Education and Cabrillo National Monument
Cabrillo National Monument is a 160-acre unit of the National Park System, located at the southern tip of Point Loma in San Diego, California. The site commemorates conquistador and explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo and preserves the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, the tidepools of the rocky intertidal zone, a coastal Mediterranean ecosystem, and coastal defense remnants. In addition, the site offers a tremendous view of San Diego Bay and provides good shore-based viewing of the winter Pacific gray whale migration.
Click here for driving directions to the park.
Educational Activities
- Free on-site Ranger-led activities (reservations required)
- Free pre- and post-field trip educational materials
- Free films in the auditorium (reservations required)
- Fee waivers for school groups visiting without a ranger
- Tidepool permits
On-Site Ranger-Led Education Programs
- Designed to support California frameworks for grades 2 through 6.
- Program Cost: FREE (No fee waiver is necessary for groups attending a ranger-led program).
- Each program is 60 minutes in length.
- Times: Weekdays, 9:45 AM-10:45 AM or 11:00 AM-12:00 Noon.
- Group Size: 35 students maximum, 1 adult per 5 students required.
- Reservations are required.
- Important: If a class arrives more than 15 minutes late, the program may be canceled.
Ranger-Led Program Descriptions
Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo: A Voyage of Exploration
Click here for the teacher packet for A Voyage of Exploration (pdf).
| PROGRAM | Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo |
| GRADES | 3, 4, and 5 |
| OFFERED | October through mid-June |
Journey back to the first European exploration of the California Coast. Students will discover who Cabrillo and his crew were, what shipboard life in 1542 was like, and how they navigated along the California coast in 1542.
Life in the Intertidal Zones
Click here for the teacher packet for Life in the Intertidal Zones (pdf).
| PROGRAM | Life in the Intertidal Zones |
| GRADES | 3, 4, and 5 |
| OFFERED | January through mid-June |
Discover the remarkable plants and animals that live in this intertidal environment. Students will study intertidal plant and animal adaptations for survival in this harsh environment. Students will conduct a field survey of intertidal life. Important: Groups visiting the tidepools must have vehicle transportation to this area, as there is no trail, and the road to the tidepools is unsafe for pedestrian traffic. Call early, these programs fill up fast!!!
The Chaparral Supermarket: Native American Plant Uses
Click here for the teacher packet for The Chaparral Supermarket (pdf).
| PROGRAM | The Chaparral Supermarket |
| GRADES | 3, 4, and 5 |
| OFFERED | October through mid-June |
Walk the Bayside Trail and explore the coastal sage scrub plant community. Students will explore the park's native southern California ecosystem and search for clues of how Native Americans in the region used plants for medicines, food, clothing, and shelter. Students will complete a plant identification and plant-use activity.
Life in the Coastal Sage Scrub: The Ecology of Cabrillo National Monument
Click here for the teacher packet for Life in the Coastal Sage Scrub (pdf).
| PROGRAM | Life in Coastal Sage Scrub |
| GRADES | 3, 4, 5, and 6 |
| OFFERED | October through mid-June |
Hike through the native ecosystem of the San Diego area to learn about local plants and animals and their relationships with each other. Students will participate in a food-web activity and will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the natural world around them and the importance of good stewardship toward the natural lands in San Diego. Key concepts: habitat, food webs, adaptation, carnivore, omnivore, herbivore.
Growing Up In the Old Point Loma Lighthouse
Click here for the teacher packet for the Old Point Loma Lighthouse (pdf).
| PROGRAM | Growing Up In the Old Point Loma Lighthouse |
| GRADES | 2 |
| OFFERED | October through mid-June |
Visit the Old Point Loma Lighthouse and step back in time. Students will imagine living the life of the lightkeeper and his family in the 1880s. The activity includes a walk through the Old Point Loma Lighthouse.
