School Groups and Field Trips

Make nature your classroom

Take a field trip to Descanso Gardens and extend your classroom into nature. Many of Descanso’s educational programs and field trips are provided free of charge. We offer a variety of options for enriching educational garden visits, with or without a docent.

Arranging a Descanso field trip

Does your school qualify?

Field trips and programs are available free of charge for qualifying schools with advance reservations. A qualifying school must meet one or more of the following requirements:

• An accredited California public or private school
• A preschool providing instruction to students over two years of age
• A program through a school that provides academic instruction to students
• A Head Start or Child Development Center
• Homeschool groups

Docent-guided field trips

• Offered October–May on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 9:30am or 10am
• Maximum of 60 students per day
• 1-hour guided tour of one of the following subjects:

Habitat Detectives, Kindergarten–2nd grade: Be a nature detective! Through hands-on activities and play, students discover the many animals that make Descanso Gardens their home.

Spring Discoveries, Kindergarten–2nd grade: Students use observational skills and movement to explore plant and animal life cycles. (Only available March-May)

Adaptations and Interactions, 3rd–5th grade: Student scientists investigate plant adaptations and explore the many ways plants and animals depend on each other to survive.

Seasonal Garden Tour, Kindergarten–8th grade: Students explore and observe plant and animal life through experiential garden walks. The tour focus changes seasonally. Tour topics include plant life cycles, habitat explorations, and more.

Self-guided field trips

Enjoy Descanso Gardens at your own pace with a self-guided field trip, available for all grade levels. With the help of a chaperone you provide, students can learn about the gardens or simply spend the day discovering nature.

• Teachers structure and lead the educational experience
• Offered September–May on Mondays through Fridays at 9am, 9:30am, 10am, or 10:30am
• Maximum of 90 students per school per day

Download a self-guided chaperone guide and student activity booklet in either English or Spanish.

Still have questions about our field trips? Please call 818.949.0120 or email schools@descansogardens.org.