The Living Classroom: Finding a Teacher Within Nature at Selby Gardens

By Kaileia Suvannamaccha | May 2024

Did you know that mangroves act as powerful sea walls, offering natural protection and resilience from wave action? At Selby Gardens, these natural barriers were strategically planted along Sarasota Bay in the 1990s to safeguard botanical diversity. Today, they also serve as a reminder of the importance of preserving and understanding the delicate balance of Florida’s coastal ecosystem.

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, established in 1973, has continuously evolved to educate the Sarasota community in diverse and innovative ways. Most recently, the completion of Phase One of their Three-Phase Master Plan in January 2024 marked a significant milestone. A number of impressive new features were unveiled, including the soon-to-be first net-positive restaurant in the world.

Pioneering as the world’s first net-positive botanical garden complex, Selby Gardens stands at the forefront of environmental education, playing a pivotal role in restoring the connection between humans and the natural world. Sustainably designed in accordance with biomimicry, the conservation organization is fully powered by solar panels that mimic the process of photosynthesis, turning solar rays into usable energy.

The gardens are uniquely positioned to offer an enriching curriculum year-round, with the transition from a bustling spring season to the leisurely pace of summer bringing an exciting lineup of opportunities for visitors of all ages.

The Perfect Summer Camp for Sarasota’s Nature-Loving Youth
For young nature enthusiasts in grades 1 through 5, Selby Gardens’ Downtown Sarasota Campus presents its long-standing, annual Camp Lookout. Running from June 3rd through the 28th, Monday through Friday, 9am to 3pm, each of the four one-week sessions is designed to spark curiosity and help Sarasota youth build a symbiotic relationship with the natural environment.

Weekly themes for this year include Flowering Artist, Plant Detective, Budding Naturalist, and Nature Explorer. Each session encourages discovery and appreciation for different aspects of the botanical world through hands-on activities, focused explorations, and interactive learning experiences.

“Working with our hands is a powerful modality for building confidence,” says Tracy Calla, Director of Education.

With an educational approach that extends beyond the confines of classroom walls, campers will have the chance to step into historically significant roles, imagining what life would have been like as settlers, citrus farmers, or boat builders. Nature-based experiential learning activities are proven to help children develop basic survival instincts and critical thinking skills as they begin to contemplate how to use natural resources for shelter, sustenance, and clothing.

Selby Gardens effortlessly lends itself to contextualized interdisciplinary learning. “You can teach everything in a garden,” Tracy adds, noting a distinctive difference between studying life cycles on a worksheet versus observing them firsthand in Selby’s butterfly garden.

A cap of 30 students per weekly session ensures campers receive personalized attention and guidance from licensed classroom teachers during daily activities. Tracy refers to Camp Lookout as, “a wild child summer,” where children can unleash their curiosity, explore the natural environment, and create lifelong memories. Campers may enroll for a single week or all four sessions.

Additional Offerings and Collaborations
Beyond seasonal programs, Selby Gardens offers a variety of year-round in-person experiences that celebrate the rich history and natural beauty of Sarasota, including field trips and boat rides to and from Historic Spanish Point, Selby Gardens’ second location. This less curated site, adopted in 2020, invites deeper explorations into topics such as foraging, native plants and their indigenous uses, archeology, and the history of early pioneer life in Florida.

Selby Gardens has also been known to partner with local organizations. For example, in collaboration with Carefree Learner, Selby Gardens offers educational tours centered on mangroves and estuaries, teaching coastal ecology while illustrating a reciprocal relationship between land and water.

For those seeking guided exploration, visitors are typically able to schedule hour-long tours of the gardens, led by knowledgeable docents, depending on staff availability. Alternatively, individuals, couples, families, and organizations are always welcome to indulge in self-guided tours during open hours daily, 10am to 5pm.

At Family Saturdays, parents and children can participate in nature-inspired arts and craft activities that echo the themes showcased in the Gardens’ seasonal exhibitions.

Then, for those who wish to unwind amidst the serene beauty of the garden while staying active, weekly yoga sessions are held on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.

Selby Gardens’ virtual briefing lectures are popular with adults, and cover a wide range of historical, botanical, and horticultural topics. From virtual tours of the gardens to expert-led workshops on gardening techniques and plant care, these online videos teach valuable insights and practical tips for plant enthusiasts of all levels at the viewer’s convenience on the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens official YouTube channel.

Fast Forward to the Future: Phase 02 of Selby Gardens’ Master Plan
As Selby Gardens continues to grow and evolve, Phase 02 of their Three-Phase Master Plan is currently in its planning stages, with transformative changes aimed at safeguarding botanical treasures. This phase includes the relocation of greenhouses to protect them from hurricanes and create a more resilient environment for rare and endangered plant species.

Plans to establish a dedicated education center are in the works, soon to provide the gardens with a centralized hub for immersive learning experiences, where the outdoors can also be experienced indoors. Through these forward-thinking, community engagement initiatives, Selby Gardens affirms its commitment to ensuring a sustainable future for generations to come. Visitors can look forward to tours of the newly constructed Research Center alongside many other big plans that are brewing.

As a passionate advocate for social and therapeutic horticulture, Tracy looks forward to bringing 2-Gen workshops to Selby Gardens, where multiple generations can work together and learn from one another, while basking in the therapeutic benefits that come from experiencing nature through all of the senses.

“In these types of classes, participants of all ages have a chance to create something out of nothing,” she says. “It’s all about the process, more so than the product. It’s mindfulness in motion.”

Each intentionally-crafted experience at Selby Gardens aims to inspire a lifelong love of learning and a deep appreciation for all nature has to offer. Whether you’re seeking educational enrichment, family fun, or intimate moments of tranquility, Selby Gardens has something for everyone to enjoy throughout the summer season and beyond.

Soon, visitors may say hello to ducklings as they pass by the Selby Gardens’ lily pond. For now, Mama and Papa ducks, affectionately named after Bill and Marie Selby, patiently await the arrival of their little ones!

Be sure to check the calendar of events on the Selby Gardens website to stay up to date with their current as well as future offerings. Visit selby.org to learn more and plan your visit today.