Schools and Education

Descanso Gardens is an invaluable resource for educators seeking to facilitate meaningful nature experiences. Serving over 12,000 students each year from all over Los Angeles County and beyond, we provide opportunities for students to discover and connect with the natural world through close observation, self-guided exploration, and hands-on learning.

Field Trips

Please note: All field trips are now full. We will begin taking reservations for the 2018–2019 school year on August 1, 2018. 

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

  • An accredited California public or private school
  • A preschool providing academic 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
  • .

Book a Field Trip

1. Choose which type of field trip is best for you and your students.

  • Self-Guided Field Trips
    Self-guided field trips allow teachers to structure and lead the educational experience. Offered September–June, Monday through Friday, at scheduled times beginning at 10am. Minimum of 10 students per day, maximum of 120 students per day. Feel free to download and print our Self-Guided Habitat Student Journal and Teacher/Chaperone Guide and bring them with you to the gardens.
  • Docent-Guided Field Trips
    These hour-long guided tours are offered October–May, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 9:30 or 10am. Minimum of 10 students per day, maximum of 60 students per day (unless otherwise noted).Seasonal Garden Exploration, Kindergarten–8th grade: Students explore plant and animal life through multi-sensory garden expeditions. Tour focus changes seasonally and include plant life cycles, habitat explorations and more.
    Habitat Detectives, Kindergarten–2nd grade: Through hands-on activities, close observation, and play, students discover how Descanso is an important habitat for many animals.
    Spring Discoveries, Kindergarten–2nd grade: Students use their observational skills and movement to explore plant and animal life cycles. Available March-May.
    Interactions & Adaptations, 3rd–5th grade: Student scientists investigate how plant adaptations support the balance of nature, and explore the many ways plants and animals depend on each other to survive.
    Seeds of Wonder, ages 3–5: Students participate in hands-on, garden-themed activities that nurture wonder through experience, observations, discovery and play. Offered on the 3rd & 4th Mondays of the month; no program in September; 10am start time; maximum 48 students.

2. Complete a field trip request form:

Please check back on August 1, 2018 to request a field trip.

3. Descanso Education staff will call you within 3 business days to confirm your reservation. Questions? Call 818-949-0120 or email programs@descansogardens.org

Descanso partnership programs

The Harvest Garden

The Harvest Garden encourages curiosity and discovery of the natural world by providing diverse communities the therapeutic benefits of gardening. Descanso Gardens partners with a variety of schools and organizations to bring these communities to the Harvest Garden.

A Day of Discovery

A Day of Discovery at Descanso Gardens is a collaboration with the LAUSD Beyond the Bell Office of Outdoor and Environmental Education. In this program students investigate several of California’s native habitats; explore relationships between living and non-living things, and record observations in journals provided. For more information, click here.

My Masterpieces: Discovering Art in My Community

A collaboration between Pasadena Unified School District, the Pasadena Educational Foundation, and local cultural institutions, My Masterpieces provides community-based arts learning opportunities for students in Pasadena, Altadena, and Sierra Madre. This year, Descanso Gardens will offer a 3rd grade program combining nature exploration and artmaking to build on students’ creativity, visual literacy, and observational skills. For more information, click here.