During nationwide shutdowns from the COVID-19 pandemic, we wanted to do our part to keep kids engaged and lighten the burden of homeschooling for parents. The education team at Sanibel Sea School responded by creating Nature Near You.

Nature Near You included hands-on, experiential education designed for backyards anywhere. Our educators created DIY nature-based crafts at home, virtual lessons, at-home science experiments, and fun new ways to explore your own backyard.

Over the course of thirteen weeks, we compiled over 30 issues of Nature Near You and explored the small bits of nature in our backyards together. We conducted backyard bioblitzes, created nature journals, did countertop experiments, and turned our backyards into wildlife sanctuaries with DIY projects.