Suggested Field Trips

While not all civilizations have had a written language or a sophisticated mathematical system, all have left behind a record using the materials and techniques of the visual arts. While records vary in completeness, we can discover what was valued, the state of technology, the level of trade with other groups, power structures, belief systems, and fashion through a study of the arts.

The Los Altos Art Docents was founded in 1970 with the purpose "to stimulate, at an early age, a child's awareness of art and to help him/her understand its processes through appreciation and participation." We believe that well planned museum trips can reinforce what the children learn in the art classes with carry over to other disciplines such as writing, vocabulary development, history, critical thinking, discernment, and literature.

We are fortunate to live in an area that is rich with cultural resources. There are four major museums with large permanent collections in San Francisco that welcome school tours: Asian Museum, De Young, Legion of Honor, and Museum of Modern Art. They also attract major traveling exhibits. Santa Clara County has resources too for field trips. They have smaller permanent collections that are not always in view. But they, too, attract traveling exhibitions.

The museums differ on how to sign up for tours, and a quick check of the web sites will give good instructions and even a form to print out. Some museums require as much as eight weeks notice while others as little as two weeks.

 

Asian Art Museum

www.asianart.org
200 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-581-3697 for tour information
schools@asianart.org
415-581-3500 for general information

The Asian Art Museum has specific curriculum offered at set times by grade level and topic. Grades 2 and 3 have storytelling of myths in the galleries. Check web site for complete information. Art Docent lessons in third and fourth grades have introduced Japanese brush painting and wood block prints. Docents introduce students to Asian Art beginning in Kindergarten.

California History Society

www.californiahistoricalsociety.org
678 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94105
415-357-1848
415-357-1850 Fax
info@cahist.org
Hours: noon-4:30pm Wednesday to Saturday

Fourth Grade Curriculum: Terrific collection of California art and historical photographs displayed on rotating basis.

 

Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University

museum.stanford.edu
Lomita Drive and Museum Way
Stanford, CA 94305-5060
650-723-4177
650-725-0464 Fax
650-723-3469 Tour Scheduler
Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 11:00-5:00pm

Third Grade Curriculum: Paintings, prints, sculpture to develop vocabulary for line, shape/form, color, texture, space, and storytelling.

Fourth Grade Curriculum: Stanford family California collection including the Golden Spike.

Fifth Grade Curriculum: Tour of masks from around the world, as related to the Clay Masks unit.

Fifth Grade Curriculum: Eighteenth through twentieth century American paintings in support of American Hertiage series. Also note Paul Revere silver.

Sixth Grade: Rodin Collection as related to the Clay Heads unit.

 

De Young Museum

www.thinker.org
50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive
San Francisco, CA 94118
415-750-3522 School Tours
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9:30-5:15pm

Kindergarten Curriculum: View and discuss paintings of Animals. Also note pinch pots.

First Grade Curriculum: Art work on the theme of flowers and family. Don't forget the totem pole.

Second Grade Curriculum: A tour of the building itself. Clay items from Mesoamerica.

Third Grade Curriculum: Tours to reinforce the basic vocabulary of art, space, color, texture, line, shape, and storytelling.

Fourth Grade Curriculum: California paintings, animals in clay.

Fifth Grade Curriculum: Seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth century paintings absoulutely perfect reinforcement for American Heritage A and B.

Sixth Grade Curriculum: Portraits and self-portraits, animal masks, still life studies.

 

Legion of Honor

www.thinker.org
Lincoln Park
34th Avenue and Clement Streets
San Francisco, CA 94121
Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9:30-5:15pm
415-750-3522 School Tours
edoma@famsf.org

Kindergarten: View works the reinforce the Animals unit.

First Grade Curriculum: View works to support the Family and Flowers units.

Second Grade Curriculum: Building itself. Building in art.

Third Grade Curriculum: Printmaking. Works to reinforce the vocabulary of art: space, color, texture, line, shape, storytelling.

Fourth Grade Curriculum: Building itself, works on paper, line drawings.

Fifth Grade Curriculum: Printmaking, especially block prints. Portraits and self-portraits and art of still life.

 

Oakland Museum

www.museumca.org
1000 Oak Street
Oakland, CA 94607
510-238-2200
510-238-3818 Education Office
510-238-3514 Tours
Hours: Wednesday to Saturday 10:00-5:00pm

 

San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

www.sfmoma.org
151 Third Street (between Mission and Howard)
San Francisco, CA 94103
415-357-4000
415-357-4095 Education office
Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday: 11:00-5:45pm

Tours for Grades 3 to 8. Call for school tours and teacher program information.

 

San Jose Museum of Art

www.sjmusart.org
110 S. Market STreet
San Jose, CA 95113
408-271-6840
408-291-5393 Education
education@sjmusart.org

Sign up for 2 PartArt Program. Gallery visit with docent followed immediately by workshop. Tuesday to Friday, am and pm, 2 1/2 hour class. $200 for classroom.