Tortoise Talk
2022-02-02 15:30 - 16:00, 2022-02-09 15:30 - 16:00, 2022-02-16 15:30 - 16:00, 2022-02-23 15:30 - 16:00 (America/New_York) | ROBINSON PRESERVE, 1704 99th Street Northwest, Bradenton, FL, 34209, United States
Join us for this informal program on the Valentine House lawn as we take our education tortoise out to graze! In the wild, foraging is an integral part of a gopher tortoise’s lifestyle, so we encourage it as much as possible. Stop by and say hello, get a chance to meet him up close, and ask any questions you may have. Learn all about what tortoises need to survive, how we care for our tortoise, and what efforts we can take to protect these important members of our Florida ecosystems. Program suitable for all ages.
No reservations required. For more information please contact ecoevents@mymanatee.org.
Robinson Preserve – Valentine House Lawn

Soar in 4 Family Night
2022-02-02 17:30 - 19:00 | FL
Soar in 4 occurs the first Wednesday of each month in downtown Bradenton. Families visit demonstration tables (facilitated by Manatee County teachers, non-profit organizations, and volunteers) to learn how to use various materials to support the ‘spotlight book,’ as well as incorporate take-home items to continue to play, create, learn, and explore at home together. These monthly events provide families with the resources and information to become their child’s best ‘first teacher’ at home. All activities are aligned to classroom learning.
Birth – 3rd grade students. Free admission, books and learning resources for the entire family.
No reservations required. For more information please visit https://soarin4.org/.

Tot Time
2022-02-04 10:30 - 11:30, 2022-02-18 10:30 - 11:30 | Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center, 1800 Weedon Drive NE, St. Petersburg, FL, United States
Families with little ones can enjoy nature-oriented stories and crafts at the Weedon Island Preserve.

Every first and third Friday of each month, families of pre-school aged children are invited to explore the wonders of the natural world at the Weedon Island Preserve. Led by volunteer docents, families will be treated to rhymes, songs, stories, and other activities that connect them to our environment.
This program will take place outdoors so please prepare accordingly. Youth must be accompanied by an adult for the duration of the program.
Proceeds will support the Friends of Weedon Island, a non-profit organization that work to promotes education and conservation of the Weedon Island Preserve.
REGISTER HERE

Jurassic Park at Moccasin Lake!
2022-02-05 15:00 - 20:00 | Moccasin Lake Environmental Education Center, 2750 Park Trail Lane, Clearwater, FL, United States
The Friends of Moccasin Lake, the Clearwater Library and the City of Clearwater are delighted to host a free community event, Jurassic Park at Moccasin Lake! Day of Raptors! This one-day event will host a variety of fun Jurassic Park themed education & craft stations, snacks, and a movie on the lawn at 6 p.m.
Please bring your own lawn chairs.
To learn more, call 727-562- 4315, ext. 1 for details.

How to Use Your Telescope
2022-02-05 18:00 - 19:00 | ROBINSON PRESERVE, 1704 99th Street Northwest, Bradenton, FL, 34209, United States
How to Use Your Telescope — Limited Capacity
In conjunction with our Seeing Stars with The Bishop at Robinson Preserve, we’re also hosting a free program for individuals or small groups. How to Use Your Telescope will take place from 6-7pm before the night-sky viewing begins.
You bring your telescope with you and our experts will show you how to get the most out of it — just be sure to bring it with you! The program is free group size is limited and registration is required.
Register now

Seeing Stars at Robinson Preserve
2022-02-05 19:00 - 21:00 | ROBINSON PRESERVE, 1704 99th Street Northwest, Bradenton, FL, 34209, United States
Seeing Stars with The Bishop at Robinson Preserve
Join us for Seeing Stars with The Bishop at Robinson Preserve, where you’ll enjoy a beautiful view at the Preserve, thanks to our partners at Manatee County Parks and Natural Resources.
We provide the telescopes and the expertise; you enjoy the wonders of our universe. This month, we’ll be featuring the Moon, Uranus, Pleiades and the Orion Nebula (weather permitting, of course)!
The program is free, but advance registration is required. We are limiting audience size to allow for social distancing. Masks are requested.

