Leonis Adobe

Today we had our field trip to the Leonis Adobe in Calabasas. It’s a great field trip, and it fits in perfectly with where the students are in the fourth grade history curriculum.

The Leonis Adobe is a kind of living history museum where the students get to take part in all kinds of activities which help them to understand what life was like on a Southern California ranch in the 1880’s. The students were divided into various groups, and the groups took turns going around to different activities. The group I monitored went first to a tortilla making activity.The students mashed up corns and learned how to turn the masa into tortillas using a press.

They also learned how cream is turned into milk.

They then learned about roping cattle and had a chance to practice tossing a lasso.

They learned what life was like before washing machines and driers. Was that ever a revelation!

Pumping water from a well, however, seemed like something they’d like to still do.

And ringing the dinner bell to call ranch hands to meals was definitely fun.

They learned about brands and had an opportunity to make their own marks, first on a piece of paper and then on a piece of faux leather.

Seeing the animals, like this magnificent draught horse, was a huge highpoint.

And feeding alfalfa to the Merino sheep and the goats was by far everybody’s favorite activity. 

Traffic was reasonably decent today, so we made it back in time to listen to a bit of James and the Giant Peach and to have a competition to solve the word search first.

Homework:  Enjoy the rare day off!