Yesterday, I wrote about our visit to the Randall Museum (see post here… “The Randall Museum, San Francisco”). Whenever I visit a museum, I also like to schedule some outdoor play or exploration. The Randall Museum is an excellent spot for indoor and outdoor nature fun, but we enhanced the experience by taking an Urbia Adventure. Urbia creates self-guided treasure-hunting hiking adventures throughout San Francisco in the form a 14 to 16-page activity booklets. These are great fun for kids! Each outing takes about two hours to complete, and both children and adults learn about the geography, history, and flora and fauna of the region.
The journey begins in front of the Randall Museum, with a close look at the art circles, featuring images of native wildlife, on the path to the front doors.
During the adventure, we learned about the geology of the region, especially chert, the red rock the San Francisco hilltops are made of.
You have to love a nature hike with a gorgeous city backdrop!
We learned how to tell the difference between different kinds of oak trees by examining the leaves. The first is a Valley Oak; the second a Coast Live Oak.
We accidentally went off track, lured down a fun side trail, and discovered a beautiful garden.
And we hiked to the summit of what was historically known as”Rocky Hill”… now called “Corona Heights”.
Along the way, we learned to use our wayfinding skills (sight, scent, sound, touch), practiced map making and reading skills, and learned quite a bit of history about the region. Lastly, on the way back to the museum, we spotted this beauty.
Another fun, educational hike!
To order this booklet (San Francisco Adventure No. 2: Wayfinding on Rocky Mountain), order online: www.urbikids.com/buy-booklets . The price is $7.50.
You may also be interested in:
- Urbia Adventures: Exploring Nature in San Francisco
- Urbia Adventure #1: Treasure in the Hills of San Francisco
- The Randall Museum, San Francisco
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