# Event Details - **Event Name**: 2025- 2026 Water, Wildlife, and Wilderness Field Studies (Grades 3- 5) - **Event Start and End Date**: Tue, 16 Sep, 2025 at 09:00 am – Fri, 15 May, 2026 at 01:00 pm (-04:00) - **Event Description**: Let your 3rd -5th grade students learn about Polk County's natural resources through one of our guided field study programs.About this EventPolk' Nature Discovery Center Field Studies Program connects children with science and the outdoors.  The program, titled "Water, Wildlife, and Wilderness" supports the Florida "interdependence unit" education standards for grades 3 - 5.  Students will participate in field experiences, such as dip netting and invasive plant removal, that reinforce what they have or will learn in the classroom. Students will gain proficiency in making observations, taking measurements, and accurately recording both. Being outdoors is a fascinating experience!Field Studies Program Mission Statement: The 3-5th grade Field Study Program at Polk's Nature Discovery Center will provide hands-on learning experiences in an outdoor setting that engage students in investigating the value of Polk County's natural resources.  Through this exploration students will discover the interconnection between water, wildlife and wilderness; understand their impact on the environment; and foster a sense of personal stewardship towards the environment.If busing is needed: Students, teachers and chaperones will be transported by their school's normal bus transportation from their school to the Center, and back to school. A maximum bus load is 60 TOTAL (50 students max, along with teachers).  If you are providing your own groups transportation, please still only allow a maximum bus load of 60 TOTAL (50 students max, along with teachers).A Pre and Post Test must be completed, and class averages must be sent to Polk's Nature Discovery Center staff for bus transportation reimbursment to occur for Polk County Public and Charter Schools.  If the data is not received, the school WILL be billed for busing costs.Choose between three programs: Life Cycles and the Flow of Energy, Seasonal Changes in Florida Plants and Animals and Impacts on the Environment, and Animal and Plant Characteristics.Life Cycles and the Flow of Energy ProgramIn this program, students will explore life cycles and various relationships between organisms in a wetland ecosystem. Students will participate in activities such as dip netting, swamp tromping, and an interactive food chain game.Concepts covered include: life cycles (simple, complete metamorphosis, and incomplete metamorphosis), food chains and energy flows, characteristics of wetland habitats, photosynthesis, and more!(water levels in the swamp, pictured below, vary by seasonal rain fall) https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events2/banners/8fa66540-745e-11f0-867e-7d1fd93eb1fd-rimg-w1200-h723-dc312f2f-gmir.jpg Seasonal Changes in Florida Plants and Animals and Impact on the Environment ProgramIn this program, students will take on the roles of various natural resource scientists (hydrologists, zoologist, botanist, meteorologist, geologist) to compare and contrast wetland and upland habitats. As their assigned role, students will travel to either the wetlands or uplands to gather data about the habitat, the plants and animals that live there, and how these species may change or adapt with the different seasons.Concepts covered include: the habitats of Florida, plant and animal characteristics, STEM careers in Florida, human impact on the environment, seasonal changes and their effects on the environment, and more!(Students observing aquatic wildlife after dip netting in a freshwater marsh.) https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events8/banners/9001cbb0-745e-11f0-867e-7d1fd93eb1fd-rimg-w1120-h740-dc494649-gmir.jpg Animal and Plant Characteristics Program In this program, students will learn and identify the different characteristics of plants and animals that help them to adapt to Florida's different habitats, including wetlands, uplands, and oak hammocks. Students will explore the various habitats of Circle B and collect data on the plants and animals they find. Activities include a gopher tortoise presentation, sweep netting, invasive plant removal, adaptation scavenger hunt, camouflage game, and more!Concepts covered include: plant and animal characteristics/adaptations, gopher tortoises and their importance to Florida, invasive species, camouflage, impacts on the environment, and more!(Student participants will research and collect data on gopher tortoise burrows and their habitats) https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events6/banners/903a67e0-745e-11f0-994e-1dce379af11a-rimg-w1200-h601-dc303230-gmir.jpg FAQsWhat can/can't I bring to the event?School/Teacher MUST Bring: Permission slip forms with Emergency Contact Information; any medicines given by the school nurse; first aid kit; cold, pre-packaged lunches for each student participant, refillable water bottle for each student participant.Students MUST WEAR close-toed shoesAre there grade restrictions and a student class maximum to enter the event?YES: The Field Studies Program is only available for students in grades 3, 4, or 5 and a maximum of 50 students can participate per visit.Where can I contact the organizer with any questions?Sydney HouckNatural Resources Educatornreducator@polk-county.net863-668-4673 ext. 203FREE PROGRAM MADE POSSIBLE BY: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events1/banners/90e4d8b0-745e-11f0-867e-7d1fd93eb1fd-rimg-w1200-h486-dc020202-gmir.png https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events3/banners/9122f320-745e-11f0-a6ac-b798ba085dc1-rimg-w1200-h698-dcffffff-gmir.jpg https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events6/banners/9175f520-745e-11f0-a6ac-b798ba085dc1-rimg-w1200-h462-dcfeffff-gmir.jpg - **Event URL**: https://allevents.in/lakeland/2025-2026-water-wildlife-and-wilderness-field-studies-grades-3-5/100001510507531689 - **Event Categories**: workshops, back-to-school - **Interested Audience**: - total_interested_count: 