About
Polk’s Nature Discovery Center Educational Programs include activities such as the Agents of Discovery Mobile App, Nature Bingo, Scavenger Hunt, QR Code Hike, and Traveling Trunks hands-on activities. The programs also offer Water, Wildlife, and Wilderness field study visits, along with classroom-style programs on Seasonal Changes in Florida Plants/Animals and Impacts on the Environment, Life Cycles and the Flow of Energy (Food Chains), and Characteristics of Animals/Plants and the Nature of Science. An Instructor Workshop is available as a one-day training on the resources offered through the Center.
• Ages: 8–18 years old
• Price: All educational programs are always free.
Self-guided programs are structured so a teacher or group leader can share science content through onsite activities. The Agents of Discovery Mobile App activity involves walking a two-mile hike to solve challenges about the environment and the plants and animals at Circle B Bar Reserve. The QR Code Hike uses an electronic device along the two-mile Alligator Alley trail loop to access information about the history of the Environmental Lands Program and details about animals at Circle B Bar Reserve, and electronic devices are not provided by Circle B. Water, Wildlife, and Wilderness programs correlate with the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards and are structured in a STEM, inquiry-based lesson, with three options that align with NGSSS Science for grades 3–5. Traveling Trunks include hands-on activities and resources with all supplies and directions included. The exhibit hall’s Resource Room has computers and reference books and is described as a resource for students working on science fair projects or other nature-related research.
Polk’s Nature Discovery Center states that its programs focus on exploring connections in nature, using Polk County’s environmental reserves as the setting for families, school groups, teachers, adults, and other visitors. Traveling Trunks were created in partnership with Lakes Education Action Drive (LEAD) with funding from Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program and Southwest Florida Water Management District.
Last updated February 18, 2026.
• Ages: 8–18 years old
• Price: All educational programs are always free.
Self-guided programs are structured so a teacher or group leader can share science content through onsite activities. The Agents of Discovery Mobile App activity involves walking a two-mile hike to solve challenges about the environment and the plants and animals at Circle B Bar Reserve. The QR Code Hike uses an electronic device along the two-mile Alligator Alley trail loop to access information about the history of the Environmental Lands Program and details about animals at Circle B Bar Reserve, and electronic devices are not provided by Circle B. Water, Wildlife, and Wilderness programs correlate with the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards and are structured in a STEM, inquiry-based lesson, with three options that align with NGSSS Science for grades 3–5. Traveling Trunks include hands-on activities and resources with all supplies and directions included. The exhibit hall’s Resource Room has computers and reference books and is described as a resource for students working on science fair projects or other nature-related research.
Polk’s Nature Discovery Center states that its programs focus on exploring connections in nature, using Polk County’s environmental reserves as the setting for families, school groups, teachers, adults, and other visitors. Traveling Trunks were created in partnership with Lakes Education Action Drive (LEAD) with funding from Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program and Southwest Florida Water Management District.
Last updated February 18, 2026.
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