Rainy Day Field Trips

In 10 Topics for School Blog Posts from Free Technology for Teachers, Richard Byrne suggests a blog topic on “5 local field trips to do on rainy days.”

I thought this was a great idea and started making me think about what is in my community that would be good field trip possibilities. Here are 4 places to visit in Greenville, SC on rainy days.

The Children’s Museum of the Upstate – for children age 0-12; admission charged

“As the 7th largest children’s museum in the country and 10th largest in the world, The Children’s Museum of the Upstate has become an educational resource, vital institution, and attraction for the entire region.

The length of time visitors spend at the museum varies, and is usually dependent on your child’s age and interests. The museum has three floors with 19 exhibit galleries with more than100 exhibit components. Exhibits are intended to engage children in educational imaginative play.  Some visitors come for the whole day; our museum members often drop in just for specific programming. We suggest 3-4 hours in order to see and do everything.

The museum boasts 80,000 square feet of interactive exhibits. With 19 hands-on galleries, there is plenty of fun and learning to be had. Kids and adults can simulate flight into space in 3,2,1 Blastoff, design their own Formula 1 racecar in Start Your Engines, or go exploring in the Kaleidoscope Climber. At any age, The Children's Museum of the Upstate is a place of possibility where children and adults alike can explore, discover, imagine, pretend, and Be Anything! “

Greenville County Art Museum -  free admission

“Considered the premier American art museum in the South, the GCMA is home to the world’s largest public collection of watercolors by iconic American artist Andrew Wyeth. The GCMA also has an impressive collection of paintings and prints by contemporary artist Jasper Johns. Ranging from Federal portraits to contemporary abstractions, the GCMA’s acclaimed Southern Collection invites viewers to survey American art history through works with ties to the South.”

Bob Jones Art Museum – admission charged

“The Old Master Painting Collection at the Bob Jones University Museum & Gallery provides a rare viewer experience outside European cities and metropolitan areas with beautiful masterworks by recognized artists and their students—all of which are aesthetically exhibited with period furniture, sculpture, and tapestries to lend a period ambiance to the galleries and give patrons a panoramic view of ages past.  Of special note, M&G’s baroque paintings represent one of the most important in America.

The Collection is one of the largest and most interesting collections of European Old Master paintings in America. These works of art from the 14th through the 19th centuries beautifully trace the religious, artistic, and cultural history of Western Europe. Included are important works of many major artists such as Rubens, Tintoretto, Veronese, Cranach, Gerard David, Murillo, Ribera, van Dyck, Honthorst, and Doré.

Patrons can also enjoy M&G’s Bowen Collection of Antiquities with artifacts that span 37 centuries and represent every day life from ancient Egyptian, Roman, and Hebrew cultures; and the Benjamin West Collection, a series of paintings housed in the War Memorial Chapel.

M&G’s Russian Icon Collection, which dates from the 14th through 20th centuries and includes several icons associated with the Romanovs, the last ruling family of Russia, is currently not on display. Check back  for details about when this collection will be available in the future.”

Upcountry History Museum – admission charged.

“Our Time Travels Program offers students hands-on activities in our Museum Classroom and in-depth tours in related exhibit areas. Your students will step into the Museum and be immersed in a particular period of history.  On their field trip, students can: hear one of our life figures share their story of life in the Upcountry, work with interactive exhibits to discover the past, participate in lively discussions with our trained docents, put their heads and hands to work, share their discoveries with one another. The Museum provides a variety of programs designed to meet state Social Studies standards for specific grade levels.  Our school field trips help teachers reinforce classroom learning and offer a unique hands-on experience.

School programs last approximately 90 minutes.”