Quarryhill Educational Tours for Schools
Quarryhill conducts half-day educational tours of the Asian woodland garden for 4th and 5th grade classes in Sonoma County. The tours wind through the garden in the manner of plant hunters in the wild, collecting seed, leaves, fruits, and flowers for examination. In the process, various elements of the California state science curriculum are taught, and topics unique to Quarryhill are illustrated. These topics include Asian plants, ecology and conservation issues, Asian plant extinction threats, and elements of Asian culture.
The spring tour season is late March through the end of May, and the fall season is September 15th through November 15th. The Spring 2010 Tour Schedule is now full, but a waiting list is being compiled in the event of cancellations. As a limited number of tours are available during each season, teachers interested in visiting Quarryhill are advised to apply early. The Lottery for Fall 2010 tours will open toward the end of the spring 2010 term.
Tours last approximately two hours, and are normally scheduled in the morning (but can be scheduled in the afternoon) with time available in our picnic area for lunch (students bring their own) after the tour. The program requires teacher and several parent chaperones to participate. All garden entrance fees are waived for Quarryhill educational school tours.
This is a very special opportunity for elementary students to experience a unique and beautiful garden, and to supplement their classroom botanical education with a distinctive ‘in the wild’ experience.
A Brochure explaining some program details can be downloaded here:
Quarryhill Fall 2009 Tour brochure v 4.pdf 82.89 KB 08/14/2009 18:02 
Teacher/Parent Comments:
"The kids absolutely loved the tour of Quarryhill . . . "
"I thought it was a great field trip. I really liked all the information given the kids."
"The topics covered were excellent. The docents and staff did an excellent job covering the botany and history of the garden."
"The students LOVED the view from the top by the Tibetan Prayer Flags; and the trees that gave off the bakery smell, the waterfalls, watching for frogs, and learning about the different seedpods. They took a wealth of information back with them."
"The docents were wonderful, and my chaperons had only positive things to say about their caring ways, and understanding of how kids sometimes act when they are outside. They engaged them!"
"Seed/germination demo was great--fun to take the planted seeds home"
Feedback from the Kids:
Haikus written in the garden by 5th graders
Pure, fresh, pollen, air Beautiful lily
Delicate forms of sunlight Color bursting from the soil
Cool water trickle Sprout, nurture, love, grow
Collecting cool plants
Extinct, lost, and forgotten
Plants soft as cotton
Volunteer Opportunities
Quarryhill Educator/Docent Training
Share nature with children: Love the outdoors and children? Enjoy spending time with children and being in a beautiful garden? Want to learn more about botany, plants, conservation, and preservation? Find out how to become a children's Educator/Docent at Quarryhill Botanical Garden.
This training will teach you about Asian plants, Quarryhill’s work in their conservation and protection, some basics of botany, and introduce you to techniques for working with elementary school children in botanical gardens.
Educator/Docents receive a FREE membership to Quarryhill, and are invited to participate in garden events, field trips, and appreciation lunches over the course of the year.
Email Steven Hightower or call 996 3166.
