Quarryhill seeks docents for student tours

If you like beautiful plants and flowers – and telling people about them – this might be the gig for you.

Quarryhill Botanical Garden has put out an open call for volunteers to train as docents to take part in the Sonoma Valley nonprofit’s Education Program for Sonoma County fourth and fifth graders during the upcoming school year.

The educational school program at Quarryhill offers kids an immersive garden tour that’s meant to increase their understanding of and appreciation for the natural world.

Quarryhill Botanical Garden is home to one of the largest collections of scientifically documented, wild-source Asian plants in North America and Europe. Some have compared Quarryhill to a modern-day ark of rare and beautiful plants.

During the tours, the kids will wind through the garden in the manner of plant hunters in the wild – collecting seeds, leaves, fruits and flowers for examination. According to Quarryhill officials, it’s a chance for elementary students to experience a beautiful garden and supplement their classroom botanical education with a distinctive outdoor experience - teaching them about adaptation, conservation, plant anatomy and biology, and the importance of plants in our lives.

In a press release about the educational program, Quarryhill officials explained how science can open up “a world of future opportunities, both professionally and personally, for today’s youth.”

“Quarryhill is on track to host 1,400 students this coming academic year in its science education program, but in order to accommodate this growing demand, Quarryhill needs more youth education docents,” continued the release.

Volunteers are not required to have a botanical or horticultural background to be a youth education docent, said Quarryhill officials. “Quarryhill staff will teach them everything they need to know,” said the announcement. “Volunteers just need to have a passion for teaching children.”

Training will be held on six consecutive Wednesdays, July 25 through Aug. 29, from 9 a.m. to noon, and will end with shadowing during the first month of tours in September, which takes place Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9:30 a.m. to noon.

To sign up for Quarryhill education docent training, contact Neely Hart at 996-6027 or email nhart@quarryhillbg.org.