Take a walk in the park! Our popular Museum in the Parks program was reimagined to work in collaboration with our local libraries to empower families with exploration kits and digital science resources. Go to your local Alachua County Library District location to check out an Exploration Backpack full of scientist’s tools and use the resources on this page to explore local parks and learn more about Florida’s natural history.
Exploration Backpacks are available at all 12 Alachua County Library District locations for library card holders! Borrow a backpack and use the tools inside to enhance your exploration experience, just like scientists in the field.
Find the library closest to you.
What’s in the backpack?
- Binoculars
- Plant Press
- Butterfly Net
- Bug Enclosure
- Bug lens case
- Hand Lens
- Clipboard
- Pocket Microscope
- “The Nature of Florida” Field Guide
Exploration Backpack Guide PDF – English
Exploration Backpack Guide PDF – Spanish
Take a quick tour of each of the tools in the backpack in our playlist:
Self-Guided Explorations
The following digital resources will help guide your experience by meeting scientists, learning about the research that they do and the importance of parks for Florida’s natural history. We hope each of these units will inspire you to look at birds, mushrooms, fishes and bugs at our nearby parks!
Ethics of Collecting
- Respect all living things including all plants and animals.
- Return all living creatures back to where you found them.
- Collect carefully!
- Respect others property, watch for posted signs and private property.
- Take a close look at nature, but best practice is to return natural items where they were found.
Items like the plant press, butterfly net and bug enclosures should not be used at any State/County/City Parks. Collecting and touching wildlife in State/County/City Parks without authorization is prohibited. Participants are encouraged to see the guidelines/rules for any park or private property they visit. Participating in this program does not exempt anyone from these rules.
Acknowledgements
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services [MA-251532-OMS-22].
