Our co-op took a wonderful field trip to Sandoway Discovery Center this spring. We have enjoyed this little gem in the past when the children were much younger, but this experience was new and different in many ways. A lot has been updated recently and this visit was also a tour, for just classes. I am thankful for having co-op mothers who are better at organizing field trips than I am! I am an organizer, but if it involves a phone call, it might not happen!
Sandoway is housed in one of the two-story historical homes by the ocean in Delray Beach, FL. When you arrive and park, you enter onto the screened-in porch, where they have a few of their animals. They have a tortoise and a macaw that live there. We were lucky to see their brown skunk running around for some outside time while its home was being cleaned. These animals used to be pets and were rescued because they could no longer be released. Remember that two of these animals normally live longer than their owners and are often left for others to care for.
We were all able to pet the tortoise and talk to the macaw. I wish we could have cuddled the skunk! The coloring was so unique.
Our tour included a class inside the shell room. If you are visiting on a regular stop, make sure you go in here and look through all of the drawers of shells.
For our visit, our lovely tour guide gave us a class on different animal types found in Florida. We were able to touch real animals or the skeletons of others. There was a skink that was so busy and so odd looking. Is it a lizard, or is it a snake? Does it even know? The kids were so engaged and had to think of answers and share their knowledge. I am very proud of our little learners.
The highlight for the kids was going into the backyard where they had the home’s pool. Instead of a pool for humans, there were nurse sharks instead! They also recently built an above-ground pool for their sting rays. I think they would have stayed there to pet the rays all day if we had let them. It was very smart of our instructor to let them stay there first and then lure us back to the nurse sharks when she fed them. What a funny sound they make when they inhale their food.
Shark feeding is not exclusive to the tour. They have times set up if you want to see that during your visit.
The rest of this lovely house has other animals and displays to enjoy as well. We saw an axolotl, a starfish, a gator, urchins, and more. We also got to experience a lionfish eating his lunch. Those little creatures are fast.
If you live in South Florida or are coming to visit. I highly recommend stopping by. Every summer the County Library also does their L.A.M.P. program for museum passes and this is one of their places on the list.
Sandoway Center also kids classes and other resources. They even have birthday parties on a few limited day. It is a wonderful find, that I recommend you stop in to visit!