Teachers & Schools
School Field Trips
IMPORTANT UPDATE
Due to a change in LA County Department of Parks & Recreation policies, The Arboretum is currently only permitted to accept field trip reservations from schools/districts with a signed risk management Memorandum of Agreement on file with the County. Please CLICK HERE to see if your school/district is on the County’s list of signed memorandums. If your school/district is on the list, please proceed with submitting a field trip request below. If it is not, please follow the instructions on how to work with the County to gain approval by visiting their FAQ page HERE. As this process can take 6-8 weeks, prompt action is encouraged. *If your school/district is not on the list, we are required to decline your request.
GENERAL INFORMATION
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- All schools/districts must have a signed MOA on file with the County in order to submit a field trip request form to The Arboretum Please see the information in red above.
- Reservations are required.
- Students are admitted free of charge.
- Adult chaperones are admitted free of charge up to a ratio of 1 adult per 5 students. Tickets for any adult over this ratio are $15.00 and must be bough online in advance.
- The Arboretum requires a 1:10 ratio of adults to students. CHAPERONES CANNOT BE OTHER STUDENTS- THEY MUST BE STAFF MEMBERS OR GUARDIANS.
- Students must be accompanied by a chaperone at all times (college students excepted).
- Self-guided visits are available Monday through Friday for grades preK-College. The Arboretum opens at 9:00 am. Schools cannot enter past 4:00pm.
- Guided Nature Investigations are available Tuesday through Friday for grades 1st-12th.
- NGSS Field Study programs are available Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30am-12pm and offered exclusively for 4th and 5th grade classes from Title 1 schools. This program can only accommodate 36 students.
- For all other rules and regulations, please read our Arboretum Field Trip Guidelines.
- To help guide your school group, please download the Self-Guided Tour Information.
- A limited amount of bus funding is available for Title 1 schools. Please see the “Transportation Grant” section below.
Thank you for your interest in bringing your class to the Arboretum. We offer three different types of experiences for students: Guided Nature Investigations, NGSS Field Study Programs, and Self-Guided Visits:
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NATURE INVESTIGATIONS
Offered Tuesday through Friday at 9:30am
Nature Investigations are hands-on, interactive programs facilitated by Arboretum educators. Each Nature Investigation leads students on a journey into the garden where they will take a closer look at the incredible natural systems at work through the lens of different themes, including Habitat, Pollination, Plant Adaptation, Ethnobotany, and Biodiversity. While the themes remain the same across all grade levels, the activities differ according the ages and needs of the students, with younger children learning through focused, imaginary play and older students engaging in science experiments using authentic field equipment. From pollinator matching games to pond water sampling, these programs provide students with unique opportunities to get up close and personal with the natural world and learn through process-driven discoveries. Nature Investigations are 45-60 minutes long, allowing school groups time after the program ends to explore the gardens in a free-choice learning capacity and synthesize their new knowledge. We can accommodate up to approximately 125 students per day for the entire program. Classes are divided into groups of up to 25 students. Nature Investigations are 45-60 minutes long, allowing school groups time after the program ends to explore the gardens on their own and synthesize what they’ve learned.
Click HERE to request a Guided Nature Investigation
*Please do not submit a request if your school/district is not on the approved MOA list (see Important Update in red above).
NGSS FIELD STUDY PROGRAM
Offered Thursday and Friday mornings at 9:30am
The NGSS Field Study Program is a unique experience available to 4th and 5th grade students from Title 1 schools. The Next Generation Science Standards represent a new way of approaching science education, and are rooted in the goal of ensuring students develop an in-depth understanding of content while cultivating key skills (communication, collaboration, inquiry, problem solving, and flexibility) that will serve them throughout their lives. NGSS focuses on experience and inquiry-driven scientific discovery wherein disciplinary core ideas and science and engineering practices meet with crosscutting concepts that link the four domains of science, including Physical Science, Life Science, Earth and Space Science, and Engineering Design. In this 2.5 hour program students learn about natural systems through contrasting micro and macro perspectives while field journaling, conducting plant dissections under microscopes, playing an interconnectivity game, and working with peers to analyze and interpret data while contributing student research to the garden. *Bus funding is provided.
Click HERE to request NGSS Field Study Program
*Please do not submit a request if your school/district is not on the approved MOA list (see Important Update in red above).
SELF-GUIDED VISITS
Offered Monday through Friday between 9am and 4pm
Available to all grade levels, self-guided explorations of the Arboretum present a wonderful opportunity to enhance your classroom curriculum. With their chaperone as their guide, students can explore science, history, wildlife, or simply spend a day discovering nature in a free-choice learning environment.
Click HERE to request a Self-Guided Visit
*Please do not submit a request if your school/district is not on the approved MOA list (see Important Update in red above).
You can download and print a variety of engaging student materials to help facilitate a meaningful self-guided visit using the links below:
WORLD IN A TREE SCAVENGER HUNT
ARBORETUM HISTORY SCAVENGER HUNT
*Please print any journals using the setting “Print on both sides, flip on short edge.”
TRANSPORTATION GRANTS
The Arboretum offers a limited number of transportation grants to qualifying Title 1 schools. These require an application and are awarded on a first come first served basis.
Transportation Grant Application 2023_2024 School Year
*Please do not submit an application if your school/district is not on the approved MOA list (see Important Update in red above).
ARBORETUM IN THE CLASSROOM
Want to experience the Arboretum virtually instead? Check out some of our educational videos below:
- Monarch Butterflies & Their Habitat: The Arboretum’s Butterfly Waystation
- Lucky Baldwin’s San Gabriel Valley: Arboretum & Arcadia History
- Crescent Farm: A Model of Sustainability
Can’t make it to the garden, but still want to explore nature-based learning?
