Field Trip # 4 - Downtown Fort Myers

On June 25th, 2010 I did my field trip of Downtown Fort Myers. This was truly a freshing experience. I drove around the city in awe of the wonderful work that was done with the redvelopment project.
Downtown Fort Myers is known as the historical district and also the waterfront district. It is home to historical buildings such as the court house, city hall, many different museums and government buildings. It also has a very beautiful scenic waterfront view which truly validates the term urban waterfont living. There are over 400 residential high rise condominium units in the river district. Many cultural opportunities are available in Downown Fort Myers, some of which are the Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center, the Harborside Event Center and the Headquarters of the Art of the Olympians.
On my field trip I stopped by the offices of the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce and the Redevelopment Center in Downtown Fort Myers to get some literature on the area. I walked around the city and took pictures of some very interesting sites and buildings.
The developers did a wonderful job at trying to preserve our ecological system with the beautiful array of plants that lines the street of Downtown Fort Myers. Because the downtown area is extremely flat they built a water detention basin between the river and Bay Street to improve the quality of surface water run-off into the Caloosahatchee River to prevent flooding. The landscape is beautifully arranged and the streets are decorated with bricks.
As I reflect on the suitability of urban development in Southwest Florida yesterday, today and tomorrow. I believe that as the area grows so does the need for urban development. Many development project comes to mind with this topic, such as the construction of the new international airport which was well needed to accomodate travel for the increased population. Another is the I75 expansion project which helped to alleviate traffic jams and delays. However, the project I found most impressive was the redevelopment of Downtown Fort Myers. In the past this urban environment appeared forgtten and neglected. Today, it has a very elegant look and the community appear to be vibrant and full of life.
I was very impressed on this filed trip to see how conciencious the developers were when constructing this urban environment by portraying the city as a historic district and a riverfront district while preserving our ecological system. These urban developments will improve Southwest Florida's communities, which will bring visitors to the area and will be beneficial for the future of the Downtown Fort Myers environment. Below are pictures I took of Downtown Fort Myers.

Me on my field trip in Downtown Fort Myers

Downtown Fort Myers

Urban waterfront living - residential condominiums in the river district of downtown Fort Myers.

Riverfront District - where boats are docked

Streets of Downtown Fort Myers

Streets of Downtown Fort Myers

Streets of Downtown Fort Myers

Centennial Park

Park of Palms - this is a palm arboretum with 47 varieties of palms and cycads.

City of Fort Myers Yatch Basin

Art of the Olympians

Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center

Harborside Event Center

Court House

City Hall

Personal Reflection # 6

Monday June 21st. Today I am enjoying nature as I spend some time bonding with my plants. I love working in my flowers garden and talking with my plants.

When I look at my plants I feel a sense of pride knowing that I am doing my part in trying to beautify the environment.

Independent Service-Learning Field Trip (Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium)

On Sunday June 20th, I did my Independent Service-Learning Field Trip at Calusa Nature Center and Planetarium. The trip went well, however, I was hoping there was more to see. The sun was very hot which made it uncomfortable to be out door. I saw many children and their parents touring the facility for Father’s Day.
The Calusa Nature Center specializes in caring for injured or abandoned animals and nurturing them back to good health. The center has 105 protected acres of land on which you will find the Iona house. In this facility is their museum with
exhibits on display and also a gift shop. To the right of this building is a planetarium where you will see binoculars and telescopes on display. Here they also have a theatre where they show movies about space science and mammals.
While outdoors I saw a butterfly aviary with beautiful butterflies and a bird aviary where they care for disabled birds which are unable to survive in the wild because of their injury. I also saw some wildlife such as alligator, bobcat, raccoon, skunks and they also have snakes on display. They have nature trails which takes you through the cypress wetlands, pine flatwoods and a restoration area.
The center has live educational shows where you can learn about their animals and also get to pet some of them. They also offer guided tours along the trails where you can learn about the plants and animals that live in our area.
I got to see one of their shows called “Meet the Mammals,” in which the Director of Wildlife feed the animals, and give us a history on them. This was then followed by a question and answer session. The children took advantage of his opportunity as their inquiring minds wanted to know so much. We were also given the opportunity to hold or pet some of the animals. I found this to be an interesting experience and I could see how excited some of the children were, they could hardly wait their turn.
I also had the opportunity to personally meet and interview the Executive Director, Jennifer Clearly and the Wildlife Director, Ruth Welburn. They were both excited that I chose their facility for my service-learning field trip.This field trip was an interesting experience, however, I am sure the children had more fun as they were happily running around and did not seem to mind how hot it was outside.

