Field Trips

Kids of all ages love exploring the wonders of the Sound..

The Maritime Center welcomes all age groups to experience the wonders of the Port Royal Sound. Teachers work with our naturalists to create a schedule of activities that will enhance their classroom curriculum and give the students a unique understanding of their complex coastal environment.

Field trip at the Port Royal Sound Foundation in Okatie, SC

How to Book a Field Trip

Icon for Review

Review

Review our different Field Trip Opportunities & Field Trip Activities.

Icon for contact

Contact

Icon for select

Details

PRSF will contact you to discuss details of your field trip.

Icon for select

Payment

Finalize your field trip payment.
Pay Now

Field Trip Activities

We offer a variety of curriculum-based activities for creating the perfect field trip experience for your class. Depending on your schedule, most field trips include 2-4 activities. If you don’t see an activity that works for your class, contact us to discuss other options.

Maritime Center Tour

Explore the ecology and history of the Port Royal Sound through exhibits, artifacts, and live animals. The fun and educational Maritime Center has something for all ages!

Grades: K – 12th

Download Teacher Resource

Sea Jelly Build

Learn about the wandering lives of jellyfish through an interactive sea jelly build. Your future marine biologists will have fun and get to take home a crafted pet of their own.

Grades: K – 3rd

Classroom Option

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Relay Race!

Explore the topic of marine debris – particularly plastics – and its ecological and economic impacts on the Port Royal Sound and all the world’s oceans. Students learn to sort between recyclable and reusable materials on the fly! This activity will test problem solving skills with light physical activity.

Grades: K – 12th

Classroom Option

Fish Printing

Design your own reusable canvas tote bag with anatomically correct fish models and your own unique touch! This activity teaches the importance of reusable materials, and students get to take their bag home to use over and over!

Grades: K – 12th

Additional $2/student

Animal Classification 101

Using models, furs, bones, and live animals, students will learn to classify different groups of animals found in the Lowcountry.

Grades: K – 12th

Download Teacher Resource

Classroom Option

SCORE

SCDNR’s South Carolina Oyster Restoration and Enhancement program is a hands-on, physical activity, where students learn about oysters as a keystone species and all that they provide environmentally and economically. Students take part in bagging oyster shell – the building blocks of oyster reefs – that SCDNR will use in their restoration projects.

Grades: 4th – 12th

Nature Hike

A walk through our 105-acre campus investigates the transition from a lush maritime forest to an active salt marsh. Birds, snakes and arrowheads are often discovered on our hikes!

Grades: 3rd – 12th (Option for grades 6th-12th: Using transects, students will investigate different factors that affect species distribution in a salt marsh.)

Download Teacher Resource

Seeds 2 Shoreline

A 2-part program that involves the gathering of Spartina alterniflora seeds, their germination and growth (at your school), and the planting of the Spartina in the salt marsh at the Maritime Center. Kids learns about plant growth and the many benefits of our most abundant plant in the Port Royal Sound. Schedule seed gathering field trip in the fall, and planting field trip in the spring.

*Teachers must complete a From Seeds to Shoreline workshop with Sea Grant.

Grades: 6th – 7th

Dock Fouling Communities

What complex ecosystem lives under our docks? Students will use standard microscope techniques to identify numerous invertebrates that live in the Port Royal Sound.

Grades: 5th – 12th

Download Teacher Resource

Man and The Port Royal Sound

How do we impact our waters and surrounding environment? Through use of an Enviroscape interactive model, students will understand the impact of pollution on our waters and learn how they can make a difference.

Grades: 4th – 12th

Classroom Option

Buoy on a Budget

Students construct a model research buoy using limited resources. This team building competition puts your knowledge of technology, engineering, math, and resourcefulness to the test.

Grades: 5th – 12th

Squid Dissection

Students will learn about the form and function of a squid by examining the internal and external anatomy. This dissection teaches students the environmental and economic importance of marine invertebrates.

Grades: 5th – 12th

Additional $2/student

Oyster Bag Dissection

Dive into the ecosystem of an oyster reef through the dissection of an oyster bags from our own artificial oyster reef. Students will learn why oysters and these reefs are importance to our estuarine system.

Grades 4th – 12th
Seasonal Availability

Microplastics

How hard is it to find microplastics in our water? Students will investigate water samples using microscopes to determine if there are plastics in our water and learn about the threats this has on our ecosystem.

Grades 5th – 12th

Eco Boat Tour

Students will depart from the docks of the Maritime Center on a 63-foot catamaran operated by Salty Dog Cafe’s US Coast Guard certified captain and crew. During this hour-long excursion, students will learn about local marine mammals, birds, sea life, Spartina grass and other environmental factors. The Eco Boat Tour can accomodate 60 people (students and adults) at a time.

Grades 3rd – 12th
$500 per boat tour

Custom Trip
Contact us today to customize your field trip! Our Education Coordinator can tailor any program to fit your needs.

Teacher Resources

Below are pre and post lesson plans that correlate with some PRSF field trip activities.

These lessons can be completed in your classroom.

Nature Hike

6th and 7th grade

Dock Fouling Communities

5th – 7th grade

Animal Classification 101

1st – 5th grade

Maritime Center Tour

All Ages

Field Trips at the Maritime Center

Field trips begin at 10am. Depending on the number of participants, classes are divided into groups and rotate through activity stations. Students can bring lunches to eat on the grounds. Typical field trips size is 60 students or less. Minimum of 10:1 student to adult ratio is required from your school (not including PRSF naturalists or volunteers).

Pricing

Final pricing will be quoted and confirmed by the PRSF prior to your arrival. Teachers and chaperones are free.

1 activity field trip = $8/student
2 activity field trip = $10/student
3 activity field trip = $12/student
4+ activity field trip = $14/student

Add fish printing activity or squid dissection for additional $4/student

The students, chaperones, and I cannot thank you enough for our wonderful field trip to the Maritime Center! Some of our “wallflower” children really shined today when answering your questions. Seeing the pelts, snakes, hidden flounder, tiny crabs on the nature walk, and more, was all fascinating for the students. We all appreciated the great day!

Kathy Shilaber

Whale Branch Middle School

We’ll Come to You!

Our Naturalists will provide a hands-on experience right in your classroom. Activities labeled “Classroom Option” can be done at your school.
Pricing begins at $10/student for 1 activity

Virtual Field Trip

With ZooZooms, our virtual field trip, a Naturalists will join your classroom with a 30 minute program about one of our animals. Animals include horseshoe crabs, butterflies, snakes, turtles, frogs & toads, alligators, or crabs.
$25 each or 5 for $100

Text "Happy" to 243725 to donate $7.00 in honor of the Maritime Center turning 7!
Donate Online
close-image
Today is #GivingTuesday. Join the movement of generosity - donate now!
Donate Online
close-image
Book a Program Book a Program