6 months ago
The purpose of the Joe R. Adair Outdoor Education Center is to serve as a learning center for children and adults in Laurens County. Instruction at the center focuses on the natural sciences and soil and water conservation. Located at 110 Scout Creek Court, The Joe R. Adair Outdoor Education Center opened on March 22, 1996. Since that time, thousands of students and their teachers have experienced "hands on" education at the center. Nestled in a wooded area off Parkview Drive behind Collyar Park in Laurens, the site for the Joe R. Adair Outdoor Education Center features 8.24 acres of mature hardwoods, colorful wild flora, and a winding creek. American beech, yellow poplar, and a hodgepodge of other hardwood trees and vegetation flourish in this habitat, as Scout Creek meanders through a ridge of varying elevations to create a moist and fertile bottomland.
The property, given to the Soil Conservation District in 1992 as a gift by retired Soil Conservation Service employee Joe Adair, also includes an office and classroom building, an amphitheater, nature trails, picnic area, and a Native American area. In addition, an authentic Laurens County log cabin, which dates back to the 1800's, was donated and carefully relocated to the center property. The log cabin site features a pioneer setting, including a garden.
By Lisa Wilson
5 months ago
6 months ago
INFORMATION AND MAPS FOR JOE ADAIR TRAILS
22 hours ago
The Joe R. Adair Outdoor Education Center is open to all public schools in Laurens County School District 55 and Laurens County School District 56. Teachers may select from a variety of lessons, ranging from one hour to an all day Problem Based Learning Investigation. If more than one class is in attendance, the expectation will be for a teacher to lead one class while the director leads the other. Curriculum materials are available if needed, including team building games, scavenger hunts, and self-guided tours. There are also hiking trails, a rope swing, and games for break times. Whether an hour or a day, students and teachers will enjoy all the Joe R. Adair Outdoor Education Center has to offer.
Teachers, please submit your reservation request to Tanya Towne at ttowne@laurens55.org.
You will receive a reservation confirmation via email if the requested date is available.
Be sure to include the following information in your request:
Please feel free to contact Ms. Towne by phone at 864-984-5492 should you have any questions.
6 months ago
Students will look at all the animals of the Adair Center. We will talk about their basic needs for living for younger groups and the animal’s adaptations for older groups. We will pet/hold/feed many of the animals.
Students will get a box of metamorphic, sedimentary, and igneous rocks to look at. We will look at them up close with hand lens and describe their properties of each type.
Students will look at premade jars of soil mixes. We will shake the jars up and look at them in one hour and see how they settled. In between looking at the jars, we will use soil sifters to separate sand, silt, and clay.
Students will be given a conductivity tester to use during this lab. Students will be allowed to test different objects to determine if they are insulators or conductors.
Students will look at different slides under the microscope. Students will be able to look at different types of plant and animal cells and draw what they observe.
From a tub of various items, students will be given items for which they will tell one quantitative and one qualitative statement for each. Students will be asked to share their observations if time allows. Best done in small group setting.
Students will experiment to determine how many drops of water will fit on a penny. We then change from just normal water to water with soap in it and see if that changes our data. It is a good experiment for teaching the scientific method. Each student will be provided a penny and water dropper to use during experiment.
Students will get a mixture of sand, bens, metal, and corn. The students must use the materials provided to separate the mixture.
Students will make animals using Playdoh.
Students will read books about plants, animals, and many other topics from our hundreds of book choices.
Students will tour the old pioneer cabin. Students will look at the different tools used to build the cabin and different items in the cabin.
Students will make a mold and cast fossil using modeling clay and plaster. They will need to take them home/back to school and let them dry for a day.
Students will play a jumping game to show them how natural selection works in animal populations.
Students will play a game to show how animals depend on food, water, shelter, and space and what happens if one or more resources run out.
Students will color a paper cut out of a planet. After all planets are colored, we will go outside and walk off a scale model of our solar system. We will also show how all the planets move in orbit around the sun.
Students will have to create an animal off of 100% chance using dice. After they get all their information, they must draw their animal in their habitat with their food sources.
Students will apply their understanding of those concepts as they construct and test their roller coaster. Through a cycle of building, testing, observing and revision, students will gain an experiential understanding of fundamental physics concepts and the basics of successful roller coaster construction. Students will also have an unstructured opportunity to hone teambuilding skills as they communicate with their peers during roller coaster construction.
