The students from The Cooper School worked diligently excavating a model, seeded pit that was designed just for them during a recent field trip to Drayton Hall. They learned that archeology isn’t just about digging – it’s a process that involves analysis and science. Student Wiley Austin, 8, was transformed into a novice archeologist when he excitedly found an old rusty piece of metal – an artifact which, after careful inspection, turned out to be a door hinge to a stable that once stood on the property.

It was the third-grader’s first visit to a plantation, and he eagerly absorbed the information staff interpreter Betsy Kleinfelder presented, all the while having fun with his classmates. They learned all about architecture, history, nature and science and during the “Dig This: Excavating History” program at Drayton Hall.

Many customizable school field trip programs are available in the area that are designed to reinforce what students are learning in the classroom. Here are just a few of the many offerings in the Lowcountry, all of which cater to South Carolina Academic Standards.

Drayton Hall

Drayton Hall is the oldest preserved plantation site in America that is still open to the public. It offers many school programs that address various subject areas and are tailored to tie directly into what educators are teaching in classrooms.

“It’s not easy anymore for teachers to be able to take their classes on field trips,” says Craig Tuminaro, director of museum interpretation. “There is pressure on them when planning an outside field trip to make it easy.”

Trained educators with diverse backgrounds teach the classes at the historic site and all allow students to immerse themselves in the subject matter. Students explore the property and participate in hands-on activities, which make history come alive for them.

All programs have pre- and post-visit activities available for teachers to further engage students in learning.

In the “Marsh Madness” program, for example, students take a walk though the rice fields, woods and marsh surrounding the house and record their findings in field guides.

During the program “The American Revolution: War Comes to Drayton Hall,” students learn marching drills and what it was like to be a soldier. They also learn how the Revolution truly affected people through stories about John and Rebecca Drayton, who owned the plantation and stories about a slave named Sam who escaped to freedom.

“It’s so great to see students make a connection, and we work hard to make that happen,” Tuminaro says.

For more information visit www.draytonhall.org or call 766-0878.

The Piggly Wiggly

Who knew students could learn so much at the grocery store?

The Piggly Wiggly at the Isle of Palms Connector in Mount Pleasant offers one-of-a-kind interactive field trips for students of all ages.

The behind-the-scenes adventures are the brainchild of Manager Bill Trull and his wife Katie, who is a teacher at Coastal Christian Preparatory in Mount Pleasant. They’ve been offering the trips for the past 10 years. Bill works closely with each teacher to develop the best lesson plan.

“They’ve [the kids] been to a grocery store 1,000 times in their lives, but they’re going to see things they ordinarily would not get to see,” he says.

What students learn at the Pig can vary depending on their age group. Topics can include business, budgets, nutrition and much more. For example, older kids may learn about how to get employment at a grocery store or different marketing strategies in place. Trull will explain why certain foods are displayed at eye-level, how they price items and what is behind what customers actually pay.

For younger kids, they keep it simple. They discover and taste exotic vegetables and watch employees squeeze fresh orange juice, or visit the meat department and discuss with the butcher what comes from a cow or what comes from a pig.

Visiting the lobsters is always a necessity with students.

“We take the them out of the tank and let them see the belly of a lobster.”

At the end older kids are divided into groups and are tasked with creating a nutritious meal for their entire family within the store on a $20 budget.

“They put thought into a well-rounded meal for the night.”

At the end the students scan their items to see if they stayed in budget. Then they talk about their choices and the different food groups.

Trips can last 30 to 90 minutes. Students can stay longer and have lunch at the deli (students pay for their lunches).

The last thing they do – no matter what the age group – is visit the bakery. Each student gets to pipe icing onto a made-from-scratch blank cake.

“That’s always a big hit because every kid loves to decorate a cake.”

Trull says he basically shows students what he does on a daily basis, which translates into important life skills they will use as they become adults. He and his wife are often approached by parents of children now in college who once experienced one of his field trips.

“They’ll tell us their child’s favorite field trip they ever took was to the Piggly Wiggly,” he says. “They are in college and still talking about it.”

For more information, contact Bill Trull at 881-8939 or billtrull@thepig.net.

