-driven, outdoor educational field trip programs to local Florida students, at no cost to their schools. We prioritize funding for public schools of economically disadvantaged areas (Title I status), and were able to acquire sufficient funding to implement the Science Literacy Project throughout the entire Manatee County School District for the 2014-15 school year. We aim to continue servicing our local youth throughout Manatee County and expanding the Science Literacy Project to neighboring communities. The key components of our comprehensive Science Literacy Project: 1. Teachers of participating classes are trained in supporting inquiry-driven scientific instruction, in preparation for the SLP-provided field trip. 2. Hands-on discovery activities including a water quality investigation, aquatic biodiversity study and guided nature walk educate students on the ecological, economical, and cultural significance of local estuaries and watersheds, while fostering environmental stewardship. 3. Students serve as citizen scientists in Florida by collecting real biodiversity and water quality data through field tests and surveys. The data is uploaded to an online database, which will soon expand into a regional collaboration with the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System and other citizen scientists in Galveston, Texas. 4. Participants collect, survey, analyze and remove litter from shorelines through coastal cleanups. 5. Students create conservation projects that teach peers, teachers, parents and other community members the importance of our natural resources.