By Judy Taylor, RN

As we all know, learning does not just happen in the formal classroom, school building setting. Education or learning is acquiring knowledge and this happens whenever and wherever there is a desire and opportunity to learn. One such example is nature. It is a great teacher of plants, animals and the environment.

As part of the education program at Tampa General Hospital in Florida, several of our nurses and about 20 dialysis and transplant pediatric patients packed up our pillows and sleeping bags, took a trip to the local zoo and spent the night inside the Manatee Aquatic Center. This is a large attraction at the zoo and is home to many manatees for study and research, medical treatment and general viewing for the public. The “Nite Site” program was well organized as we deposited our belongings inside the manatee center and went for a night tour of the zoo. We were able to view the nocturnal animals that are missed during the day. We visited the zoo kitchen where special diets are created for all the animals. The guides were informative, explaining the animals and their habits, asking us questions and answering our questions. It was fascinating to observe as the children absorbed the knowledge about the animals we were seeing. What a great place to learn!

But, we came mainly for the manatees. We were taught about the different varieties, their feeding habits and their body structure. The children were able to see the injured manatees being cared for in the hospital pool. This tour provided the children with a unique and creative opportunity to learn in a setting other than the classroom.

After our tour, lectures and snack, we were ready to roll out our sleeping bas in front of the manatee viewing windows, take bedtime medications, hook up a feeding pump, and talk and giggle like most other sleepover parties. It was definitely a worthwhile experience for fun as well as learning fascinating facts about animals.

Visiting the zoo, learning about the animals and forming valuable friendships, was a unique experience for the children. The greatest part of the event for me and the other nurse chaperones, was observing our kids taking care of one another. If a wheelchair needed to be pushed or a wagon pulled, one of the other kids was willing and offering. They reminded each other when medications were due and were concerned when a catheter bag was not low enough to properly drain. This trip was successful in illustrating that learning does not just happen in the formal classroom setting. 

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