Discovery Days programs are designed to encourage the next generation of learners and leaders to be good stewards of our natural resources through hands-on, immersive learning in the fields of Life Science, Physical Science and Earth Science. Discovery Days activities are led by an experienced environmental educator and/or certified naturalist and include

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• A classroom lesson to establish the principle, introduce vocabulary and share bio-facts
• An interactive S.T.E.M. based component including hands-on activities specific to lesson
• An interpretive hike to specific habitats and/or historic sites within the camp
• An animal encounter highlighting relevant principles or concepts

 

Program Fee Information

 

Discovery Days programs are $15 per child and last up to 4 hours, including a 30-minute picnic lunch. A minimum of 24 students and a maximum of 80 students per day is requested. Small groups (48 or less) provide the best opportunities for hands-on learning. Multiple days can be reserved to accommodate entire grade levels.

 

Scheduling Your Visit

 

Step 1: Choose the field study that is right for your students. Most programs offered can be customized to fit the needs of any group.

Step 2: Call Camp Discovery at 803-754-2008 to check for date availability.

Step 3: Sign and return the Program Reservation Agreement along with your $50 deposit to secure your date!

 

Discovery Days Programs - Middle School

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EARTH'S MATERIALS & PROCESSES 

 

Soil is the host for all life on our planet! Soil provides nutrients for plant growth, holds and filters water, offers safe homes for animals and insects, and even provides a support for our homes and highways. Students will be inspired and motivated to learn more about the complex world of soils through outdoor exploration and hands-on learning labs. Students will understand how soil quality (including composition, texture, particle size, permeability, and pH), along with the processes of weathering and erosion affect diversity and work together to shape the earth’s landscape. 

 

7th Grade: 7.EC.5A.2; 7.EC.5A.3

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SURVIVAL ADAPTATIONS IN WETLANDS

 

Students are immersed in the biodiversity of the creeks and streams of Camp Discovery for collection, classification and discovery of aquatic insects and amphibians. Students compare and contrast living organisms and discuss behaviors, processes and adaptations allowing them to survive. Using a classification key to identify macroinvertebrates, students will create a food web to illustrate the complex feeding relationships and transfer of energy among plants and animals in a freshwater ecosystem.

 

6th Grade: 6.L.4A.1; 6.L.4A.2; 6.L.4B.1; 6.L.4B.2; 6.L.4B.3 
7th Grade: 7.EC.5A.1; 7.EC.5A.3; 7.EC.5B.1; 7.EC.5B.2; 7.EC.5B.3; 7.EC.5B.4

 

RACE FOR SURVIVAL

 

In the natural world, limiting factors like the availability of food, water, shelter and space can determine a plant or animal’s survival. Using structured, outdoor problem-solving activities, students will embark on a simulation of outdoor survival at Camp Discovery. Along the way, students will work together in teams to survive various learning tasks, learn how biotic and abiotic factors come into play in a terrestrial ecosystem, and use critical thinking skills to ultimately be rescued. NOTE: designed to foster leadership, problem solving and communication skills

6th- 8th Grades

 

STREAM HEALTH ASSESSMENT

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What can organisms in an aquatic environment tell us about the health of a stream ecosystem? Students become citizen scientists to discover how abiotic and biotic factors play a role in the health of our creeks, streams and the surrounding watershed. Students will collect water samples from local natural water sources for testing and make connections between their findings and nearby natural and human activities.

 

7th Grade: 7.EC.5A.1; 7.EC.5A.3; 7.EC.5B.1; 7.EC.5B.2; 7.EC.5B.3; 7.EC.5B.4

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Don’t see a topic that fits exactly for your grade level or unit of study?  Call our program office at 803-754-2008 or email info@campdiscoverysc.org and we will work with you to create a lesson for your students.