Parks as Classrooms

The staff at the De Soto National Memorial hopes that you had a great summer that was filled with memories and well deserved rest. School is back and it’s hard to believe that 180 days will pass until we see our friend summertime again .It has come to our attention that as budgets tighten, opportunities to take field trips may not be available. We at De Soto National Memorial have come up with a plan. Let the Park come to you!

The Centennial Initiative is a federal project that prepares The Park Services for the Centennial Anniversary coming in 2016. The Centennial Initiative has made it possible for us to bolster staff. This gives us the opportunity to implement the Parks as Classrooms program. The Parks in Classrooms is a pilot program in the National Park Service designed to bring National Parks and community schools together. We would like to take this opportunity to invite you to participate in a Parks in Classrooms program. 

Park Rangers will provide a 30 to 40 minute educational program. Our programs will explore the De Soto expedition, the American Indian Tribes of  Florida, America’s National Parks, nature conservation and the environment.

These topics would be suitable for grades K- 5. If appropriate the program can be geared towards the FCAT. This would provide us with a wonderful opportunity to reach out to the community educating the future leaders of our Country. This program is free, registration is required. When scheduling please help us meet your needs by providing us a copy of the curriculum. Please contact De Soto National Memorial at (941) 792-0458 Ext: 106 to reserve a time and date that is convenient. This program is available from October thru April. Thanks and have a great year.