For the sake of our community
Education, Preservation, and Recreation
Stephens County, Georgia
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Tugaloo Bend - Surrounding Learners in Nature and History..
The Tugaloo Corridor is a place richly significant in history and biological diversity. Tugaloo Bend Park offers a variety of Guided and Self-guided field trip opportunities for exploring the features of our unique location. Programs have been adapted for all ages of learners.
Self-Guided Curriculum
The Park’s hiking trails feature interpretive signs, many of which correspond to Georgia State Education standards. “Fact-Finder” cards, which correlate to the information on
the signs are available for educators to use in engaging their students.
Supplemental materials for the signs are provided in the downloadable PDF documents below. The information can enhance science and history lessons for home schooled, classroom or online students.
Options for Self-guided - Click underlined text for guides
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Scavenger Hunts - Turn your walk in the park into an educational activity by going on a Scavenger Hunt. The Georgia educational standards for Science for all ages, starting in Kindergarten, include observing and identifying objects in our natural world. Download these colorful files to your device or printer and find as many matches as you can.
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In”tree”guing Plant Identification - This document produced by the Atlanta Botanical Gardens contains material that can be used for multiple levels of learners to meet a number of educational objectives. You may simply want to use it in a tree identification Scavenger Hunt for younger students, or Scout Troop. High School students studying biological classification can examine the features of various tree leaves and trace how these are used to create a dichotomous key.
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Taucoe Trail Trees - This Tree Identification Scavenger Hunt was created specifically for the Taucoe Trail in the park
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Pine Cones - If you are visiting in Fall or Winter you may enjoy doing a Scavenger Hunt for different types of pine cones that you can use to identify the different species in the park.
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Ecosystems - The Study of Ecosystems is one of the main GSE standards for Science starting in the 4th grade. This activity would make a great conclusion to the school year, or a fun introduction to the concept of Ecosystem. On this hike through Tugaloo Bend students 4th grade and up* can observe and learn about the ecosystems in Meadow, Woodland, and Wetland. *These particular trails may be too challenging for small children. Sturdy shoes and socks, bug spray, long pants and a hat are strongly recommended.
Guided Tours
The following programs were developed for the park, and are taught by a retired teacher. There is no charge for these programs. Visitors are always reminded that Tugaloo Bend operates entirely on donations and volunteers.
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Beavers at the Bend- The Park is a Beaver Habitat! Students will hike to see the features of the park that have been engineered by beavers over the years and learn how the beavers create habitat for other wildlife. We now have 2 beautiful, fully visible beaver dams located in the park. This will be followed by a fun lesson on beaver physiology in which a volunteer gets dressed up and equipped with beaver adaptations. This lesson is suitable for all ages of students. For younger children the length of the hikes can be adjusted.
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Birds at the Bend- The Park is a Bird Sanctuary! Also, the Appalachian Mountain chain, which includes the Tugaloo River Corridor, is a bird species migration corridor. Students will practice using binoculars and discuss the enhanced vision adaptations of birds of prey. We will then hike and birdwatch in the park using reference handouts to identify birds. We will visit a mock eagle’s nest where students can imagine the size of these raptors and see some models of eagle’s eggs. Lastly, we will analyze an owl pellet, to see what animals an owl has in its diet. This activity is suitable for children who have learned to read and have the attention span to search quietly for birds.
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Native American Culture- Tugaloo Bend Park was once the site of the Cherokee village, Estatoe. It was just one of many villages up and down the Tugaloo River. Students will visit a model home in the park and learn about Wattle and Daub construction methods. We will then learn how many native American tribes, not just the Cherokee, used stickball games to settle minor conflicts. European explorers observed stickball and took the idea back home, transforming it into LaCrosse. We will dramatize a folktale featuring animals that depicts the history of stickball, using simple hand-puppets. Students will then play a version of stickball designed to be much safer than the original. This program is ideal for students 4th grade and older. It can be adapted for younger students by omitting the stickball game.
If you're interested in taking your class on a field trip to Tugaloo Bend Park, please click the link below and send an email request. Please include as much detail as possible so that we can help organize the trip.