​​​How are we connected to the world around us? KIDS on Trails is an immersive learning experience that explores the natural world of the Presidio. This program promotes place-based learning, investigation, and enjoyment through an interactive guided walk along the Ecology Trail. Students observe local flora and fauna and are encouraged to use all of their senses while exploring. KIDS on Trails introduces concepts such as ecology, interdependence, and biodiversity conservation. KIDS on Trails fosters new awareness and appreciation for nature and a sense of connection to the natural world.

What can artifacts tell us about the people who lived here before us? Thingamajigs & Whatchamacallits introduces students to the field of archaeology and provides an opportunity to explore the past cultures of the Presidio (Ohlone, Spanish, and American Military) by comparing and contrasting artifacts. In this program, students will: 

How do healthy watersheds support plant, animal and human life? In this field-based program, students explore the newly revitalized Tennessee Hollow Watershed and reflect on how people impact land and watersheds in different ways. The Tennessee Hollow Watershed Trekkers program includes:

​​Excavate History uses archaeology to look at the arrival of the Spanish colonists to San Francisco and the interactions between them and the Ohlone people. Through a series of hands-on activities, students investigate how the Ohlone people and Spanish colonists changed the natural and cultural landscape of the area. In small groups, students rotate through three stations:

Want to make a difference in your National Park? Through this experiential education program, youth participate in meaningful community service while building their classroom community. Youth will learn about the natural and cultural history of the park, engage in projects that meet real habitat restoration needs within the park, and reflect on their impact.

Program components include:​

Living Poetry focuses on the young soldiers who sacrificed their lives for their country through examining the poem “The Young Dead Soldiers” by Archibald MacLeish. This moving and heart-felt program gives students the opportunity to better understand the outcomes of war, experience the poem first hand and connect personally with soldiers who have been laid to rest. This program includes a visit to the historic San Francisco National Cemetery, located in the Presidio. Students work collaboratively while making connections and comparisons between their own personal experiences and the soldiers of the past.​

The special exhibition EXCLUSION: The Presidio’s Role in World War II Japanese American Incarceration explores a dark chapter in American history in which the Presidio of San Francisco played a pivotal role. From his office in the Presidio, Lieutenant General John L. DeWitt implemented President Roosevelt’s Executive Order 9066. DeWitt issued 108 Civilian Exclusion Orders, unjustly incarcerating 120,000 Japanese Americans.

 Through this inquiry-based program, students practice critical thinking and historical inquiry skills as they investigate the rich primary sources on display in the EXCLUSION exhibition. Tour guides engage students in conversations and activities that explore the following:

At the close of their visit, students share their reflections with each other and future visitors by participating in Your Voice Matters.  EXCLUSION guided tours are offered for 4th and 5th grade students. The exhibition gallery has limited space and can accommodate small groups only. Tours are limited to one class (34 students max).  

Building / Gallery Tours

Bring your class on a self-guided tour of the Presidio Officers' Club's permanent exhibitions. Explore the Mesa Room, one of the oldest buildings in San Francisco with intact adobe walls from the Spanish period. Visit the Heritage Gallery, with many tangible objects for youth to touch and explore, visual media, and artifacts from the Presidio's past. Extend your visit by visiting other historic sites in the Presidio or taking your students for a hike. Click here to see more places to visit in the Presidio >>

For 2nd – 5th grade students, we have a complementary worksheet to help guide visits in the Heritage Gallery.​​

Special Exhibition Tour

The current special exhibition EXCLUSION: The Presidio's role in World War II Japanese American Incarceration, provides an excellent backdrop for engaging students in critical thinking, historical inquiry, and contemporary issues such as immigration, civil liberties, racism, democracy, role of media, and mass incarceration.

This exhibition encourages students to investigate the choices- both personal and political- that led to this dark chapter in American history. Students are also invited to make their own connections and share their own reflections by participating in Your Voice Matters throughout the gallery.

Teachers are encouraged to bring their class on a self-guided visit to the exhibition. The gallery has limited space and can accommodate small groups only, so we ask that your please register your class​ to avoid more than one class in the space at a time. After you have registered, an educator will contact you​ to provide further instructions, and help design an experience that works for you, your students and class size.

Bring your class on a self-guided hike along the Ecology Trail in the Presidio!​ Students observe local flora and fauna and are encouraged to use all of their senses during this moderate 1.5 mile (roundtrip) hike.

​​​How are we connected to the world around us? KIDS on Trails is an immersive learning experience that explores the natural world of the Presidio. This program promotes place-based learning, investigation, and enjoyment through an interactive guided walk along the Ecology Trail. Students observe local flora and fauna and are encouraged to use all of their senses while exploring. KIDS on Trails introduces concepts such as ecology, interdependence, and biodiversity conservation. KIDS on Trails fosters new awareness and appreciation for nature and a sense of connection to the natural world.