Kid's Stuff

Saturday Art Workshops for Families at the Conservatory of Flowers In partnership with the Asian Art Museum

Explore the connection between art and orchids. These fun, hands-on workshops encourage your child’s curiosity and creativity, while introducing them to the fascinating world of orchids. Kids ages 6-11 learn basic observation and drawing skills, and all materials are provided. Classes are held in the Conservatory’s "Modern Art of Orchids" gallery surrounded by beautiful orchids in full bloom. Workshops are free with admission. Registration is required, and parents must accompany children. Call 415-666-7001 to register.

Chinese New Year Orchid Cards
Saturday, February 4, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Kids create their very own colorful card just in time for the Chinese New Year. Using simple observation, drawing and shading techniques, your child can craft an unforgettable card inspired by the Conservatory’s brilliant orchid collection.

Orchid Scrolls
Saturday February 11, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Practice the centuries-old Chinese tradition of drawing orchids! You'll work on a scroll to create your very own masterpiece of Chinese art that you can take home to hang on the wall.

Making Orchid Faces
Saturday February 18, 11:00 AM ­ 12:00 PM
With hinged lips and squiggly horns, orchids can look like something straight out of a sci-fi film! Check out all the weird and wonderful flowers in our exhibit and then use your imagination to design an original orchid creature complete with its own unique personality.

Orchid Planet
Saturday February 25, 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Ever wonder what or who might be hiding inside an orchid? Many of these incredible flowers are built to lure, trap and release insects with slippery slides, tunnels full of pollen and secret back doors. Investigate the intricate insides of orchids and map out your own magical world inside a flower.

All About Orchids

Around the world, people love orchids. They love them for their many colors. Orchids come in almost every color of the rainbow-red, yellow, green, purple, blue, orange, even brown.

Some orchids have stripes, some have dots, and some have their colors scrambled together.

Orchids also come in many shapes. There are skinny, star-shaped orchids and round teddy bear shapes. Some orchids are very tiny while others can be as big as your head.

As you walk through the exhibit, notice all the different colors and shapes. Which do you like best? Why?

Facts
Vanilla comes from orchids. Look near the giant philodendron in the Lowland Tropics gallery for our vanilla vine.

Many orchids do not grow in the ground. They grow high up in trees where it's easier to survive than on the ground in a crowded jungle. You'll see lots of orchids growing on trees in our Highland Tropics and Aquatic Plants galleries.

Some orchids that live in trees have thick roots that wrap around the tree branches. These roots are like sponges and can hold water. Look for the thick roots growing from some of these orchids.

Some orchids can store water in their stems, just like a camel does with its hump. Others hold water in their leaves. Look for the orchids with fat stems and thick leaves.

Many orchids have a big lower lip for pollinators to land on. Can you find an orchid with a lip?

There are over 25,000 different species of orchids. Think about how many kids are in your class at school and then imagine how many more kids it would take to reach 25,000.

Unlike most flowers, orchids have a left and a right side. These two sides look alike. If you think about a daisy, all the sides look alike.

Orchids are famous for their scents. These smells are for attracting pollinators who will move their pollen from flower to flower. Some orchids smell very bad to humans, but smell very good to flies to attract them.

Instructions for PDF

Download PDF

Did you know some orchids can store water in their stems just like a camel does with its hump? Or that many orchids don't grow in the ground, but high up in trees where it's closer to the sun.

Learn more about orchids with this booklet that kids receive when they come to The "Modern Art of Orchids" at the Conservatory. We've produced two versions with different information on them so you can share these facts with your friends.

To make your own booklets: Print this page and cut out the four strips. Tape two of the strips together back-to-back so that you have 'ORC" on one side and "HID" on the other.