When: 7-9pm Saturday, February 5
Where: Robinson Preserve, in the Expansion, 10299 9th Ave NW, Bradenton, FL 34209. Parking available.
Cost: Free, but registration is required

Register now

Florida State Fair
2022-02-10 - 2022-02-20 | Florida State Fairgrounds, 4800 US Hwy. 301 North, Tampa, FL, 33610, United States
12 Days of Thrills, Exhibits & Entertainment
Admission Gate Hours:
Weekdays Open at 11:00 AM
Weekends Open at 10:00 AM
Closing times are subject to change each night and are subject to change pending weather and other conditions.
Midway Hours:
Weekdays Open at 1:00 PM
Weekends Open at 10:30 AM
Midway and Games close an hour and a half after the close of the admission gates.
PRICES & TICKETS

Seashell Shore Walk
2022-02-24 09:00 - 10:30 | Coquina Beach
Calling all beachcombers and seashell enthusiasts! Join us for a relaxing walk on the beach to search for seashells and learn to identify them. This program will explore what makes mollusks unique and the amazing adaptations that help them to survive in the wild. Learn about ethical seashell collecting methods while discovering a new appreciation for our beautiful shorelines. Program suitable for all ages.
Reservations are required. To register please visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/239166783287. For more information please contact elena.burke@mymanatee.org or call (941) 742-5923 ext. 6036.
Coquina Beach South – Under Longboat Key Bridge

Library Learning: Metamorphosis
2022-03-16 10:00 - 11:00 | Braden River Library, 4915 53rd Avenue East, Bradenton, FL, 34203, United States
A tadpole becomes a frog, and a caterpillar becomes a butterfly. Join us and explore the magic of metamorphosis! Through games, movements, songs, and a craft, your little one will be captivated by animals who experience extreme lifecycle changes.
Program suitable for preschool-age children
For more information please contact coral.bass@mymanatee.org or call 941-742-5923 ext. 6034.
Braden River Library

Tortoise Talk
2022-03-16 15:30 - 16:00 | ROBINSON PRESERVE, 1704 99th Street Northwest, Bradenton, FL, 34209, United States
Join us for this informal program on the Valentine House lawn as we take our education tortoise out to graze! In the wild, foraging is an integral part of a gopher tortoise’s lifestyle, so we encourage it as much as possible. Stop by and say hello, get a chance to meet him up close, and ask any questions you may have. Learn all about what tortoises need to survive, how we care for our tortoise, and what efforts we can take to protect these important members of our Florida ecosystems.
Program suitable for all ages.
For more information contact ecoevents@mymanatee.org.
REGISTER HERE

Tot Time
2022-03-18 10:30 - 11:30, 2022-04-01 10:30 - 11:30, 2022-04-15 10:30 - 11:30, 2022-05-06 10:30 - 11:30, 2022-05-20 10:30 - 11:30, 2022-06-17 10:30 - 11:30, 2022-07-01 10:30 - 11:30 | Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center, 1800 Weedon Drive NE, St. Petersburg, FL, United States
Families with little ones can enjoy nature-oriented stories and crafts at the Weedon Island Preserve.

Every first and third Friday of each month, families of pre-school aged children are invited to explore the wonders of the natural world at the Weedon Island Preserve. Led by volunteer docents, families will be treated to rhymes, stories, and crafts that connect them to our environment.
This program will take place outdoors so please prepare accordingly. Youth must be accompanied by an adult for the duration of the program.
Proceeds will support the Friends of Weedon Island, a non-profit organization that work to promotes education and conservation of the Weedon Island Preserve.
REGISTER HERE

Archaeology Day at Weedon Island
2022-03-26 10:00 - 14:00 | Weedon Island Preserve Cultural and Natural History Center, 1800 Weedon Drive NE, St. Petersburg, FL, United States
Celebrate Florida Archaeology Month at the Weedon Island Preserve!

Examine ancient artifacts and discover the rich history of Tampa Bay at our celebration of Florida Archaeology Month at the Weedon Island Preserve!
The Alliance for Weedon Island Archaeological Research and Education (AWIARE) and the Central Florida Gulf Coast Archaeological Society (CGCAS) will be on-site with a diverse showcase of pre-Columbian artifacts from the Tampa Bay region and archaeological experts will be on-hand to illustrate the use of these tools and their importance to native populations.
There will also be a special guided hike to an active archaeological dig-site on the Preserve. Spots on this hike are limited so advance registration is required. Register for the Archaeology Day Hike & Site Visit today!
Local fossil collectors are encouraged to bring in artifacts such as arrow heads, lithics, and pottery sherds for identification during Archaeology Day. No dollar value will be assigned or discussed, but educational information will be generously shared.
Explore the artifacts and talk with the archaeologists at your leisure anytime between 10am to 2pm. Also, check out the 1,100 year old dugout canoe on display in the Center and visit our free museum exhibit “Connecting People and Place” that tells the story of Weedon Island and its earliest inhabitants.
This event is suitable for all ages. The Center and its museum exhibits are open from 9am to 4pm.
REGISTER HERE

MIGRATING BIRDS JOURNEY HOME
2022-04-14 19:00 - 20:00 | Moccasin Lake Environmental Education Center, 2750 Park Trail Lane, Clearwater, FL, United States
NATURAL HISTORY SPEAKER SERIES
MIGRATING BIRDS JOURNEY HOME
Join Sensing Nature Wildlife Biologist Jeanne Murphy as she shares about some of her fleeting winter visitors, who designate Florida as their preferred winter retreat, and spring migrants, who take advantage of our state’s hospitality as a much-needed respite on their way from Central and South America to northern regions.
Calling all migrating birds – only those with feathers need to fly.