0 ## Ticket Details - **Ticket Price Range**: min: 0, max: 0, currency: USD ## Event venue details - **city**: Lakeland - **state**: FL - **country**: United States - **location**: Circle B Bar Reserve - **lat**: 27.989684 - **long**: -81.85720000000003 - **full address**: Circle B Bar Reserve, 4399 Winter Lake Road, Lakeland, United States ## Event gallery - **Alt text**: 2025- 2026 Water, Wildlife, and Wilderness Field Studies (Grades 3- 5) - **Image URL**: https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events7/banners/086df5f4e3668a8a4cb807dbfec7d694d5108633f028e93fdbede9cd84756651-rimg-w1200-h675-dc2f5596-gmir.jpg?v=1754661001 ## FAQs - **Q**: When and where is 2025- 2026 Water, Wildlife, and Wilderness Field Studies (Grades 3- 5) being held? - **A:** 2025- 2026 Water, Wildlife, and Wilderness Field Studies (Grades 3- 5) takes place on Tue, 16 Sep, 2025 at 09:00 am to Fri, 15 May, 2026 at 01:00 pm at Circle B Bar Reserve, 4399 Winter Lake Road, Lakeland, United States. - **Q**: Who is organizing 2025- 2026 Water, Wildlife, and Wilderness Field Studies (Grades 3- 5)? - **A:** 2025- 2026 Water, Wildlife, and Wilderness Field Studies (Grades 3- 5) is organized by Polk's Nature Discovery Center. - **Q**: What has been the experience of attendees at Polk's Nature Discovery Center's events? - **A:** Attendees have given Polk's Nature Discovery Center a rating of 5/5 based on reviews from early attendees on AllEvents. Polk's Nature Discovery Center has a verified profile on AllEvents where you can read reviews and explore their upcoming events. ## Structured Data (JSON-LD) ```json [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Event", "name": "2025- 2026 Water, Wildlife, and Wilderness Field Studies (Grades 3- 5)", "image": "https://cdn-az.allevents.in/events7/banners/086df5f4e3668a8a4cb807dbfec7d694d5108633f028e93fdbede9cd84756651-rimg-w1200-h675-dc2f5596-gmir.jpg?v=1754661001", "startDate": "2025-09-16T09:00:00-04:00", "endDate": "2026-05-15T13:00:00-04:00", "url": "https://allevents.in/lakeland/2025-2026-water-wildlife-and-wilderness-field-studies-grades-3-5/100001510507531689", "eventStatus": "https://schema.org/EventScheduled", "location": { "@type": "Place", "name": "Circle B Bar Reserve", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "streetAddress": "4399 Winter Lake Road", "postalCode": "33803", "addressLocality": "Lakeland", "addressRegion": "FL", "addressCountry": "US" }, "geo": { "@type": "GeoCoordinates", "latitude": "27.989684", "longitude": "-81.85720000000003" } }, "eventAttendanceMode": "https://schema.org/OfflineEventAttendanceMode", "description": "Let your 3rd -5th grade students learn about Polk County's natural resources through one of our guided field study programs.", "offers": [ { "@type": "AggregateOffer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2025-08-08", "availabilityEnds": "2026-05-15T13:00:00-04:00", "validFrom": "2025-08-08", "lowPrice": "0.00", "highPrice": "0.00", "price": "0.00", "url": "https://allevents.in/lakeland/2025-2026-water-wildlife-and-wilderness-field-studies-grades-3-5/100001510507531689" }, { "@type": "Offer", "availability": "https://schema.org/InStock", "priceCurrency": "USD", "availabilityStarts": "2025-08-08", "availabilityEnds": "", "validFrom": "2025-08-08", "url": "https://allevents.in/lakeland/2025-2026-water-wildlife-and-wilderness-field-studies-grades-3-5/100001510507531689", "price": 0, "name": "Field Studies Teacher Registration (25-50 students)" } ], "organizer": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Polks Nature Discovery Center", "url": "https://allevents.in/org/polks-nature-discovery-center/17592220", "description": "\r\n\r\nPolk's Nature Discovery Center sits on one of Polk County's treasured Environmental Areas, Circle B Bar Reserve. The facilities at Circle B Bar Reserve were opened November 2008 and act as an information station for its visitors free of charge.\r\nThe center not only offers outdoor educational opportunities, but chances to learn about our surrounding local environment in an indoor setting. We encourage you to stop in for an educational experience before you hit the trails, which will have you coming back for more.\r\n \r\nEducation\r\n \r\nPolk's Nature Discovery Center and Polk County's Environmental Land Sites are the perfect place for families, school groups, teachers, adults and other visitors to explore the outdoors and learn about our environment. Exploring connections in nature is the focus of programs and resources available. A variety of programs are designed for all ages to enhance your visit. If you are planning to bring a group of 10 participants or more, we request you schedule your visit with our office. Staff, volunteers and facilities are limited, but we will do our best to help you plan your visit. It is strongly recommended that reservations / requests are made well in advance. Regardless of what you plan to do on you next visit, we hope you have a memorable time discovering Polk's water, wildlife and wilderness.\r\nIndoor Classroom Polk County Board of County Commissioners and the Polk County School Board have a partnership. Together they provide a unique educational program for the seventh grade students in Polk County.\r\nInstructor Workshop Connect classroom concepts to outdoor experiences with your visits to Circle B Bar Reserve. To enhance the educational opportunity and to increase the ability to reach more people, instructor workshops will be held throughout the year. The workshops are typically one-day trainings on what resources are available at the Center. The training will help you get most out of your visit whether hiking the trails, exploring the exhibit hall, using the facilities or if you are interested in using one of the traveling trunks or existing educational publications. Appropriate for all instructors looking to visit Circle B Bar Reserve and Polk's Nature Discovery Center.\r\nOutdoor Classroom This outdoor area offers a variety of purposes such as live animal presentations. The small scale stadium seating gives each visitor a bird's eye view of the presenter.\r\n \r\n\r\n" } ] } ] ```