I’d love to teach my kid about nature, but our backyard is a concrete slab. And if you go on nature walks through Golden Gate Park, you’re as likely to find syringes and homeless people as flowers and pine cones. Get dirty safely at “Family Adventures,” a summertime series of classes for preschoolers at the Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum. Kids aged 3-5 meet up at 11, take a stroll through a section of the park, do a woodsy art project, sing a few songs, and end by 1pm.
This little-kids class is rare for the Botanical Garden. Most of their offerings are intended for school-age kids, who can, for example, volunteer to keep up the Botanical Garden’s produce-and-flower Children’s Garden during the school year. This class is a great chance to explore the under-appreciated Garden, laced with plots of unusual plants. Stick around after class to watch the ducks, run circles around the fountain, watch the hummingbirds in the camellia patch, and sniff your way through the fragrance garden.
Parents are encouraged to bring their kids a snack. “They get hungry on the walk,” says Gretchen, program coordinator. Maybe bring a picnic for after class as well? There’s a beautiful bee tree close to the fountain; park your blanket within eyesight and watch them buzzing industriously in and out, a living science lesson.
When: Family Adventures takes place each Tuesday in July and August at 11am; Age 3-5; $5 per class. The series has already started but spaces are still available; call Gretchen to register.
Where: Botanical Garden at Strybing Arboretum, 9th Avenue (at Lincoln Way) in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, 415-661-1316, sfbotanicalgarden.org.