Nature's Classroom gives city kids the chance to study plants and animals in their natural habitats. The center, located along the Hillsborough River, has been the training ground for 6th graders since 1969. When budget cuts threatened the program two years ago, the Hillsborough Education Foundation stepped in and assisted Hillsborough County Public Schools fund the program. Kids cross water all the time on bridges, but for a lot of these kids going on a boat out on the water is a once in a lifetime opportunity - especially when they get to see an alligator up close. That's not all they see at Nature's Classroom.
Children can see black bears, panthers, opossums and snakes.
And they even get to handle boa constrictors and rabbits. It is an educational experience many students never forget. Additional structures are being built and animal quarters are being re-built. Click here for a list of contributors to the Nature's Classroom capital campaign. Hillsborough Education Foundation All Rights Reserved.