(Used plan from http://www.instructables.com/id/Marble-Roller-Coaster/ )
If teacher wishes, we will go outside and make Smores and swing on our rope swing during our lunch hour.
By Clayton Cotney
17 days ago
2019-2020 Board Meeting
September 3rd (Full)
October 1st (Executive)
November 5th (Full)
December 3rd (Executive)
January 7th (Full)
February 4th (Executive)
March 3rd (Full)
April 7th (Executive)
May 5th (Full)
17 days ago
Dates for 2019 are December 18th and 19th at Laurens District High School Gym
Michelin STEM Challenge
Third Grade Rolling Vehicle Challenge
Task 1 - Speed
Design and construct the fastest rolling vehicle in which the entire vehicle is able to fit within a frame with the inside dimensions of 15 x 20 cm. The front of your car must be the 15 cm side. Your car will not fit on the ramp if made with the 20 cm as the front. The maximum height of the vehicle is 10 cm. The vehicle will race down an incline plane with inside track dimensions of 16 cm wide and 145 cm long. The winner of each heat will advance to the net level of vehicle competition. The competition will continue until a champion is determined.
Task 2 - Distance
Design and construct a vehicle in which the entire vehicle is able to fit within a frame with the inside dimensions of 15 x 20 cm. The front of your car must be the 15 cm side. Your car will not fit on the ramp if made with the 20 cm as the front. The maximum height of the vehicle is 10 cm. The vehicle will race down an incline plane with inside track dimensions of 16 cm wide and 145 cm long. All teams will be given the opportunity to race a vehicle one time for maximum distance. A distance champion will be determined by the vehicle that travels the greatest distance from the starting point before coming to a complete stop. (A different vehicle may be used for each task).
Challenge Guidelines
· Teams may consist of no more than four students.
· Each teacher may submit one team per class to compete in the speed challenge.
· Each teacher may submit one team per class to compete in the distance challenge.
· Each vehicle must be brought in a shoebox with the team name clearly labeled on the outside of the box and on the vehicle.
· The same team can compete in both challenges.
· Once a team turns in a vehicle, no changes may be made the day of competition.
· Students may not fix their vehicles at the challenge line.
· Vehicles should be placed in a box and brought to the competition. The box should have the student’s names and teacher name clearly visible.
· Students should place their teacher’s name on the vehicle.
Rolling Vehicle Construction Guidelines using LINX
· Be sure your entire vehicle fits down into the frame which is 15 cm x 20 cm; therefore it is recommended that the vehicle be 14 cm x 19 cm or smaller.
· If the vehicle does not fit into the frame it will be disqualified.
· Making the frame as even as possible, being sure the corners are very clean is the key to getting the car to run in a straight line.
· It is suggested that students mark the front of the car so they know which way to place the car on the ramp.
· No weights can be added to the vehicle.
Michelin STEM Challenge
Fourth Grade Wind Powered Vehicle Challenge
Task 1 - Speed
Design and construct the fastest wind-powered rolling vehicle that will fit within the 15 x 20 cm frame. The race will cover a distance of approximately 6 meters. The winner of each heat will advance to the next level of vehicle competition. The competition will continue until a champion is determined.
Task 2 – Distance
All teams will be given an opportunity to race their vehicle one time for maximum distance. A distance champion will be determined by the vehicle that travels the greatest distance within the marked boundaries from the starting point before coming to a complete stop.
Challenge Guidelines
· Teams may consist of no more than four students.
· Each teacher may submit one team per class to compete in the speed challenge.
· Each teacher may submit one team per class to compete in the distance challenge.
· Each vehicle must be brought in a shoebox with the team name clearly labeled on the outside of the box and on the vehicle
· The same team can compete in both challenges.
· Once a team turns in a vehicle, no changes may be made the day of competition.
· Students may not fix their vehicles at the challenge line.
· Vehicles should be placed in a box and brought to the competition. The box should have the student’s names and teacher name clearly visible.
· Students should place their teacher’s name on the vehicle.
Wind Powered Vehicle Construction Guidelines using LINX
· Be sure your entire vehicle fits down into the frame which is 15 cm x 20 cm; therefore it is recommended that the vehicle be 14 cm x 19 cm or smaller.
