Discover how our multi-day School Overnight Program on Bainbridge Island extends learning beyond the classroom, engaging students in critical thinking, scientific investigations, and actions that build awareness of and concern for the wellbeing of people and our planet.
Your safety and the safety of your students is of the utmost importance to us. In accordance with state and federal guidelines, IslandWood has developed COVID-19 policies and guidelines to ensure that you have a safe and healthy experience on our campus.
Our School Overnight Program has three main goals:
1. Provide a Foundation of Stewardship
We engage learners in critical thinking, investigations, and actions that build awareness of and concern for the wellbeing of people and our planet. The program’s content is strongly aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) for Ecosystems and Washington State’s Integrated Environmental and Sustainability Learning Standards (ESE).
2. Ensure Equitable Access and Culturally Responsive Instruction for All Students
We are committed to ensuring equitable access and culturally responsive instruction. We do this by:
3. Develop Meaningful and Sustainable Relationships with Schools and Communities
In addition to providing support for classroom teachers, we also intentionally partner with student’s communities. We meet directly with parents at our School Orientations and host Community Engagement Forums to listen to, learn from, consult, and develop strategies to better engage each unique community.
We are working with and within our communities to better understand how the various aspects of culture influence attendance, retention, curriculum, policy, and instruction and to:
Learn more about our approach to culturally responsive teaching here.
– Evergreen Academy Teacher
Communication and preparation are keys to a successful trip. Here are some resources and information packets to get you started.
Here are some videos we’ve made about our School Overnight Program and its impact. Take a look!
Kids who love and appreciate nature are more likely to protect it. Check out what students from Enterprise Elementary and Green Gables Elementary schools said they love about nature and IslandWood in this video!
In this video, educators share why their schools choose to come to IslandWood so early in the year, and what it creates for them when they get back to their classrooms.
Teamwork and problem-solving skills are an essential part of any IslandWood educational program, because we believe to care for our communities and the planet, we need to be able to work together! Check out this video of Catharine Blaine K-8 working to completing a challenge on our Teams Course as part of their School Overnight Program, experience. They did such a great job figuring it out!
Soil to Snack is a lesson for students participating in our School Overnight Program, delivered in partnership by our Garden and Kitchen teams. The program’s objective is that through harvesting ingredients from the garden and preparing a snack from those ingredients, students learn about the origins of their food and the context of larger food systems. They also see for themselves that cooking can be fun! Check it out here →
The week of September 16th saw the return of our School Overnight Progra...
IslandWood Staff Instructor Talia Schmitt, shares how she leads an appre...
Our Artist in Residence program has been a cornerstone of IslandWood’s e...
Three out of four students continue to demonstrate SOP program outcomes–teamwork, engagement with science, pro-environmental behaviors, embracing safe adventure, and engagement with their community–three months after their stay at IslandWood.
Three months after participating in the School overnight Program, teachers report a 70%+ increase in teaching pro-environmental behaviors; teaching outdoors; facilitating investigations; and incorporating stewardship projects.
50% of participating schools are from low-income and marginalized communities. Donor support ensures the program is financially possible for as many students as possible.
The School Overnight Program typically welcomes 4,000+ students from all over the Puget Sound region to our Bainbridge campus each year.
IslandWood has been awarded the Washington State Outdoor School Seal of Assurance for providing evidence of the safety of our policies and procedures to minimize risk for students and staff, ensuring the safest possible overnight experience.
IslandWood acknowledges that we live and work on the ancestral land of the Coast Salish people, who have been stewards of this region's land and waters since time immemorial, and who continue to protect these lands and waters for future generations, as promised by the Point Elliott Treaty of 1855, the Treaty of Point No Point of 1855, and the Treaty of Medicine Creek of 1854.
While the majority of our work takes place on Suquamish (suq̀ʷabš) and Duwamish (dxʷdɐwʔabʃ) land, we also conduct programs on the land of the Snohomish (sduhúbʃ), Puyallup (spuyaləpabš), Muckleshoot (buklshuhls), Skokomish (sqoqc’bes), and S’Klallam (nəxʷsƛ̕ay̕əm) peoples.
IslandWood is a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Our tax ID number is 31-1654076.
4450 Blakely Ave. NE, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110 206.855.4300
When you give $150 or more over twelve months, you become a Friend of IslandWood. You’re supporting our environmental education programs throughout the region AND you’ll have special access to our Bainbridge trails. Learn more!