The curriculum called for a field trip this week to a terrain and climate different from your own. You don't have to tell me twice! Road Trip! Helllloooo Coastal SC! I decided to take Ellie to Hunting Island. I've never been and was supposed to go a year ago with friends and our kids but a little thing called Corona had other ideas. I also had never been to Beaufort, SC, and Hunting Island is one of our state parks I had not yet visited.
My parents came along and we all shared a hotel in Beaufort. We did so much exploring. This few days of our field trip included not only a coastal study of terrain, sea life, climate, and botany, it also was a grand SC history tour. I learned SO much I had never heard before. When I also learn alongside Ellie, it enhances her learning because we get excited about it together and share in that joyous new knowledge together and she never forgets it because it was special to her.
In preparation for a coastal study, I read many many many books to Ellie before, during, and after our trip. These books were full of facts, stories, pictures, and many things I never learned before now. The way Ellie spat her new found knowledge on all things Coastal was incredible. Just from the books alone! We used the books to understand different sea life, sea botany, coastal botany, estuaries, food chain, coastal birds, erosion, how gravity affects the tide, being mindful of pollution, and so much more! We identified shells and plant and animal life with the books and we did research if we didn't have the answer to a question. Ellie loves research! She LOVES asking questions and finding the answer with me. So so so cool!
Dinner at Fish Camp on Ladies Island. SO GOOD!
Hunting Island Lighthouse! Ellie was not quite tall enough to be permitted to walk up the stairs. But she got to explore the lighthouse keeper grounds!
Finally made it out to the beach on a sunny 72 degree day (though a little breezy by the water).
We went exploring in tide pools and on rocks finding barnacles, shells, crabs, coral, seaweed, and other small sea life.
Fun playing and digging, searching for shells to identify, looking at treasures we all found, and playing with sea toys.
We left the lighthouse portion of the beach and drove a few minutes down the island to the "boneyard" where there was much driftwood and a short 1 mile total beautiful and shaded hike. We came as high tide was rising so we didn't stay long, but we stayed long enough to enjoy it. It's always so fascinating to me to see such things. I love climbing the driftwood. Ellie loves making tunnels, tents, and obstacle courses. Mimi taught her about why these trees were all on the beach.
Dinner at Dockside:
Ellie eating corn ON the actual cob was kind of a big deal! Big girl status right there!
Fell asleep on Mimi at dinner! No nap and a full busy day of sun and play!
The sunset at Fish Camp -
After dinner the first night, Ellie and I got ice cream and sat in the cold by the water at the waterfront park. Warm days, cold nights!
"Carolina Girl"
Ellie discovered Spanish moss which is not a parasite or Spanish. It is an air plant. The only issue with this is it may contain lots of biting chiggers, so watch out!
Ellie also took in her eyelids....😂😴
If you keep up with our adventures in homeschooling, you will know that for the past few months we have been doing an artist study on Vincent Van Gogh. We ventured into a little art shop in City Market where Ellie spotted a piece that someone had done as a remake of the classic with a cat and dog in the corner. If you want my critique....leave this work to Van Gogh.....but still....awesome to see some relevance from one of our continual studies! As a special side note story, recently while checking out in Hobby Lobby, a girl was wearing a t-shirt with Starry Night in the background and Vincent's self portrait in the foreground. Ellie yelled aloud pointing at the girl's shirt, "Starry Night! Mommy! That girl has starry night and Vincent Van Gogh!" The girl was pleasantly shocked that my THREE year old knew who he was and recognized his art; and I'm not gonna down play it - I was one proud little mama!
Taking a closer look with her magnifying glass:
Horseshoe crab shell. I learned about these this week in one of the books we read. I've seen these growing up for many years but this past week I got to teach Ellie and myself so many things about them I never knew! For one, horse shoe crabs are not crabs actually. They are actually closer related to lobsters, spiders, and other members of the arachnid family. Makes them suddenly feel creepy, right?! Also, the shed their shells as they grow. So the many shells we found were shallow whole shells, but no carcass, likely shed shells for growth. Now, I have seen many full carcass horseshoe crabs beached in the morning sand dead as a door knob. This is because they get caught in the ocean tide and can't get back out very well, especially if overturned onto their backs.
