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.

Homeschool Day

Arranging a Descanso field trip

Does your school qualify?

Field trips and programs are available for qualifying schools with advance reservations. If your school qualifies, admission is free for all students and for the adults within the student-to-adult ratio (1:10 minimum, 1:4 maximum).

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
• Minimum of 15 students and maximum of 60 students per day
• 1-hour guided tour of one of the following subjects:

Habitat Exploration Tour, Kindergarten–2nd grade: Students will learn how Descanso Gardens is a habitat to many animals by exploring an oak tree, comparing and contrasting two different habitats, and building a nest.

Spring Discoveries Tour, Kindergarten–2nd grade: Students will observe how plants and animals are busy in the spring by learning about parts of a plant, observing habitats, and building a nest. (Only available from March–May)

Adaptations and Interactions Tour, 3rd–5th grade: Students will learn about native plant adaptations and discover how living things interact with each other through an oak tree study, a native plant investigation, and a nature walk.

Seasonal Garden Tour, Kindergarten–8th grade: Students will learn to identify the different seasons in the Los Angeles area by observing plant and animal life through multi-sensory garden expeditions. (Tour will be adjusted based on season and on grade level)

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 year-round on Mondays through Fridays at 9am or 10:30am
• Minimum of 15 students and 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.