GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Erika Dudley’s initial impression of the grassy picnic area behind the Florida Museum of Natural History included the sight of excited toddlers digging through dirt-filled buckets in the name of science.
Dudley had brought her 3-year-old daughter to the museum’s weekly Tot Trot Nature Walks for the first time. She wants to “expose her to as many things as possible,” making this program the perfect fit.
The walks allow toddlers and their caregivers to explore science side by side, building connections to one another and the environment, along with so much more.
“The Tot Trot program is designed to bring people outside together in a safe environment, engaging with nature and reconnecting with each other beyond screens and media,” said Florida Museum educator Tina Choe, who founded the program.
The family connection is the heart of the program for Choe, but the educational benefits, like building understanding of basic science concepts, are a huge plus. As toddlers’ physical and motor skills grow, their expanding ability to explore the environment helps to spark new connections in their developing brains.
“Kids truly seem to thrive outside. It’s a really magical thing to witness how playing and learning correlate into further development of a child’s senses and understanding of the world,” she said.
Each program’s lessons are built around science concepts aligned with the Florida Early Learning and Development Standards for the “birth to kindergarten” age range. These standards encourage toddlers to observe the world around them using their senses and simple tools, such as magnifiers, blocks and even bug catchers.
Every week, participants dive into a different science or natural history topic, gaining a fresh perspective as they wander through the University of Florida’s 60-acre Natural Area Teaching Lab, a campus space dedicated to conservation, restoration and education.
“Focusing very closely on a single topic can completely change the way you see the world,” Choe said. “It’s just one of those wonderful things that happen when you get outside.”
Choe has been helping facilitate these special moments for years.
The Tot Trot program started in 2018 and apart from summer breaks, has only been briefly paused once: when the museum closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even when the world was shut down in 2020, Choe and co-founder Keith Curry-Pochy continued to educate young children about nature through the Discovery Time video series.
Before the museum’s March 2025 closure, participants began the program with free time in its “Discovery Zone” exhibit. Now, the team and dedicated volunteers engage families with planned activities outside, adapting the schedule to new ways of hands-on learning in nature.
Even though the museum is temporarily closed due to construction, families can still explore the natural world through the walks, which promote child-focused sensory experiences.
The current program starts with attendees checking in at the UF NATL Natural Park Entrance, then they can make their way around several interactive activity stations related to the topic of the week.
“They’re all hands-on activities you can do at home,” Choe said. “I want people to be able to re-create them easily and enjoy them again and again.”
After the activities, the tots put the knowledge they’ve learned to the test as they head out on a half-hour nature walk along the trails. Choe and program volunteers guide the group, answer questions and help children spot items related to the week’s topic, all while getting some exercise in the fresh air.
“The joy of this program is that we are learning together,” Choe said. “You never know what we will discover during our stroll!”
Through Tot Trots, kids get to be outside, have fun and explore basic science concepts they can build on throughout their lives.
The interactive program, best suited for children ages 2 to 5 and their caregivers, is held most Tuesdays from 9 to 10:45 a.m. No preregistration is needed; payment takes place at the UF NATL picnic tables before each walk. The cost is $6 for museum members or $7 for non-members, and one Tot Trot event per month is completely free.
Tot Trot Nature Walks have resumed for 2026. The upcoming spring sessions will highlight foraging, physics, mud, biology and bubbles.
For more information and a full schedule, visit www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/kids/tot-trots.
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Writer: Alexa Ryan, printern@flmnh.ufl.edu
Sources: Tina Choe, tchoe@flmnh.ufl.edu; Erika Dudley
Media contact: Kaitlin Gardiner, kgardiner@floridamuseum.ufl.edu