A fun-filled field trip for 7th graders! Students spend half the day kayaking, and the other half in dockside activities that offer hands-on, science-based learning.

Kids in Kayaks

Volunteer

About the Program

The Kids in Kayaks program ensures that every 7th grade student in Beaufort County has the opportunity to get on the water and explore the local salt marshes as part of a regular school day. Together teachers and guides deliver a facilitated, nature-immersion experience aligned with state 7th grade environmental science learning outcomes. For many students, it is their first time on the water or their first time in a kayak, and an unforgettable, life-changing day.

Kids preparing for kayaking on a wooden dock with kayaks and colorful canoes, alongside a boat in a natural water setting.
A woman at a marina with boats and waterfront buildings in the background, holding a box of blood test tubes and discussing with three children.
Two women are sitting on a dock by the water, examining marine life in small clear containers. There are several containers with seaweed and marine creatures, and a small blue net is nearby.

  • Kayak professionals trained in interpretive naturalism lead the tours. Using safe, stable tandem kayaks, the students kayak through the salt marsh learning about this important ecosystem first hand. Almost half of the students have never put on a life jacket, held a paddle, or kayaked the local salt marshes.

  • The Kids in Kayaks program blends field trip excitement, curiosity, and an immersive experience to learn about the ecology of the salt marsh in the salt marsh.  Many of the ecological concepts introduced in the classroom can be abstract for students. This multi-sensory outdoor experience helps bring those concepts to life through direct, hands-on learning. All topics covered both on the water and during dockside activities align with South Carolina 7th grade environmental science learning objectives for the salt marsh ecosystem. 

  • These interactive stations are designed for “hands on” learning about concepts introduced in the classroom including phytoplankton and the salt marsh food web, identification and classification of salt marsh organisms, biomagnification, stormwater runoff concerns, coastal bird and water fowl identification, and water quality testing.

  • Using an Enviroscape watershed model, students are guided by stormwater professionals to explore runoff, pervious and non-pervious materials, and point and non-point sources of pollution. Students create their own “pollution,” simulate rainfall, and track how the pollutant moves through the watershed. Fascinating!

  • The Lowcountry is home to a rich diversity of bird life. Through Kids in Kayaks, students use binoculars to observe and identify species and learn about the role of birds in the salt marsh ecosystem.

  • Under the direct supervision of trained naturalists, students gather organisms from underneath the floating docks and then examine and discuss their findings. Using nets, the students can gather and analyze lots of interesting salt marsh organisms!

  • ids get their hands dirty, handling crabs, marsh grass, shells, and other flora and fauna of the salt marsh. Master Naturalists guide discovery and share insights about the species they encounter.

Why It Matters

  • Students learn best when they're curious, excited, involved, challenged, and having fun. Kids in Kayaks provides of this!

  • We engage local science teachers to sign their classes up for Kids in Kayaks and facilitate every step of the process of executing the field trip.

  • Professional kayak guides, assisted by experienced volunteer kayakers, lead all on-the-water activities. Dockside stations are led by Lowcountry Master Naturalists and watershed professionals, with support from retired educators, Audubon members, and trained volunteers.

  • Every student has the opportunity to participate in the program in the salt marsh/tidal river area closest to where he or she lives! We have three locations: St Helena Island, Palmetto Bluff Resort on the May River, and the Broad Creek from Shelter Cove Marina.

  • Partnering with our local Boys and Girls Club, The Outside Foundation sponsors a "Learn to Paddle" kayaking and paddle boarding program, free of charge to all Club members.

  • The Outside Foundation ensures that cost is never a barrier to participation. Through an ongoing fund made possible by generous donors, we cover field trip fees for students who would otherwise be unable to participate.

