Pinetree Community School was privileged to take part in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art’s Ancient Civilization program for sixth graders.

During the week of March 20, a LACMA Moblie Education Trailer was seen on the west end of the Pinetree playground. LACMA provided educational leaders that take all of the sixth graders in a hands-on instructional lesson in which they learned about different civilizations from the world’s past through videos and lecture.

This program served as a wonderful supplemental learning opportunity to accompany the California State standards of Ancient Civilizations. At the conclusion of the session students created an artistic tile that reflected what they had learned about the ancient civilizations of Egypt, India, Rome, and Asia. All of the students proudly displayed their fired clay tiles approximately a week after the mobile left the Pinetree campus.

The following week on Friday March 31 the Pinetree sixth graders traveled by bus to Los Angeles to visit LACMA. The kids were introduced to the architecture and art surrounding the museum before entering through the South Plaza with a LACMA docent.

The ten groups visited the Ahmanson and Hammer Buildings for their hour long tour. Students were able to view and photograph the actual artifacts that were viewed during the mobile instructional experience. Students hung on the educational words of the leaders while completing a timeline worksheet that was provided by LACMA.

Statues from Ancient Rome, artistic structures from Ancient Asia, and a mummy sarcophagus were among the highlights of the tour. After docents completed the tour the 84 sixth graders were able to take in a picnic lunch in Hancock Park just east of Lake Pit of the La Brea Tar Pits.