San Francisco Botanical GardenSan Francisco Botanical Garden Education
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The material provided on this page is designed to be used by teachers who have scheduled a guided walk at San Francisco Botanical Garden. More information can be found on our Guided School Walks page.

Preparing for Your Guided Walk

Preparing for Your
Guided Walk

We are delighted that you will be visiting the San Francisco Botanical Garden! Please check the information listed in your acceptance letter regarding your guided school walk. If any information is incorrect or you need to cancel your walk, please call the Youth Education office at 661-1316 ext. 407.

We are counting on you!

Once your walk is assigned, this time is set aside just for your group. There are many more requests for walks than we can accommodate so if you are unable to come on your reserved date, call the Youth Education Office as soon as possible. Another class on our waiting list may then be accommodated.

Last minute cancellations

If you must cancel the day of your walk due to an emergency or are unsure about canceling due to weather conditions, please call the Youth Education Office by 8:00 am.

Preparation

Teacher Resource Packets including pre- and post-visit activities for each walk topic are available for download below. We recommend that you use these to prepare for your visit. Please have students wear name tags. If students have assignments to complete based on their walk, we ask that they work on these after the walk.

 
Teacher Guides

To prepare for your walk, please print out the appropriate teacher guide for your scheduled walk. If you cannot remember which walk you are scheduled for, please email us to inquire. If you have any trouble obtaining these documents, please email us for assistance.

 

The Web of Life (gr.4/5)

The Redwood Walk

Native People, Native Plants

 

Additional Resources

Parent Information Forms

Spanish Vocabulary Lists

Map

The day of your visit

Walks take place Tuesday through Friday at 10:15 (10:45 by special request). The walks range from 45 minutes to an hour and a half, depending on grade level. For a safer, more enjoyable visit, we require one chaperone for every 8 children. Please be prepared to divide your students into smaller groups. On occasion we may need to adjust the numbers of docents assigned - we appreciate your flexibility. We adjust the length of the walks according to grade level, but plan on spending an hour and fifteen minutes on your walk.

Where to meet

Groups meet at the main gate to the garden, located near the corner of 9th Avenue and Lincoln Way. Please call if you're running late!

Lunches

Lunches and backpacks will be stored during the walk. We have a designated area in the garden where you may eat lunch, or you may eat lunch at one of the recreation fields across from the garden. No balls or frisbees are permitted in the garden.

Public Transportation

The N Judah Muni train stops at 9th Avenue and Irving Street. The #71 Haight/Noriega and the #44 O'Shaughnessy bus lines also stop outside the garden.

Buses

At present, the SFUSD Transportation department requires that each free field trip bus carry at least two classes. Please remember to apply for a guided walk with a partner class if you must request a free SFUSD bus to get here. We encourage teachers who can use public transportation to apply singly. If you must have a SFUSD bus to get here and none are available, we have extremely limited resources available to pay for buses for a few classes.

Donations

If you wish to make a donation, please give it to your docent who will gratefully accept it on behalf of our program. We suggest a $20-40 donation made out to SFBG Society. Thank you!

 
ADMISSION FREE: all San Francisco City & County Residents, Members & School Groups     /     $7 Non-residents     /     Discounted fee: Seniors, Students & Children     |     We are located at the corner of 9th Avenue and Lincoln Way in Golden Gate Park.     |     (415) 661-1316

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