Group of girls looking at and working with a small animal, possibly a turtle or tortoise, inside a plastic container at an outdoor educational event.
Young boy with blond hair and a dark cap looking through a telescope at a boat dock, with other children and boats in the background on a sunny day.
Two children kayaking on a lake, smiling, with a cloudy sky in the background.
Three boys at a game table with green, blue, and yellow compartments filled with water and toys, some toy cars and chocolate, under a canopy, engaged in a game involving squeezing a white object and a sponge.
People kayaking on a calm waterway with boats docked on the shoreline and houses among tall green trees in the background on a sunny day.
Group of young people playing with a colorful tabletop game under a green canopy. Various game pieces, figures, and decorations on game boards are visible.
A group of young girls gathered around a table, examining a small animal, possibly a turtle, in their hands at an outdoor educational event.
Group of children and an adult examining an object inside a transparent container outdoors near a marina with boats and multi-story buildings in the background.
Two women sitting on a dock by the water, releasing marine animals from clear plastic containers into the water, with boats and docks in the background.
Four children kneel on floating dock beside water, looking at something in the water, surrounded by reflections of trees.
A woman with glasses and a white hat holding a starfish and explaining its features to a teenage girl with a watch, at an outdoor educational table with shells and starfish on display.
Group of children sitting on dock by water fishing with fishing rods, surrounded by motorboats and watercraft.
A woman holding a box of test tubes on a dock with boats and apartment buildings in the background, surrounded by children.
A group of young people outdoors on a sunny day, with one boy using binoculars and others standing nearby.
A group of children and adults gathered outdoors at a marina entrance with a sign reading "Shelter Cove Marina." The background features green trees, a blue sky, and a few clouds, with a flagpole displaying the American flag and another flag.
Group of people preparing to kayak at a marina dock, with yellow and orange kayaks and boats in the background under a partly cloudy sky.
People preparing to kayak near a marina with boats in the background and a building on the right side.
People preparing kayaks and paddleboards at a marina on a sunny day.
People in red life jackets preparing for kayaking on a wooden dock with boats in the background.
People wearing life jackets on a wooden dock, preparing for kayaking, with kayaks and paddleboards stored behind them, and blue skies with some clouds overhead.

“This is an absolutely wonderful experience for our students, many of whom have lived here their entire lives but have never been out on the water. The students repeatedly ask if we can do this every day! The students were attentive to the instruction taking place and more interested in the content than I have ever seen in the classroom setting. Since returning, the students will bring up topics and examples of what they learned on the trip. One key element in this though is the continued availability of scholarships, without which many of our students would not be able to participate.”

— 7th Grade Teacher, Hilton Head Island Middle School

Thank You to Our Sponsors

  • Logo of ATI, Advanced Technology International, with a purple stylized 'ATI' text and a molecular structure graphic.
  • Logo for Coastal States Wealth Management by Raymond James featuring a compass with blue and gray elements and text in blue and black.
  • Logo for The Ginn Foundation with dark blue text on a white background
  • A graphic design featuring a red heart outline with the word 'FOCI' inside. The 'O' is replaced by a black circle with a white flower and green leaves in the center.
  • Logo of the Community Foundation of the Lowcountry, featuring a stylized blue and orange bird and flame with the organization's name beneath.
  • Berkeleyy Hall Charitable Foundation logo with shield emblem above the text.
  • Logo of SpaRising 449 Daufuskie Island featuring a stylized mermaid with flowing hair and a fish tail in a circle, with the text 'SpaRising 449 Daufuskie Island' underneath.
  • Logo with a boat, waves, and the text 'May River Mattress Company' in blue.
  • Seal of Palm Beach County, Florida, featuring a beach scene with three people holding hands, palm tree, sun, birds, water, and marine life.
  • Text reads "Andrew and Lisa Davis" in large gray font on a white background.
  • A logo featuring a red coral illustration above the text 'Long Cove Club Community Endowment Fund' with 'Community' in bold and the rest in cursive.
  • A blue cardboard box with a red heart symbol and white text that reads 'The Bargain Box' and 'Est. 1965'.
  • Cute cartoon mouse holding a red and white striped shopping bag with a red bow on its tail, advertising a thrift shop called Church Mouse.
  • Logo for Lowcountry Spine & Sport featuring a stylized globe with an abstract red and blue figure and the text 'Lowcountry Spine & Sport, John P Batson, MD, FACSM'.
  • Logo for H & H Herman and Davis Properties with teal and navy blue text.
  • Logo for Beach Properties featuring stylized ocean waves, the word 'Beach' in navy blue, and 'Properties' with a turtle illustration in the center.
  • Logo for Boss Orthopaedics featuring a stylized sun rising over mountains inside a circle with the text "BOSS ORTHOPAEDICS" to the right.
  • Logo for Skull Creek Boat House, a Landmark Waterfront Restaurant on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
  • Logo celebrating 50 years of the Greenery Inc., featuring a green tree with white leaves and gold text for anniversary
  • Logo of Pinnacle Dermatology featuring the stylized word 'PINNACLE' with 'DERMATOLOGY' written below.
  • Logo for Outside Brands with a circular emblem depicting mountains, water, and a blue sky.
  • Logo of Women of St. Francis, featuring a circular design with a woman's profile wearing a headscarf, and a bird, with the text "Women of St. Francis" curved around the top.