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Casa Grande Ruins National MonumentAfternoon view of the Casa Grande from the south.
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Casa Grande Ruins National Monument
What you can expect from our staff

We will be glad to assist your school group in any way we can. We can no longer provide ranger-led school programs, but a staff member will provide a brief orientation when your groups arrives. (Please see the information on self-conducted school programs below.)

  • The Monument will host school groups with reservations made at least three weeks in advance of the visit.
     
  • School visits will be limited to November through April and during the mornings between 9:00 a.m. and noon. 
     
  • The Monument requires a pre-visit telephone conference with the lead teachers to answer any questions, to discuss expections, and to cover park requirements.

  • All school group activities are conducted outdoors. In addition to the area where the Casa Grande is located, we encourage teachers to use the Outdoor Classroom area adjacent to the visitor center.
     
  • We have a Student Exploration Program focused on 3rd-5th grade curriculum for use when students are visiting. We strongly recommend using this program or one of your own during your visit. We have developed a downloadable Student Exploration Booklet to help with the learning process. Download the Student Exploration Booklet (347kB pdf)
     
  • Wayside signs are located strategically throughout the public tour area and provide an excellent overview of the site and its original inhabitants. In preparation for your group's visit, we recommend that you download and review our Wayside Signs booklet (678kB pdf).
      
  • Our museum is quite small, so we ask teachers who want their students to visit the museum to bring no more than three chaperoned groups of five to seven students inside the museum at one time.
  • Our picnic area will accommodate 50-60 people and school groups are welcome to have lunch there. There you can also find a viewing platform to see a prehistoric ball court.
A burrowing owl guarding its burrow at Casa Grande Ruins.  

Did You Know?
Burrowing owls are unique among birds because they nest underground in existing ground squirrel, coyote, and badger burrows. They are also commonly associated with humans and will frequently nest in burrows along irrigation ditches, canals, and even in people’s yards.

Last Updated: October 01, 2009 at 15:04 EST