Every year, Athens Elementary takes its students on several exciting field trips. These excursions give our students the opportunity to interact with real world businesses, plants, and animals. We do our best to show our students how studies are applied in the real world, while also incorporating a bit of fun. Below we’ve listed the seven best field trips our school has gone on.
Farms
Our 3rd graders recently took a field trip to three different farms in Fort Myers. The class first went to Buckingham Farm. Located at 12931 Orange River Blvd, the farm grows a variety of delicious fruits and vegetables. Customers can buy the fresh produce straight from the farm. The farm has also constructed a restaurant, where all the meals are made from food grown right there on the farm. After spending a few hours at Buckingham, the class then went to Southern Fresh Farms, located just fifteen minutes away in Fort Myers. Not only does this farm grow food, they also raise livestock, including cows, goats, and chickens. The farm’s goal is to show visitors how essential farming is to everyday life. The farm employees demonstrate how technology is incorporated into agriculture. It was an extremely educational experience, and our students left with a greater appreciation for the role that farming plays in our society.
Boating
Our 5th grade class recently spent a day exploring the different boating companies in the Bonita Springs area. They started the day by visiting Day 5 Charters, a fishing charter company located in Fort Myers Beach. The company offers tours to visitors. Customers get to go shelling, fishing, and also enjoy exploring the many islands along the southwest Florida coastline. Next, the class visited Sunset Yacht Rental, a yacht rental company in Fort Myers. The company owns some of the most luxurious boats in Florida, the biggest one being the 75’ Sunseeker. The class enjoyed touring the Sunseeker and seeing it’s many bedrooms and amenities. Lastly, the class was able to end the day with a ferry ride aboard the Heminway Water Shuttle. The boat took us to the famous Keewaydin Island, where the class was able to spend some time playing on the beach and eating food from the restaurant barges.
Beach
One of our favorite days of the year at Athens Elementary is Beach Day. To celebrate Spring, every class in our school takes the day off to spend some time at the beach. Students get to spend hours searching for sea shells and shark teeth. Often times, manatees and dolphins are sighted swimming close to shore. Students are encouraged to study weather patterns and tides. The experience is not only educational, but extremely fun and memorable for everyone. The beach we visit varies from year to year. In the past, we have visited Lovers Key National Park, Naples Pier, and Sea Gate Beach.
Railroad Museum of South Florida
One of our favorite field trip destinations is the Railroad Museum of South Florida.Located in Lakes Regional Park in Fort Myers, the museum is a favorite for our students. The museum contains lots of information about the history of trains and the railroad industry specifically in southwest Florida. Our students enjoy seeing the train models up close and learning from the staff about the different functions and abilities of the locomotives. The museum also provides a fifteen minute train ride that carries students through miniature model towns and cities. The models are based on how southwest Florida looked in the 1950s. The museum is a great way to both learn about trains and learn more about the history of our great state. This is by far one of our most highly anticipated field trips of the year.
Naples Zoo
Lastly, the Naples Zoo is another of our favorite field trips to take. Founded in 1919, the zoo is home to a wide variety of exotic animals from a variety of biomes. Our students have the opportunity to see snakes such as pythons and rattle snakes, predators like lions and bears, and other interesting animals like giraffes and zebras. The zoo also has a number of birds, including the blue and gold macaw, the red shouldered hark, and the black crowned crane. Our students always look forward to visiting the zoo and getting to pet and even hand feed some of the animals.