September 19th was a holiday for public schools in Lee County, and that meant it was time for another exciting field trip with the All Superstars Afterschool Program!
All locations of All Superstars Preschool cater to school age children during school times (afterschool) as well as most holidays. Our directors plan unique, exciting and educational field trips during these times, offering our students a break from the norm and the opportunity to explore the community.
This past month, the children of All Superstars Preschool visited The Shell Factory and Nature Park of North Fort Myers. It was an exciting morning as the children loaded into the vans to embark on their day out. Attendance was taken, seatbelts were double checked and we hit the road!
During the 30-minute drive to The Shell Factory, the students excitedly chattered about which animals they may see and which animals were their favorite. Their teachers, Miss Jen and Miss Janine would offer up interesting trivia facts and would frequently quiz the students about the different animals that were mentioned.
Upon arrival to the nature park, the young children were buzzing with eager excitement. They were greeted by half a dozen beautiful Macaw Parrots, who were just as interested in the students as the students in them!The group of All Superstars after school children then met Miss Pam, their guide and educator for the day. She quickly lead them to a covered pier that stretched out to the middle of a massive coy pond nestled in the center of the park. She handed out feeding pellets and sent the children off to feed the various amphibians, turtles and fish in the pond, all while informing the children about the indigenous species native to the fresh waters of Florida. To learn more about how we stress the importance of learning about Florida, click here.
After the turtles and coy were full, it was time for the children to sit down quietly in an ark around the pier while Miss Pam went off to fetch some not-so-furry friends! When Miss Pam returned, she was holding a baby alligator! The children were mesmerized by the reptile and many were eager to get closer and touch it! Miss Pam slowly walked passed the children allowing each to stroke the alligator’s back, one at a time. While doing this, she shared her expertise on the reptile. Did you know alligators have a nictitating lens for their eyes? It’s like another eyelid, however it’s clear and the alligator will use it when they go under water – just like a pair of goggles!
Miss Pam also brought out a Florida python and bearded dragon for the children to see up close before continuing the tour through the beautifully laid out nature park. During the rest of the tour, the All Superstars kids saw and learned about camels, lemurs, hedgehogs, bobcats and even a zebra!
After an exciting morning of learning about wildlife, it was time to eat at the picnic benches outside. Once everyone was finished with their healthy lunch, rich with vegetables, it was time to play on The Shell Factory’s playground. After a half hour’s play, there was one final surprise for the well behaved children – gem stone mining! One of The Shell Factory Nature Park’s latest editions, children and families can mine for gem stones using rectangular sifters in a magnificent mining stream! The children were all given a bag of sand and were instructed on how to properly sift through the sand to find their treasures! Each child wrote their name on their bag of jewels and took them back to All Superstars Preschool where they used books on minerals and geology to identify what gems they had!
On the bus ride back, each student was given the opportunity to share a fact that they had learned that day – making the 30-minute ride home feel like no time at all!
We at All Superstars select field trips that assist in the education of young children while entertaining them at the same time. We find The Shell Factory and Nature Park of North Fort Myers caters to this criteria of field trip to the T. Thank you very much to Miss Pam and all the staff at The Shell Factory for another successful field trip!
For more information about how All Superstars Preschool raises the standards for after school care, visit: www.allsuperstarspreschool.comFor more information on The Shell Factory Nature park, visit: https://www.shellfactory.com/
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