Selby Gardens Launches Virtual Scholastic Programs

April 21, 2021 – Sarasota

In an effort to help students safely explore Marie Selby Botanical Gardens’ (Selby Gardens) campuses from their classrooms or homes during the pandemic, the education team created and launched a series of virtual tours. Since launching the programs in January 2021, Selby Gardens has connected with nearly 1,000 students with some as far away as Michigan and California.

Students can virtually stroll along the bayfront at Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota campus, learning about the mangroves that are an important part of the coastal ecosystem. Next, students virtually hop aboard the Carefree Learner to head out into Sarasota Bay for an up-close-and-personal encounter with creatures that live in this important estuary.

Students can also virtually visit the Historic Spanish Point campus to learn about the people who inhabited this area some 5,000 years ago and to see how archaeologists study the ancient past. Or they can delve into pioneer life at the Historic Spanish Point campus through virtual visits to the Guptill House, Pioneer Boatyard, and Packing House.

The virtual tours are accompanied by downloadable curricular packets that support state education standards. The tours are also accessible by parents who homeschool their children, kids in summer camp programs, and parents who just want to add to their child’s educational experience.

Local mom Heather Carpenter took her kids on the archaeology-themed virtual tour of the Historic Spanish Point campus. She knew her children were missing out on field trip experiences this year at school, so she wanted to replicate what they were missing in some way. After their virtual visit, the family also did some of the accompanying activities, like “excavating” cookies to get a sense of how archaeological discoveries are made.

“The activities were put together with materials that were already around the house, and I appreciated how clear the directions and learning objectives were,” says Carpenter. “Anyone can go visit Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota or Historic Spanish Point campuses, but the real magic of a field trip is usually the guided experience and the in-depth hands-on activities. Being able to hear a video of a real-life archaeologist who works at Historic Spanish Point dimensionalized archaeology in our backyard in a way that a family visit wouldn’t.”

Selby Gardens plans to continue offering virtual programs in addition to in-person learning in the future. Anastasia Sallen, director of environmental education, recently joined the Selby Gardens’ team and is leading these efforts.

For more information, please contact Lynn Bates at lbates@selby.org or 941.210.0874.