Cowpens Battlefield

We took a field trip to Cowpens National Battlefield with our home school group.  We are so fortunate to live in an area with tons of history.  We are studying American History this year and just finished watching The Patriot.  We had discussed that although The Patriot is historic fiction, the battle scenes merged many of the local battles together to help tell its story.  We watched the Battle of Cowpens at the national park.  The 'first person' telling of the battle related to the kids and what they had seen previously.  The video held their attention and created a deeper understanding of what happened on the ground they were about to trek upon.

After the video, we looked around the room and noted the period pieces.  Uniforms, rifles, cannon, etc.were displayed.

Next, we headed outside to walk the battlefield.  We stopped at the various markers and read them.

We walked down to the Scruggs House to look inside.

It was a nice little outing and we enjoyed learning more about the battle that helped turn the American Revolution.

Engineering with Mr. Jack

It was time to use a bit of brain power and imagination with Mr. Jack!  The task was to design an object to pick up marbles and place them into a cup.  The device was not allowed to scoop the marbles and body parts must stay behind the tape line to operate the device.

Mr. Jack provided every group the following materials:  1 cup, 7 sheets of paper, aluminum foil, 3 rubber bands, 7 straws, 5 paper clips, string, and a roll of masking tape.

It was interesting to see what each group came up with in forty minutes.

Everyone did a great job and all the devices worked!

Oconee Station and Falls

We enjoyed the beauty of Oconee County by visiting Oconee Station and Falls.  It was a perfect place for a picnic and lovely nature hike to a waterfall.

The nature trail portion of the hike is definitely a moderate hike.  It goes down the mountain and then back up to the road.  Once you cross the road, you begin the Oconee Falls portion of the hike.  We didn't realize that we could walk down the road to access this point.  Lesson is learned for our next hiking excursion!

The falls portion of the hike is easy.  The trail is fairly wide and well marked.  The falls are beautiful and easy to access.

This will definitely be another hiking destination to keep on our list!

Oconee Heritage Center

Our home school group traveled to Oconee Heritage Center to learn more about the history of the area.  This little hidden gem was well worth the visit!

Our docent led tour was very informative.

The students learned about how a 1700s era dugout canoe was found, recovered, and preserved.

They learned how the areas rich history from the time of Cherokee occupied lands to when the back country settlers first established trade routes.  Then more settlers began moving into the area after the Revolutionary War during the Western expansion times.

We learned about the unsuccessful train line to connect Charleston to Chicago that left the Stumphouse Tunnel.  It was never completed due to the start of the Civil War. 

Modernization of the area came with the textile mills. This changed the way most families in the area lived.  No longer dependent upon farms and orchards to make a living.

Today the area is now known for its natural beauty and mountain lakes. 

We enjoyed our tour!