· If the vehicle does not fit into the frame it will be disqualified.
· Making the frame as even as possible, being sure the corners are very clean is the key to getting the car to run in a straight line.
· Sails may be of any size.
· No weights can be added to the vehicle.
· It is suggested that students mark the front of the car so they know which way to place the vehicle.
Michelin STEM Challenge
5th Grade Mass Vehicle Challenge
Task 1 - Speed
Design and construct the fastest rolling vehicle in which the entire vehicle is able to fit within a frame with the inside dimensions of 15 x 20 cm. The front of your car must be the 15 cm side. Your car will not fit on the ramp if made with the 20 cm as the front. The maximum height of the vehicle is 10 cm. The design must be able to hold a 500g (1.1 Pound) weight within or on the frame of the vehicle. The weight is about 6.5 CM tall and 4 CM wide. The weight cannot be attached to the vehicle; it must sit freely on or in the vehicle. If the weight falls off the vehicle during the event, your vehicle is disqualified. The vehicle will race down an incline plane with inside track dimensions of 16 cm wide and 145 cm long. The winner of each heat will advance to the net level of vehicle competition. The competition will continue until a champion is determined.
Task 2 - Distance
Design and construct a vehicle in which the entire vehicle is able to fit within a frame with the inside dimensions of 15 x 20 cm. The front of your car must be the 15 cm side. Your car will not fit on the ramp if made with the 20 cm as the front. The maximum height of the vehicle is 10 cm. The design must be able to hold a 500g (1.1 Pound) weight within or on the frame of the vehicle. The weight is about 6.5 CM tall and 4 CM wide. The weight cannot be attached to the vehicle; it must sit freely on or in the vehicle. If the weight falls off the vehicle during the event, your vehicle is disqualified. The vehicle will race down an incline plane with inside track dimensions of 16 cm wide and 145 cm long. All teams will be given the opportunity to race a vehicle one time for maximum distance. A distance champion will be determined by the vehicle that travels the greatest distance from the starting point before coming to a complete stop. (A different vehicle may be used for each task).
Challenge Guidelines
Mass Vehicle Construction Guidelines
Michelin STEM Challenge
Sixth Grade Ping Pong Catapult Challenge
Task 1 – Accuracy
Design and construct a catapult that will toss a ping pong ball into targets approximately 4 meters away. Targets will consist of two containers: a summer pool (approximately 22 cm in height and 1.12 meters diameter). The front edge of the summer pool is 4 meters from the firing line. The smaller container will be placed in the middle of the larger container. Each team will be given 5 tosses. A ping pong ball landing and staying in the large container will score 10 points, a ball landing and staying in the smaller container will score 25 points. A ping pong ball hitting the bucket and bouncing out of the pool area will still score 10 points. The team with the highest total points is champion.
Task 2 – Distance
Each team will be given the opportunity to toss one ping pong ball for the distance challenge. The champion for distance will be determined by the team who ping pong ball travels the greatest distance from the launching area. Measurement will be from the launching are to the point where the ping pong ball strikes the floor.
Challenge Guidelines
· Teams may consist of no more than four students.
· Each teacher may submit one team per class to compete in the accuracy challenge.
· Each teacher may submit one team per class to compete in the distance challenge.
· Each catapult must be brought in a shoebox with the team name clearly labeled on the outside of the box and on the catapult. The box will be put along the wall of the gym until the team is called to compete.
· The same team can compete in both accuracy and distance challenges.
· Once a team turns in a catapult, no changes may be made the day of competition.
· Students may not fix their catapults at the challenge line or in the stands.
· Catapults should be placed in a box and brought to the competition. The box should have the student’s names and teacher name clearly visible.
· Students should place their teacher’s name on the catapult.
Catapult Construction Guidelines using LINX
· Be sure your entire vehicle fits down into the frame which is 15 cm x 20 cm; therefore it is recommended that the vehicle be 14 cm x 19 cm or smaller.
· If the vehicle does not fit into the frame it will be disqualified.
· The ping pong ball must stay in the basket on its own.
· Only glue can be used to hold the catapult together. Tape, nails or screws will result is disqualification.
· Throwing arm cannot exceed 40 cm.
· The basket can be made of wood, poster paper or a combination of both.
· Students must construct the entire catapult from scale drawings.
· Rubbers bands must be less than 1.5 cm in width.