Frogs!
2022-04-30 10:30 - 12:00 | Brooker Creek Environmental Education Center, 3940 Keystone Road, Tarpon Springs, FL, 34688, United States
Do you know why frogs are so important to our world, and how by saving them, we save the environment?

Explore challenges frogs are facing, as well as some ways that ordinary people of all ages can help. Learn about our very own Florida frogs, and maybe even croak in a human frog chorus! Program suitable for all ages.
Join Avalon Theisen, the young founder of Conserve It Forward, Inc. for Florida Frogs!
About Avalon:
A passionate changemaker with over a decade of service to people and planet, Avalon Jade Theisen is dedicated to empowering others to Conserve It Forward for a sustainable future and inspiring the next generation of peacemakers. At age 7, she first realized she could make positive, effective change. Her efforts resulted in the creation of a non-profit organization. Encouraging the use of kindness and compassion to confront global issues, she has traveled the world to share her message and work alongside others.
A graduate of the University of South Florida, Avalon Jade was a member of the Judy Genshaft Honors College and Provost Scholars Program, where she studied Religious Studies, especially its cultural relationship to nature and food. These topics have been the focus of her academic research, including multiple presentations and being published.
Currently a Ph.D. student at Arizona State University, her research continues to focus on religious studies, ecology, anthropology, and volunteering efforts. With a goal of helping other people understand new concepts that can improve quality of life and planet health, a common theme she uses is “Small Acts, BIG Change” to demonstrate how our collective, positive actions add up to have great impact. No one is alone, we are all in this together!
She believes that when we better understand each other’s foundational beliefs, we improve our connections and can more effectively collaborate to solve local and global challenges. Her academic experience reflects the journey of service and academics she has been on since childhood.
Teaching elementary, middle, and high school students about cultural empathy, peacemaking, sustainability and world religions through curriculum she created, Avalon Jade has been a educator at Athena’s Advanced Academy since 2017. She loves helping her students understand others and the world we live in.
To maintain balance and focus, Avalon practices mindfulness, meditation, and yoga. She is the 2018 USA Yoga National Youth Champion and in December 2018, won a gold medal and the title of World Champion of Yoga Sports when she competed in Beijing, China.
“My goal is that everyone should feel interconnected with other living things and the world so that we are inspired to become positive changemakers.”
For more about Conserve It Forward, Inc., please visit www.ConserveItForward.org or
www.facebook.com/ConserveItForwardWithAvalon.
REGISTER HERE

International Migratory Bird Day Celebration
2022-05-28 09:00 - 18:00 | Boyd Hill Nature Preserve Classroom, 1101 COUNTRY CLUB WY S, St. Petersburg, FL, 33705, United States
Join us as we highlight the steps that individuals and communities can take to reduce the impact of light pollution on birds through various fun activities!
Schedule of Events:

10:30 a.m. – Storytime for Kids
1:30 p.m. – Owl Presentation and owl pellet dissection
4:30 p.m. – Animals of the Night Scavenger Hunt

Science Sprouts
2022-06-04 09:00 - 10:00, 2022-06-11 09:00 - 10:00, 2022-06-18 09:00 - 10:00, 2022-06-25 09:00 - 10:00, 2022-07-02 09:00 - 10:00 | Bishop Museum of Science ﻿and Nature, 201 10th St. West, Bradenton, FL, 34205, United States
Budding scientists ages 2-5 can bring their favorite grown-up to explore and discover a variety of science and nature topics in the Mosaic Backyard Universe. The program sparks kids’ natural curiosity using imaginative play, crafts, stories, songs and more! Please note: This program does not include Museum admission.

On Saturday, June 4, explore “In the Deep Ocean”
On Saturday, June 11, explore “Swirly Whirly Snails”
On Saturday, June 18, explore “Manatee Mischief”
On Saturday, June 25, explore “Busy Buzzin’ Bees”
When/Where: 9-10am every Saturday in the Mosaic Backyard Universe
Cost: $12 per child for members of the Discovery Society; $15 per child for all others. (Includes one adult per child.)
Advance reservations required. Attendance limited to 12 children.

Register now
The Bishop follows the CDC’s COVID-19 Community Levels guidelines. Please visit www.CDC.gov to see the current Manatee County Community Level before visiting. Masks must be worn indoors when Community Levels are high.