Charleston County Parks

The Charleston County Park Recreation Commission offers programs at all of its beach and regional parks, as well as at Caw Caw Interpretive Center, which is located in Ravenel.

It offers two curriculums of study that branch out into a wide variety of classes. One focuses on social studies and history and the other environmental education.

Having the two separate departments allows for many different field trip options, so teachers don’t have to choose one particular area of study. They can instead easily cross curriculums and combine multiple field trips into one.

Shawn Halifax coordinates the hands-on historical and social studies programs for CCPRC. Program topics range from Native Americans to ecology to South Carolina history. Students learn how to plant and grow rice and learn about what has happened naturally in the area throughout history. Halifax uses storytelling, tools and props to further illustrate what kids are reading about in their textbooks.

In the “Carolina Indigo” program, for example, students create their own tie-dye creations using real indigo while learning about how the blue dye was obtained from plants. And during the “Rice and Liberty” program, which focuses on the Stono Slave Rebellion, Halifax offers interesting stories and facts that aren’t in textbooks. These two hands-on programs can be taught in one trip because of Caw Caw’s rich history and diverse environmental landscape.

Beth Burkett, CCPRC environmental education coordinator, specializes in marine education and spends most of her time with students at the beach.

One of many popular programs explores the ecology of barrier islands, how they are formed and what influences their shapes and various coastal processes. At the end, students build an island out of sand.

They look at the invertebrates in the swash zone, which is the little strip of land that is intermittently covered by waves as they go in and out.

While observing nature, they’ll catch whelks, sea stars and clams in tidal pools and discuss the different roles of the animals, as well as the marine food chains. They also pull a 40-foot seine net and catch whatever they can find in the surf.

“We often times get cool fish, crabs, jellyfish,” Burkett says. “And we talk a lot about how those animals are adapted to live in that unique environment. They really dig that program.”

Programs can be customized, and Burkett says she works closely with teachers to meet their benchmarks.

For more information visit www.ccprc.com.

The Charleston Museum

The Charleston Museum has a diverse education program where students of all ages can learn about a wide variety of topics.

Stephanie Thomas, education coordinator, says because the museum is a history and natural history museum, they also offer science programming as well.

The museum has four different sites that include the museum itself, two historic houses and The Dill Sanctuary, which is a wildlife sanctuary on James Island.

The 45-minute programs are adaptable depending on what the class is studying, as well as the students’ ages. Programs can include guided and self-guided museum tours or scavenger hunts. This interaction reinforces what they are learning in school.

“They actually get to see the items they’re reading about in their textbooks … For example, when they’re studying WWII, they get to read handwritten letters, photographs, and touch actual artifacts from that time period. Or if they’re studying about ocean life, they can come here and see a whale skeleton.

Bug Bonanza, one of the programs taught at the Dill Sanctuary, is designed for students in preschool through third grade. This class lets kids get up close and personal with bugs. They can look through a microscope and explore a rubbing station and a stamp station.

At the museum, sixth-graders can go back in time in the popular “Tomb Travelers” class. Students dress up in typical Egyptian clothing and learn the steps of the mummification process.

“We have a mummy in our collection and other Egyptian items.”

In the “Life in the Civil War” class, kids dress up as soldiers, card cotton and write with a quill pen. They pound and winnow rice to understand some of the tasks slaves performed in this area during the “Gullah Traditions” program.

“The Museum Attic Class” compares life in 1800s to life today. Students learn what it was like to be a kid then. Activities include grinding coffee and playing games children would’ve played during that time period.

All of the museum educational programs are offered to homeschoolers as well. “Homeschool History Days” is one regular program, and the museum hosts a monthly homeschool event. It includes a 45-minute class, a museum tour and an activity.

The museum is also now offering “Everybody did something: Charleston Remembers World War II,” which is a brand-new special tour and temporary exhibit that will be offered now through April.

Thomas works closely with educators and has pre-visit materials available online. Programs can be held on-site or presented in the classroom.

“It’s an experience they don’t forget,” she says.

For more information, visit www.charlestonmuseum.org or call 722-2996.