Enjoy Rancho Los Cerritos with a special new program designed just for you! Your group will be treated to a short tour of the historic adobe house, plus an engaging enrichment activity that helps bring history to life for young visitors. Tours are available on Thursday afternoons from 4:00 - 5:15. Reservations must be made in advance by calling 570-1755.

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MONDAY-FRIDAY

RANCHO SUMMER ADVENTURES

Session 1: July 14-July 18

Session 2: July 28-August 1

Mornings 10 a.m. - Noon

or Afternoons 1-3 p.m.

$50/Child ($5 off for FRLC Members)

Ages 6-11 Years Old

Learn about life in old California through historic crafts, activities, games, And stories. This half-day program includes light refreshments and will keep your child wanting more.

Monday:  Rancho Work—Learn about life on the ranch
Tuesday: Rancho Fun—Play like the children on the Ranch
Wednesday: Rancho Gardens—Discover the Rancho gardens
Thursday: Rancho Fiesta—Celebrate a fiesta
Friday: Rancho Mud—Stomp mud, make bricks, and more!

Space is limited and advanced reservations are required. For more information, call (562) 570-1755.
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Teacher Kit available for 4th grade classes!

KIT #1

"Handling History: Exploring Daily Life on the Rancho in the 1840s"

This teacher kit provides a rich understanding of daily life on one of Southern California's great cattle ranches during the 1840s. The "Handling History Curriculum Guide" includes five integrated, comprehensive units that focus on the daily activities or rancheros, ranch workers and their families at Rancho Los Cerritos during the 1840s, as well as the factors that helped speed the demise of the cattle ranching era in Southern California.

KIT #2

"Through Children's Eyes: Rancho Life with

Harry and Sarah"

This unique educational outreach kit dramatically enhances student understanding of daily life on a nineteenth century Southern California Sheep ranch. By looking through the eyes of the rancho children-Harry & Sarah Bixby-students will learn about daily work and workers, domestic lifestyles, and the similarities and differences between their own lives and those of the Bixby family. "Through Children's Eyes" includes detailed lesson plans, creative classroom activities, a video, and a wide selection of artifacts and photographs. These provide classroom teachers with the tools they need to present interactive explorations of California's ranching history during the 1870s period.

After attending a training session, you will be eligible to borrow "Handling History" or "Through Children's Eyes." 4th grade teachers who would like to borrow this kit should contact the Rancho's Education Department at 562-570-1755.

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School Tours
Adobe Days Revisited, an award-winning school program for local fourth-graders, supplements the state history curriculum with an educational adventure at one of California's best preserved 19th century ranchos!

Teachers prepare their students for a visit to Rancho Los Cerritos with classroom lessons and background information provided in our "Teacher Resource Manual." When students arrive at the Rancho, they are asked to step back in time, to the year 1878, when the Bixby family operated a sheep ranch here. As our young guests tour the site and participate in various hands-on activities, their exposure to and appreciation of life in 19th century rural California is extended far beyond what they might learn from their textbook.

Jointly created by Rancho Los Cerritos and the Long Beach Unified School District, Adobe Days Revisited can accommodate up to 70 students per day. Our costumed, volunteer docents conduct tours on Wednesday and Thursday mornings, October through June. Tour groups are expected to arrive at the Rancho by 9:30 a.m., and the tour lasts until noon. Rancho Los Cerritos also has shaded picnic tables, where students can enjoy their bag lunches after the tour.

To book a tour, please contact the office at 562/570-1755 to ask for a school tour application form; notification will be sent in September for the school year.

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Rancho Los Cerritos: The Roots of Long Beach (slides, 45 minutes). Trace the history of Rancho Los Cerritos from its origins as a Spanish land grant to its transformation into a historic site. This presentation touches upon the history of the Rancho, our current educational programs, and our plans for the future.

Rancho Los Cerritos: A Brief Overview (slides, 20 minutes). Find out why Rancho Los Cerritos is one of southern California's most important historic sites. This short presentation is designed for community-based groups that want to learn more about one of Long Beach's cultural treasures.

Return to Adobe Days: Memoir of a California Girl (slides & audio, 25 minutes). Explore early California through the eyes of Sarah Bixby Smith, who often visited the Rancho in the late 19th century as a young girl. In this presentation, Sarah's colorful words are paired with striking images of Rancho Los Cerritos during the 1870s.

All in the Families: A Tale of Rancho Los Cerritos (slides, 30 minutes). Rancho Los Cerritos was home to three prominent families between the 1840s and 1940s. Learn what brought these families out west, and discover how their efforts helped shape the destiny of Long Beach and other surrounding communities.

California Native Plants of Rancho Los Cerritos (slides, 40 minutes). This informative presentation discusses the native plants, while also calling attention to some of our earliest botanical immigrants. Discover how early settlers used these plants in their daily lives.

The Gardens of Rancho Los Cerritos (slides, 30 minutes). Rancho Los Cerritos was home to one of the earliest private gardens in southern California. Learn about the plants introduced in the 1850s by John Temple, who built the adobe. Trace the garden's subsequent evolution, including the major redesign by landscape architect Ralph Cornell, in 1931. Discover our plans for maintaining and restoring these beautiful gardens.

Voices from the Past (video, 18 minutes). Experience the sights and sounds of early California as your group explores the history of the Rancho through various eyes: a Chinese cook, an Irish foreman, a Mexican vaquero, and Mr. & Mrs. Jotham Bixby. Speakers Bureau programs are available free of charge to groups of ten or more who meet within a reasonable driving distance of the Rancho. A minimum of two weeks advance notice is needed. To book a speaker, please contact the Rancho office at (562) 570-1755.

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