How students can learn outside school walls this school year

Learning is not always a classroom activity. Some of the best learning experiences come from outside school walls, as close as your favorite reading nook or the woods behind your house.

At S.C. Connections Academy, we encourage our students to soak up knowledge everywhere. You can’t always measure or grade these non-traditional teaching moments, but the learning is still real and important.

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Columbia Art Museum, Richland County library among 30 finalists for National Medal Award

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We are fortunate in South Carolina to have several fun and interesting learning destinations where students can kick-start their imaginations and learn outside school walls.

Columbia is home to more than 15 museums, many of them free and often backed by the University of South Carolina. The Columbia Museum of Art, on Main Street, holds 25 galleries of world-class artworks.

Just a few blocks down the road, the State Museum fills four floors with studies of South Carolina’s history and culture. From exhibits on the Civil War and African-American history to the planetarium and dinosaur displays, this museum caters to every taste.

Greenville is home to the Children’s Museum of the Upstate, the seventh-largest museum of its kind in the United States. It keeps an assortment of interesting permanent exhibits such as the Kaleidoscope Climber and the Garage Rock experience. And if you don’t mind getting wet, the kids will love the Toddler Lily Pond and Reedy River Bend water park areas. I recommend saving those activities for the end of the day, and bringing an extra set of clothes for everyone.

We have only scratched the surface of South Carolina. There’s much more to do, to see and to experience here — and you’ll find opportunities to learn outside school walls at every step of the way.

You can find tips for helping your student learn outside school walls at sc.outsideschoolwalls.com. You can also check out #OutsideSchoolWalls on social media for more inspiration.