Nature Trail Boardwalk

Another nature trail boardwalk

Museum

Alligator

Snake

Aquarium display

Butterfly Aviary

Racoon

Bird Aviary

Bird Aviary

Possum

Field trip # 3 Marine System

Today June 20th I did my Marine Field trip at Lovers Key Park. It was a fun trip but the sun was extremely hot which made it a bit uncomfortable. However, the beach was beautiful and I learnt some very interesting things. Lovers Key Park is 1616 acres with 2.5 miles of white sandy beaches on the Gulf of Mexico. There are many recreational activities such as wildlife viewing, fishing, kayaking, swimming boating and cycling. The park is open from 8 am to sunset 365 days a year. There is a tram system available for convenient access to the beach. Some of the animals that can be seen here are Bald Eagles, Osprey, Snowy Egrets, Manatees, Dolphins, Alligators, Turtles, Pelicans, Sea Gulls, Herons and Ibis. During my trip I saw some sea Gulls and Pelicans. Some of the dominant plants in the park are poison ivy and sea grapes. For our safety the state prohibits us from feeding the animals. This area comprises of an estuary which is a semi-enclosed body of fresh water from inland wetlands that mixes with salt water from the Gulf of Mexico. The beach facilities are all solar powered and the park features the latest design of environmentally friendly restroom facilities. These are waterless toliets that utilize a composition system. After I left the beach I started walking the Black Island Trail however, this soon came to a quick ending as I was attacked by mosquitoes and bitten all over. At this point I decided to end the field trip. Overall, it was a fun day. Pictures of my trip are posted below.

Park Entrance

Inside the Park

On the bridge looking at birds catching fish in water

View of the area from the bridge

Walking along the bridge to the beach

The water at the park

More view inside park

Watching the birds in the water

Display of different shells found at lovers Key

Entrance to Black Island Trail

Me along trail before I was attacked by mosquitoes

End of field trip now I am leaving the park

Opinion Paper # 2 - Sustainability in Early Childhood Education

Sustainability for the future needs to be promoted through education, with greater emphasis being placed on early childhood education. Children should be taught and encouraged to practice sustainability through their values, attitudes, habits and life styles. Schools should do more to educate students about sustainability. However, we cannot expect schools to solely shoulder the responsibility of educating students about sustainability. Everyone must play their part in this process, including families, friends and role models by educating children about sustainability from an early age.

There is a popular phrase that says “Children Live What They Learn.” If children learn about sustainability from an early age, it is easier living it throughout their lives. The best way to learn about sustainability is through education, which should first be taught by family, friends and role models at home and in the community, as these places are usually where children imitate others behavior and begin their learning process. If children are educated from home about the 7Rs, which are reduce, reuse, recycle, respect, reflect, repair and responsibility, it will be much easier incorporating it into their education when they start school.

Early childhood education in schools plays a major role in preparing children for a sustainable future. Most schools place greater emphasis on education as children get older and sometimes neglect early childhood education. Research shows that children are more susceptible to learning during the early stages of their lives; therefore schools should be implementing curriculums that entail sustainable education. This is a great way to re-iterate the need for sustainability. By learning at home and then at school, children would better adapt to practicing sustainability for the future.

Children should be regarded as agents of change for sustainability. In the early stages of their lives, children’s inquiring minds are very active. This is the time to get them involved with questions and exercises regarding sustainable development. Teachers can play an instrumental role in this process by introducing and carefully guiding them through these projects to stimulate their minds. They would become fascinated with the outcomes and be eager to practice these sustainable activities. This would help them develop greater attitudes towards the environment. They would feel better about themselves, knowing that they helped to regenerate nature.

The idea that children should be given ample opportunities to be challenged, to make mistakes, and to enjoy seeking possible answers, will better equip them to confront complex questions raised by sustainable development, could have serious consequences and implications. We cannot leave children to learn about sustainability by exploring on their own and learning from their mistakes. These mistakes could be damaging to our environment. If they find these challenges enjoyable they may continue to do so while destroying our sustainable future.

I believe sustainable education should be taught at early childhood in homes, schools and communities. Children should be guided through this process instead of learning through self exploration. Policy makers need to implement sustainability into the education curriculum. These practices will help guide us towards a sustainable future.

Works Cited
Samuelsson, Ingrid Pramling and Kaga, Yoshie. “Early Childhood Education to transform Cultures for Sustainability.” 2010 State of the World: Transforming Cultures. Ed. Linda Starke & Lisa Mastny. New York: Norton & Co. 2010. 57-61. Print

Personal Reflection # 5

This was a busy week for me as I had lots of school work to complete.
However amids all these hectic things it was wonderful to go outside, relax and enjoy nature. I layed in the sun for a while and tried to alleviate my mind from the stressful day I was having. After a while I felt refreshed and was able to start doing the finishing touches to my Paper # 2 Assignment.

Personal Reflection # 4

This week I was on vacation so I went to visit my sister in North Carolina. I had a wonderful time enjoying the outdoors and basking in the beauty of nature. The environment was a pleasure to behold.

The landscape was beautifully maintained.
Me at the front of her house enjoying the scenery of the community.


I am relaxing by the out door fireplace and enjoying the atmosphere.



My sister and I having fun by the pool in her back yard.





I admired how the trees were nicely arranged around the yard. It gave the feeling as if we were surrounded by the forest.

This just goes to show that you can enjoy nature and the outdoors regarless of where you are.