mission dolores

Today in exploring Cities (our first arc), the kids went to Mission Dolores to explore where the Spanish enforced a missionary lifestyle on the native Ohlones and to learn about the seed of San Francisco that soon bloomed into a thriving city.The older kids went on foot and talked about the watershed of old, as well as the legendary Mission lake.The younger kids took the bus to save their walking legs.Exploring inside the MissionEveryone loved the graveyard, including the apple tree that grows there.A couple kids noticed that lots of people died in 1850 - but why? Was there a drought? A famine? A war? An iceberg?Looking back in time and exploring the Ohlone huts. The kids had many thoughtful questions about why the Spanish took over the Ohlone land and forced their religion on them. What would have happened to San Francisco if the Spanish missionaries hadn't come to California?The sheer thrill at the idea of rolling down the hills in Dolores Park!Lunch in the parkBack to school for some written and illustrated reflection on the dayWhen the kids traced the projected image of the Mission, they noticed things about its structure that they hadn't while they were there - the gargoyles, statues, intricacies of the architecture.