California Nursery Historical Park

School Field Trips (Fourth Grade) Integration of Science with History  all field trips start at the California Nursery Office and end at Vallejo Adode, build in the 1830's all field trips start at the Vallejo Adobe, build in the 1830's PRICE $250 Book field trips by calling (510)790-6284 or email  field@msnucleus.org

Rancho Arroyo de la Alameda  

Students will learn about Rancho Period starting with cattle herding and transitioning to agriculture.  Students will explore the Vallejo Adobe, built for the vaqueros and later used for grain storage.   The Vallejo family used the land (river and soil) to create a successful wheat business.   Make and take a small adobe brick, walk the grounds and tour the Museum as students learn the structure of plants.

Mission to Secularization and its impact in California durting the Rancho Era was a time of freedom and experimentation.  The land supported not only crops but the hills could support cattle which were important for leather, tallow, and meat.   The transition from cattle to agriculture changed the importance of growing trees. 

This field trip explores how Adobe structures were built.  They learn the proportions used in making adobe and made (and take) their own small adobe brick.    They learn about the rancho times by exploring the Vallejo Family through the eyes of Maria Gualupe Vallejo, the youngest daughter of the Don Jesus de Jose Vallejo, the owner of this property during the Rancho Era.

Where:  California Nursery Historical Park
Dates:  Sept-Nov; March-June
Times:  9:30-11:30; 12:30-2:30 
Activities:  Making an adobe brick,  grinding of wheat to produce flour, walk through site and California Nursery Company Office
Lunch:  at the Vallejo Adobe or in nearby picnic benches (no extra charge)
Price:   $250.  Can accommodate up to 32 students. Chaperones are free but should assist in the management of students.

Correlation to California History Standards:  California: A Changing State

Students learn the story of their home state, unique in American history in terms of its vast and varied geography, its many waves of immigration beginning with pre-Columbian societies, its continuous diversity, economic energy, and rapid growth. In addition to the specific treatment of milestones in California history, students examine the state in the context of the rest of the nation, with an emphasis on

4.2 Students describe the social, political, cultural, and economic life and interactions among people of California from the pre-Columbian societies to the Spanish mission and Mexican rancho periods.

1. Discuss the major nations of California Indians, including their geographic distribution, economic activities, legends, and religious beliefs; and describe how they depended on, adapted to, and modified the physical environment by cultivation of land and use of sea resources.
2. Identify the early land and sea routes to, and European settlements in, California with a focus on the exploration of the North Pacific (e.g., by Captain James Cook, Vitus Bering, Juan Cabrillo), noting especially the importance of mountains, deserts, ocean currents, and wind patterns.
3. Describe the Spanish exploration and colonization of California, including the relationships among soldiers, missionaries, and Indians (e.g., Juan Crespi, Junipero Serra, Gaspar de Portola).
4. Describe the mapping of, geographic basis of, and economic factors in the placement and function of the Spanish missions; and understand how the mission system expanded the influence of Spain and Catholicism throughout New Spain and Latin America.
5. Describe the daily lives of the people, native and nonnative, who occupied the presidios, missions, ranchos, and pueblos.
6. Discuss the role of the Franciscans in changing the economy of California from a hunter-gatherer economy to an agricultural economy.
7. Describe the effects of the Mexican War for Independence on Alta California, including its effects on the territorial boundaries of North America.8. Discuss the period of Mexican rule in California and its attributes, including land grants, secularization of the missions, and the rise of the rancho economy.

Correlations to Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS)

4-LS1 From Molecules to Organisms: Structures and Processes
Construct an argument that plants and animals have internal and external structures that function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.urneys; the influence of the terrain, rivers, vegetation, and climate; life in the territories at the end of these trails). 

LS1.A: Structure and Function - Plants and animals have both internal and external structures that serve various functions in growth, survival, behavior, and reproduction. (4-LS1-1)