Field Trip to Hunting Island
November 5, 2010
We left the school shortly after 7:30 in a charter bus, arriving in Hunting Island State Park shortly before 11:00. We had a very interesting nature walk by Park Interpreter Mitch Helms. Did you know that our state tree, the cabbage palm, is actually a grass? Only in South Carolina! After a walk through the maritime forest and along the beach, we ate lunch and then had time to climb the light house, wade in the surf, or explore the beach for critters. We got back in the bus for a quick trip to the marsh boardwalk, where we walked out into the salt marsh, finding fiddler crabs, marsh periwinkle snails, and the scat of some very healthy (we think) raccoons! All along the way we collected words, phrases, and images in our Writer's Notebooks, which we will use throughout the year for writing activities. It was worth it all to see the excited faces of the children as they learned about beach ecology and experienced a barrier island for themselves. What a great experience for all our students!
We left the school shortly after 7:30 in a charter bus, arriving in Hunting Island State Park shortly before 11:00. We had a very interesting nature walk by Park Interpreter Mitch Helms. Did you know that our state tree, the cabbage palm, is actually a grass? Only in South Carolina! After a walk through the maritime forest and along the beach, we ate lunch and then had time to climb the light house, wade in the surf, or explore the beach for critters. We got back in the bus for a quick trip to the marsh boardwalk, where we walked out into the salt marsh, finding fiddler crabs, marsh periwinkle snails, and the scat of some very healthy (we think) raccoons! All along the way we collected words, phrases, and images in our Writer's Notebooks, which we will use throughout the year for writing activities. It was worth it all to see the excited faces of the children as they learned about beach ecology and experienced a barrier island for themselves. What a great experience for all our students!