DEP’s ‘LIFE’ Program Leads Students on High-Tech Treasure Hunt

“As GPS technology becomes integrated into cell phones, cameras and watch-like devices, these students will be able to take full advantage of their new skills and may never have to fumble with a paper map to find their way again,” said DEP’s LIFE Director Greg Ira. “The goal of the LIFE program is to offer engaging lessons such as this to inspire the next generation of scientists and resource managers.”

Staff from the DEP organized the hunt as part of an ongoing program to provide enrichment activities for children attending the recreational center managed by the City of Tallahassee. Students used GPS devices to find “treasures” hidden in the community center, including activity books and school supplies provided by DEP. GPS units are vital tools of resource managers, surveyors, and environmental scientists. GPS devices are also commonly used for recreational uses such as fishing, traveling and geocaching, an outdoor treasure hunt similar to the activity conducted with the students.

“Many children who visit the center after-school or during the summer don't have the opportunity to visit the museums, state parks, libraries, historic sites and cultural facilities that the greater Tallahassee region has to offer,” said Lawrence-Gregory Community Center Manager Aurora Hansen. “Through the Community Classroom Consortium partnership, the LIFE program and others like it bring diverse opportunities to students at the Center that they might not otherwise get to see.”

The partnership between the Community Classroom Consortium (CCC) and the Lawrence Gregory Center at Dade Street began in 2001 to enhance the existing set of programs at the center by bringing non-formal educators from around north Florida to conduct hands-on activities with children from the Frenchtown community. The CCC is a coalition of more than 30 cultural, scientific, natural history and civic organizations in north Florida and south Georgia that provide educational experiences and resources to the public, especially K–12 teachers and students. CCC was established in 1989 through a grant from the Smithsonian Institution’s “Regional Workshop Program.”

Since 2004, more than 2,300 future scientists and stewards have participated in the LIFE program. The LIFE initiative seeks to establish a series of field-based, environmental-science education programs around the state. Each of the eight existing programs is a partnership between the DEP and a local school district. The goal of each LIFE program is increased student achievement and teacher professional development in science, with the content and delivery varying from site to site.

For more information on the LIFE program, visit http://www.dep.state.fl.us/secretary/ed/.

For more information on the Sylvester Davis Jr. After-school Support Project and the Community Classroom Consortium, visit http://www.communityclassroom.com/projects/after_school/index.asp .