Garden Plant Collection, Garden Maps, Nature Park, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco

From garden crafts to treasure hunts, guided walks to storytime, we have a bevy of fun, engaging activities to keep summer boredom at bay. Check out this special feature that includes all we have in store for the whole family.

Family Adventures (Ages 3-5)

June 15 – August 31, Friday Mornings 10:00am–12:00pm
Meet in the Exhibition Garden, just off the Main Gate at 9th and Lincoln.
Enjoy a variety of adventures in the Garden with your little ones.

Bean Sprouts Family Days
(Families with children ages 5-12)

Monday afternoons in July in the Children's Garden

Drop by the Children's Garden between 11:00am and 2:00pm for storytelling, nature crafts and gardening led by our Youth Education program staff. Bring a picnic lunch and spend the afternoon together. Enter by the Friend gate and pick up a map at the admissions kiosk.

Contact Children's Garden Educator Gretchen Norrell for more information.

Children's Storytime & Family Walk

Looking for a fun, free and easy-to-coordinate activity? Join us in our cozy children's book nook with comfy kid-sized cushions, a bevy of stuffed animals and lively readers. Afterward, families enjoy a special docent-led children's tour of the Garden. Be sure to bring a picnic lunch and enjoy the beautiful surroundings (Ages 4-8).

More information

Now Circulating

Want to check out any of our Children's Books? We have a collection of over 1,600 garden- and nature-related children's books circulating. Available exclusively to Members and SFUSD Teachers.

Go on Adventure #3

Pick up "Seeking California in a World of Plants" at the Garden Bookstore and go on a self-guided adventure experience at the Garden. Follow clues in a booklet that makes exploring the Garden more exciting than ever, and a special hidden box rewards those who complete the botanical adventure! Developed in collaboration with Urbia, this program is both educational and entertaining for all ages.

More about Urbia

Here's some help from the experts

Want to explore with kids at your own pace? Here are a few resources to help you prepare for your next visit.

Director of Youth Education Annette Huddle gives ideas for how to engage kids by using all their senses to explore the Garden in this podcast.
Why do plants talk to animals? How can plants travel without any legs? Discover the answers to these and other questions in the Incredible World of Plants, six short articles filled with fascinating facts and surprising information.
Find more resources to help you explore the Garden with kids.

Story time in the 'living room.' Photo by Carol Irvine, Honeymilk Studio.

SFGate takes a Field Trip to the Botanical Garden

Read their report on our Summer Fun programs.

Motivational tree stumps. Photo by Carol Irvine, Honeymilk Studio.

Spark their Creativity

Have you ever laid in the grass and searched for shapes in the clouds? On your next visit to the Garden, encourage your children to use their imagination to find ballerinas in the fuchsia blooms or faces in the bark of a redwood. Then find our Araucaria araucana in the Ancient Plant Garden and ask them to guess why it's called a monkey puzzle tree.

Kids Growing in the Garden