Outdoor Classes

Beachwalk: General Beach Ecology (30 minutes)
Students participate in a guided beach walk to explore tide pools, learn about ocean currents and tides, and how sand dunes are formed.  Plants and marine animals that inhabit our beach and ocean are observed and identified.  Unoccupied shells washed in by the tides are collected.

Sand Sifting in the Intertidal Zone (30 minutes)
Using strainers to sift the wet sand, students discover the abundance of life that lives below the sandy surface. The food web is demonstrated with invertebrates such as mole crabs, coquina clams, and other marine life.

Seining (30 minutes)
Students and/or adults pull a 15 foot seine net in the surf to catch, observe, and examine the diverse marine life in our waters. Students identify fish, crabs, and other marine life caught in the net. Classification and adaptations of species are featured.  To schedule this activity, each group must have two willing adults to help pull the net. Participants may get wet to the waist, please dress accordingly.

Marsh Ecology Walk (1 hour, 15 minutes travel time)
Hike through a maritime forest and into the tidal marsh. Students learn about the importance of a marsh ecosystem, observe and catch fiddler crabs and periwinkle snails, and see birds and reptiles. Participants visit a marsh hammock and salt flats, and learn about and taste edible marsh plants. Groups must provide transportation to and from the marsh from the Science Center.

Basic Oceanography (1 hour)
Students learn four basic parts to ocean study: chemical, biological, geological, and physical.  Oceanographic instruments are used to collect data on water depth, visibility, temperature, and salinity. Information about tides, currents, and barrier island ecology is featured.  Math skills improve with data collection and calculations to find the "mean" of results. 

Beach Profiling (1 hour)
Students measure and graph the beach surface or "profile" at low tide.  With data collected by using poles, rods, and rope equipment, students work in teams of five to take coordinates across the face of the beach to chart the dynamic changes that occur seasonally.  Using graphing paper, students create a "picture" of escarpments, newly forming sand dunes, erosion, and accretion. 

"Floating Classroom" Boat Excursion (1 to 3 hours)
Programs on the water explore the tidal marsh, estuaries, and ocean.  Using oceanographic equipment, students test salinity, visibility, depth, and temperature of the water.  Ocean currents, tides, and the Georgia Bight are featured.  The chemical and biological composition of the water is tested.  Local animals including the bottlenose dolphin, loggerhead sea turtles, manatees, brown pelicans, eagles, herons and ospreys may be seen.  The local shrimping industry is discussed.  Activities may include throwing a cast net, trawling, reading navigational charts, and learning about boat basics.  Topics and activities may vary due to weather, tides, and age of group.  Come aboard!  Program is limited to 30 students.  Please call the Education Coordinator for program fees, times, and more information.  Prices vary with class size, activities, and boat availability.