Upon arrival to the lowcountry, minutes from Beaufort, we happened across by chance some old church ruins. My mom happened to spot them and point them out and we turned around as soon as possible to check them out! These were the ruins of "Prince William's Parish Church" aka "Sheldon." An excellent first stop for SC History on our field trip!
working water pump
We made it into downtown Historic Beaufort, SC! We got a feel for the town by going on a horse carriage tour. It was excellent. I learned so much on this tour of our Palmetto state I'd never known before. I learned interesting Historical stories, learned that our "moon" on our flag is actually not a moon, though that term is accepted. It is actually a replica of the crescent from our Confederate army's uniform known as a Gorget. Ellie asked SO many questions about the trees, flowers, houses, and water she saw. I got to explain on her level some of the things I learned as we went about. She truly found it interesting. We walked around a bit as well. We walked along the water front park watching ducks, gulls, and fish. There was also an awesome playground for Ellie!
Soon to be a Harriet Tubman monument!
The First African Baptist Church
The first owned home of a freed slave. A chanty. So cute! So much pride.
Stuckey the horse
Now here we are off to Hunting Island to play, learn, and explore!
I FINALLY learned this green on the water is "Duckweed," something I've been reading to Ellie about from one of her story books for YEARS having no clue what it was. Now we both know!
This was so awesome to see as the next week for Forest School study was to be nesting birds.
Learning about sea turtles and pollution:
"Cheetahs are a beach snack, mommy." Calling "Cheetos" Cheetahs and knowing she only gets those when we go to the beach...😂😂😂
More Beach:
A last minute decision before heading home landed us in Savannah, GA. I last came here almost 5 years ago for my 1st anniversary with Eric and had been before that as well. My dad had never been nor had Ellie. We took an "on & off" torlley tour. These are the best tours. I did one with Eric when we came. Best way to get a feel and knowledge about the city. We took in more history, culture, and architecture.
Amidst our tour through town, we learned about the historic Gryphon tea room which actually used to be a pharmacy in the 1800s. The interior is still mostly comprised of original wood work, counters, windows, fixtures, and bookcases. Incredible! We decided to have afternoon tea. Normally I'd dress myself and Ellie a bit more formal for the occasion, but as tourists, and a tourist Historic city, I'm sure our attire did not offend. I tried African Autumn Tea. Ellie tried a tropical green tea. We got a delicious tower of scones, sandwiches, pastries, and cakes. The tea was perfect. The flowers atop the tier, edible. I genuinely enjoyed the sweet taste of the flower. Ellie tried it....she will eat dandelion stems raw (really good for you)....but did not find this flower as sensational. At least she tried it! She did however find favor in the sugar cubes.....😂😳
Her face after taking a bite of flower. 😂
Her face after taking a bite of a sugar cube...
Such a little lady! We do tea time with poetry and or bible often and frequently at our home. She is an herbal tea fan!
Above you see a clock - the first electric clock ever in Savannah, GA.
Original window panes from the 1800s pharmacy. Original almost everything actually. Taken over by SCAD and preserved by them as this tea room and restaurant. Well done!
So then we came home and completed our study with our treasures. So, I didn't realize one of us had collected a very small (smaller than my pinky nail) hermit crab shell with a live hermit crab still occupying the habitation....but this guy made it to our house, not alive, I'm sorry to say. As a matter of fact, Ellie and I were making an ocean sensory bin at home and playing with her sea creature figurines and treasures. I was rinsing off sand in the bin from the treasures so I could bleach them later to save for our nature cabinet. (Bleach to clean and remove any residual life bacteria.) No, I will not be politically correct so that you aren't offended. Lol! Yes, I use bleach. Yes I used it on our lifeless treasures so they don't go reeking. Sue me. There's always some sensitive Sally whining about something these days. ANYWAY, as I was rinsing the smallest and very beautiful little shell, this little guy fell out and into my hand....(another reason to clean out any post sea life before storing it as treasure....). I have never actually seen a hermit crab outside of it's shell other than in books. It was sad he was dead, but still educational and neat to observe with Ellie.
Crab claw we found
Also, we made our own sand play dough from scratch at home to add a sensory element to our discovery study day!
Ellie made impressions with her plastic sea creatures and her real shells in her sand play dough.
Making the dough:
We sorted, counted, and identified our shell findings.
Our trip was truly special and educational. I love not being confined to a classroom and taking field trips whenever we want. That's where and how real learning happens at its best! So thankful for my husband, parents, and most of all, God to make this happen for Ellie and myself.
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