Poetry in the Parks (PIP) is an educational program that connects public elementary school children to local nature parks. On class field trips, students explore two parks, Morningside Nature Center and Sweetwater Wetlands Nature Park. Back at school, children express their reactions to the parks by composing poems. Planned in cooperation with school curriculum leaders, PIP helps expand children’s perception of the environment, promotes student well-being and academic achievement.

Feedback from Educators

Poetry in the Parks has been an inspiration to myself and to my students. It made teaching poetry very relate-able. It tied into a field trip, poetry unit and science. My students were inspired to write poems about nature, what they saw and felt and even tasted. It seemed natural to them to write about what they did outside on a field trip to Morningside. They were eager to draft and make revisions as they worked with the different elements of their poem, but, mostly they were just proud of their masterpieces and loved displaying them in class, sharing them as read alouds and, of course taking them home. They were even recognized at an award ceremony we held just for the grade level and participants and placed as 1,2,3rd or overall. Everyone leaned in to listen as the poetry contestants read their poems on stage. Wonderful program!
Jeanne Sanders
4th grade, 3rd grade Teacher
Alachua Elementary

I just spoke to the 3rd grade teachers who returned from Morningside today and they said this field trip was awesome! The "best they have been on" one teacher said. She was raving about the ELA standards, Social Studies and Science content that you taught, and all the hands-on activities for the kids.
Thank you so much for putting this field trip together! It's so great to have standards-based instruction on a local field trip like this. And thank you for all your help Jayla!
Blakely Porter
Science Teacher and Coach
Idylwild Elementary School

Content Updated 03/2024