Mosaic Digital Academy students in grades 5-8 enjoyed a cross-curricular field trip to the St. Lucie County Regional History Center and St. Lucie County Aquarium. Visiting the past through the eyes of explorers, settlers, and industrialists, students traveled back in time to the turn of the century. A deeper understanding of the industries that helped shape St. Lucie County, such as fishing, pineapple plantations, cattle, and citrus gave students a better understanding of our county’s unique history.
Students returned to the present as they explored the Smithsonian Marine Ecosystems Exhibits at the St. Lucie County Aquarium. Here, they encountered living models of six different Florida marine and estuarine ecosystems while learning about their importance and intricacy. Seagrass, mangroves, lagoon hardbottom, reef, and deep-water habitats were compared, while microscopic worlds of the deep were further investigated through various microscope displays. Students met the creatures of our backyard estuaries face to face, as they waded knee-deep into the Indian River Lagoon, seining the waters to discover what’s hidden below. Shrimp, sea robins, and small minnows are just a few of the treasures caught, observed, and returned to their natural habitat.
Hands-on, in-person, experiences are an important and integral component of Mosaic Digital Academy’s student education, providing them with experiential learning opportunities that take them beyond their virtual classrooms.
