Programs

• ●Sea grape leaf ID walk — find 5 colors in the fallen leaves
• ●Leaf color spectrum: arrange leaves green → yellow → orange → red → brown
• ●Craft: sea grape leaf fan (attach a stick handle, take it home)
• ●Sea grape leaf hat: fold and pin large leaves into a wearable hat
• ●Taste test: ripe sea grapes (seasonal) or discuss the fruit cycle
• ●Booklet page: leaf rubbing + tree facts card + color wheel illustration

Sea grape leaf fan, pressed leaf bookmark, completed booklet page with leaf rubbing and fun facts

Older kids decorate their sea grape leaf hats and wear them to the Reading Buddy program at the library with younger kids. The hats become conversation starters about the tree.

• ●Gumbo limbo bark paper collection — gather peeling bark from the ground
• ●Natural pigment making: crush berries (beautyberry, sea grape), flowers, and leaves to extract colors
• ●Paint on bark paper using natural pigments and stick brushes
• ●Bark texture rubbings on the booklet page
• ●The stick-in-the-ground experiment: plant a gumbo limbo cutting to check on weekly
• ●Tourist tree storytelling: invent a story about how the tree got sunburned

Bark paper art painted with natural pigments, gumbo limbo cutting in a cup (check weekly!), booklet page with bark rubbings and pigment color chart

Natural pigment art displayed in the library as an evolving gallery wall that grows each week. Community can see the program's work.

• ●Mahogany seed helicopter races — drop from height, race side by side
• ●Seed pod boat building — add leaf sails and twig masts, race in water
• ●Grow Your Own Mahogany Baby — plant seeds in cups, take home
• ●Mangrove propagule float race (if near water)
• ●Seed dispersal sorting game: which seeds fly, float, stick, or get eaten?
• ●Booklet page: seed sketches + dispersal method chart

Mahogany seed baby in a pot (grows into a 200-year tree!), seed pod boat, booklet page with seed sketches and dispersal chart

• ●Coconut husk fiber exploration — pull apart and braid into cordage
• ●Palm frond weaving basics — simple fish, cross, or fan shapes
• ●Sabal palm frond weaving — compare fan-shaped vs. feather-shaped
• ●Royal poinciana pod percussion band — seed pod maracas and rhythms
• ●Coconut shell bowl sanding (from pre-opened shells)
• ●Booklet page: weaving sample glued in + 'parts of a palm' diagram

Woven palm creation, braided coconut fiber cord, seed pod maraca, booklet page with woven sample and palm diagram

Percussion band performs a short rhythm at the library's kids' story time. Nature music meets reading.

• ●Dune detective walk — observe how sea oats shape the landscape
• ●Sand trap experiment — build mini-dunes with sticks
• ●Railroad vine measurement challenge — find the longest runner
• ●Pollinator stakeout at beach sunflowers — count species in 5 minutes
• ●Beach mandala — arrange found shells, leaves, seeds, sand in a circle pattern
• ●Booklet page: dune cross-section illustration + pressed beach sunflower

Photo of beach mandala (temporary art), pressed beach sunflower, booklet page with dune diagram and plant ID cards

• ●Strangler fig act-it-out — dramatize the life cycle
• ●Manchineel safety lesson — learn to ID the most dangerous local tree (from photos/distance)
• ●Invasive species detective — spot Brazilian pepper and understand the problem
• ●Three mangrove ID challenge (if near water)
• ●Pigeon plum fruit tasting and bird watching
• ●Final booklet page: tree ID quick reference guide + personal nature pledge
• ●Booklet assembly: bind all 6 weeks into a take-home field guide

Completed Nature Explorer Field Guide booklet (all 6 weeks bound together), nature explorer certificate, gumbo limbo cutting check-in (how big is it now?)

Graduation ceremony at the library. Each participant shows their booklet and favorite discovery. Invite families. Display the natural pigment art gallery.