If you aren't ready to commit to weekly nature study, you can still join in the fun. And if you’re tired of autumn curriculums filled with changing leaves, chestnuts, and the first hint of snow, then Wild Florida is for you. We take you outside to experience Florida’s wild autumn through hands-on discovery.
 
Our second sampler invites you into the colorful world of migrating butterflies, beneath the forest canopy to uncover the hidden kingdom of fungi, and under the spreading branches of Florida’s native oaks. Your child will search for host plants, investigate mushrooms and decomposers, identify oak leaves and acorns, and discover how each plays an important role in Florida’s seasonal ecosystems. Through story, art, nature journaling, foraging, and hands-on science, your child will experience autumn, Florida style.
 
Please note: This sampler is drawn from Volume 1 of our Autumn Curriculum. Volume 2 is available exclusively to our Nature Explorer’s Club members.
 
Included Units:
1. The Royal Court
Discover Florida’s colorful butterfly royalty while exploring migration, host plants, mimicry, pollination, and protective coloration. Activities include butterfly identification, host plant searches, scientific illustration, shape poetry, Florida fruit foraging, and constructing a butterfly puddler to provide essential minerals and enhance backyard habitat.
2. Hidden Kingdom
Step into the mysterious world of fungi and discover how mycelium, mushrooms, and other decomposers sustain Florida’s forests. Lessons include forest floor investigations, mushroom modeling, decomposition experiments, detailed nature journaling, botanical illustration, mushroom phenology, and creating spore prints to compare and identify different fungi.
3. Acorns to Oaks
Explore Florida’s remarkable oak diversity and discover how acorns support wildlife, forests, and entire food webs. Activities include identifying oak leaves, bark, and acorns, creating a personal field guide, learning about mast years, processing acorns into flour, studying landscape art and haiku, and making traditional acorn ink.
 
Each unit includes:
• Tiered lessons for Sprouts (K–3), Saplings (4–8), and Oaks (9–12)
• Outdoor exploration ideas
• Nature journaling prompts
• Seasonal art and writing
• Hands-on science, foraging, and stewardship activities
 
Ready to explore another side of Florida’s wild autumn?
Purchase Autumn Sampler 2 today and bring the season to life through hands-on learning, careful observation, and creative discovery.