As temperatures continue to rise here in South Florida in preparation for the summer season, our community has been met with the plentifulness of spring all around. Blooming flowers, crawling critters, fledgling birds learning to fly, baby raccoons and opossums, and so much more hidden abundance come with the arrival of spring. Here at the Sawgrass Nature Center, we welcomed this new season with a celebration of new seasons at our Spring Break Camp WILD!
Throughout camp we learned all about the parts of a flower and pollination while making our own homemade cardboard flower vases to fill with the colors of spring. We used our big scientist brains to discuss the physics behind a rainbow and even made our own spectroscopes. We’ve got some real smarty-pants campers here! We had a visit from our wildlife rehabber, Ms. Tina, and a bunny rabbit from the wildlife hospital. And most notably, our spring break campers left their permanent mark here at the nature center during this break camp. Working together, we helped paint an essential tool used in one of our animals’ habitats. Bubba, our African Spur-Thighed Tortoise, requested that our campers add their own creative flare to his brand-new backscratcher. So, we did just that!
Tortoises might have tough, protective shells, but that doesn’t mean they don’t get a little itchy now and then! For species like the African spur-thighed tortoise, their shells and skin can trap dirt, shed skin, and even tiny irritants that they can’t easily reach or rub off on their own, especially in a managed enclosure without all the natural textures they’d encounter in the wild. That’s where a good “backscratcher” comes in! Providing a safe, textured tool gives them a way to scratch, stretch, and engage in natural behaviors that support both their physical comfort and mental enrichment. So, while it may look like a simple, silly object, a backscratcher is actually a really important part of helping our tortoise stay happy, healthy, and itch-free, and now, thanks to our campers, it comes with a personal touch!
Moments like this go far beyond a simple craft. They create meaningful connections between our campers and the animals in our care. By taking part in something that directly benefits the tortoise, campers get to see how even small actions can make a big difference in an animal’s well-being. It turns creativity into compassion and curiosity into stewardship. Experiences like these help foster a deeper understanding of animal care, enrichment, and respect for wildlife, which is at the heart of the Sawgrass Nature Center mission. Next time you stop by the SNC to visit Bubba, we hope you see it’s not just a painted backscratcher, but an outlet to inspire the next generation to care for the natural world in thoughtful, hands-on ways.
