News

Great Pumpkin Patch Adventure

On Friday, October 4th, excitement filled the halls of PCA as the first graders embarked on their first field trip of the year to Legare Farms Pumpkin Patch on Johns Island. Established in 1725, Legare Farms is one of the oldest working farms in the nation. The family owned farm is currently run by the ninth generation of Legares, and they continue to focus on sustainability while maintaining the old traditions of hard work and love of the land.

Upon our arrival, the children received a wonderful lesson on pumpkins. We learned that a pumpkin is indeed a fruit! The pumpkin is part of the cucurbits vegetable family and closely related to cucumbers, watermelons, and squash.

After the lesson, we were off to the pumpkin patch! Every first grader picked their favorite small pumpkin as a souvenir from the trip. The children also enjoyed visiting and feeding goats, pigs, rabbits, and chickens in the animal petting area.

 Yet, the most exciting part of the field trip for the children was the hayride! While on the hayride, the children were given cow food, and the cows made their way right up to us. The children were able to hand feed the cows, getting an up close view of their LONG sandpaper like tongues. Many wild pigs also joined in on the feeding fun! The hero of the day was first grade dad, Gasper Marino, who quickly stepped up and fixed the tractor when it broke down mid-hayride! Thank you so much, Mr. Marino!

 We finished our trip with a wonderful picnic lunch under shade trees. Thank you Mrs. Cumbee, Mrs. Nelson, and Mrs. Shockley for organizing this field trip for all the children!

3rd Graders Discover the Great State of South Carolina

PCA's third grade classes were able to explore our state with a hands-on and ginormous map! Mrs. Adkins', Mrs. Andrews' and Ms. Jones' third grade classes were already enjoying learning about geography and how to read maps, so it was an incredible surprise when the South Carolina Geo Alliance offered to loan the students a classroom-size map of their state. The map was 24 by 17 feet and created by National Geographic.

 "Through USC we were able to get the giant map and have our students actually walk across our state! This experience allowed students to find our cities and towns, locate our rivers and lakes, and explore our borders with NC and GA. The students had to find different locations with partners and then we played team games," said Mrs. Adkins.

Having such a large resource encouraged students to participate in the learning process, but the students were not the only people who were excited about a new way of learning. Teachers, staff and anyone who walked by the entrance to the Welcome Center stopped in to see the fun. When asked what they liked most about this activity, Ryan Delany said, "I enjoyed learning about new cities and where they are located." While Sophia Doster enjoyed "...playing the boys vs. girls game." Overall, this activity was one that the students and teachers are sure to remember.