The South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism encompasses these experiences and more with its education initiative - Discover Carolina. The program transforms South Carolina State Parks and the South Carolina State House into living classrooms, providing educational opportunities that surpass the traditional learning experience.
The State House and each park in the system holds unique features that are indicative of South Carolina's natural and cultural heritage. Fusing statewide resources with state academic standards, Discover Carolina provides rare experiences that reinforce classroom lessons. There are opportunities to Discover Nature at exceptionally scenic and wildlife rich state parks, and to Discover History at profoundly interesting historic sites like the State House.
The possibilities are endless. Whether reading the works of South Carolina's first poet laureate, Archibald Rutledge, on the front porch of his beloved Hampton Plantation, or standing beneath the Eastern Continental Divide at Jones Gap, history and nature programs bring curriculum objectives to life. Discover Carolina uses South Carolina's natural and historical treasures to develop our most important resource -- our children.
To provide hands-on discovery of South Carolina's natural and cultural resources at state parks and at the South Carolina State House to help school children develop an interest in learning and improve skills in math, science, history, social studies and the language arts.
Discover Carolina, an education initiative of the South Carolina Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism, fuses state park activities and State House tours with the Department of Education academic standards. On a "Discovery Trip" students are able to reinforce classroom lessons while immersing themselves in some of South Carolina's best natural and cultural resources.
While students are strengthening their science and data collecting skills by researching water quality at Lee State Park or exploring archaeology at Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site, they learn hands on about our State's treasures.
The Department of Education is excited about the curriculum-based educational field trips and the professional development that are available to teachers through Discover Carolina. Through correlated pre-visit and post-visit materials and on-site activities, Discover Carolina provides educators with an opportunity to engage students in classroom learning and also provides them with valuable life experiences.