Environmental Education

Sarasota Bay: A Living Laboratory

SBEP is dedicated to facilitating Bay exploration in the classroom and beyond. Our education curriculum and field trips provide hands-on, inquiry-based lessons focused on general scientific concepts and the application of those concepts to issues affecting Sarasota Bay.

Four boys who are PIER Students WQ

SBEP funds tens of field trips throughout the Sarasota Bay watershed for Sarasota-Manatee K-12 classrooms every year. Students attending field trips engage in hands-on activities such as water sampling, water quality testing, conservation games, and plant and animal identification skills.

TechKitsAll4 on display table with other artwork

Tech Kits that bring technology and nature into your classroom are available for free loan from the SBEP office in downtown Sarasota. A Tech Kit is a suitcase full of equipment and standards-based classroom activities focused on Bay-related topics, including Climate Change, Scrub Diversity, Orienteering (with GPS and Compass), Estuary Exploration, and Low Impact Development (LID).

People sitting in classroom for teacher training

Science teacher training workshops are offered three times a year by Sandra L. Gilchrist, Ph.D., Professor of Biology at New College of Florida. Teachers from all grade levels are encouraged to attend the workshops, which focus on improving teaching skills and science literacy. The full-day workshops are offered on Saturdays. Teachers may earn continuing education credits and a stipend for attending.

Ed Explore SRQ logo

EdExploreSRQ is a web-based search platform that connects teachers and parents with experiential learning opportunities available in our area. It features hundreds of offerings by local non-profits and individual teaching artists. Each EdExploreSRQ “exploration” is reviewed and approved by school district staff to ensure connections to educational standards.