City Nature Challenge Kitsap County graphic depicting a map of Kitsap County with denoted areas where the City Nature Challenge participants are gathering as a community.

📆 April 24-27
📸 Snap pics of wild plants & animals—upload to iNaturalist.org.
🔎 Apr 28–May 10: Help ID what others found
📍Sun, Apr 26 at IslandWood on Bainbridge Island (visit islandwood.org/events/)You can do it solo or as a group from anywhere!
Learn more >> www.citynaturechallenge.org

Brad Street, IslandWood's Senior Manager of Professional Development at our table at the Symposium

We had a great time at Tacoma’s Annual Climate Justice Symposium this past Saturday! It was a fantastic opportunity to highlight our partnership with Tacoma Public Schools on the 4th-grade Community Waters Stormwater Engineering unit.🌿

Learn more >> bit.ly/4u5q2U7

#IslandWood #TacomaPublicSchools

A boy standing in front of an outdoor wood column with the woods in the background, a backpack and water bottle on a bench beside him. He's holding up a homemade sign made with a stick and cardboard that reads, "This Week, We're Growing Together!"

An Update on Our Advocacy Work 🗓️
Every child deserves access to nature-based learning. Here’s how our advocacy in Olympia and through the Washington Outdoor Schools Coalition is pushing for funding to make outdoor school accessible statewide. Read our latest update → bit.ly/41pv4OP #outdoorschoolsWA

Dr. Dé holding up a book titled "You Are A Story" against a backdrop of shelves of books.

For this Earth Month edition of Book Nook, Dr. Déana Scipio, our Director of Graduate and Higher Education Programming, turns to books that celebrate the interconnectedness of all living things >> bit.ly/4vmY8o6

Have a Joyous Earth Month 💚

#islandwood #bookrecommandations #readingisfun #booknook

Seattle Times photographer perched on a tier of IslandWood's Canopy Tower, camera pointed downward as students go down the stairs ahead of him.

Today, @seattletimes-rss.bsky.social came to IslandWood to see what outdoor learning looks like — and to hear what's at stake. Their upcoming article will share the impact of Washington's elimination of outdoor education funding for students. (We'll share the article when it's published!)🌲

Spring Skills of a Naturalist 🌸🔍

Join us on Bainbridge Island:
🐦 4/17: Breakfast with the Birds
🌿 4/19: Fiddlin’ with Ferns
🍄 5/22: Wild Edibles

One event or all three—come get outside with IslandWood!
More info 🎟️ Link in bio

#islandwood #visitbainbridgeisland

Join us on our Bainbridge Island Campus on Sat, Mar 28 for our annual Amorous Amphibians Night Hike!
Learn about native frogs, their calls and habits and trek into our wetlands at dusk to search for breeding frogs, toads, salamanders, newts and their eggs!
🐸 Tickets > bit.ly/4bDCpjF #islandwood

Registration is now open for the 2026 Bainbridge Island Environmental Conference on Sunday, March 29 at IslandWood's Bainbridge Island campus!
🎟️https://bit.ly/4bGjJ2G
Co-presented by: Sustainable Bainbridge, Eco Adapt, Bainbridge Island Land Trust, and Bainbridge Island Parks Foundation #BIEC2026

"Sea Over City" by a 6th grader at Eckstein Middle School illustrated a graph showing sea level rise with artwork depicting Seattle disappearing underwater over time. 

Nisqually Glacier Before/Present Caption: Nisqually Glacier, Mount Rainier. Comparative painting of 1890 vs. 2018. Courtesy of Claire Giordano. 

A 6th grader from Eckstein Middle School illustrated a graph detailing the impact on our region's salmon and above the graph various things that can be done to reduce emissions. 

Teachers are using local examples — from regional geology to everyday organisms — to help students notice patterns, ask questions, and engage more deeply with what they’re learning.
Read the full story on our blog → bit.ly/4rIIWiH
#islandwood #outdoorschoolswa

Paul and Debbi at IslandWood on opening day, March 2002.

Paul and Debbi at IslandWood’s Dinner in the Woods annual event, May 2024.

Paul at IslandWood’s Dinner in the Woods annual event, May 2023.

Today, we share the passing of IslandWood co-founder Paul Brainerd. Read our Instagram post about Paul's tremendous impact 🔗https://bit.ly/4ayvWWS

What is CROAK? 🐸🦎 From salamanders to egg masses, IslandWood’s Frog Squad is tracking wetland health across #KitsapCounty.
Learn how this community science partnership is filling the data gap on our blog >> bit.ly/4aLFe0t

#Islandwood #BainbridgeIsland #AmphibianConservation #WetlandConsercation

Students visiting for our School Overnight Program explored connection to Place through careful observation and creativity. During a quiet solo walk along the trail, each student mapped what they noticed — winding paths, big trees, and signs of wildlife. #IslandWood #OutdoorSchoolsWA

Our School Overnight Program is more than just a field trip—it’s a shift in perspective. Watch as our educators share the incredible transformations they see, from the first quiet hike to the confident "I can do this!" moments at the end of the week. #islandwood #outdoorschoolswa #outdoorclassroom

For this month’s Book Nook, Dr. Déana Scipio, our Director of Graduate and Higher Education Programming, reflects on the small, meaningful things we carry with us—and the stories that help us name what we love.📚✨

Explore her latest book recommendations >> bit.ly/4c1Opfn

We’ve recently welcomed 3 new members to our Board of Directors, each bringing valuable expertise and perspective to IslandWood. We are excited to work alongside Bilan Aden, Cindy Bates, and Jason Steiner as we continue to grow IslandWood’s impact for years to come.

Learn more→ bit.ly/4qqMXHi

A student clearing a table where the pasta was made

A student writing their response to "What do we know about water?" On a large sheet of paper among many other responses.

Students lined up at the kitchen getting their plates of pasta

Two tables in IslandWood's Dining Hall filled with students eating the pasta they made.

From dough to delicious! 🍽️

With a little help from our amazing kitchen team, @seattlenativity students visiting for our School Overnight Program mastered the art of pasta making, filling it with delicious butternut squash. 😋

#IslandWood #OutdoorSchoolsWA

📸: 1) Focused students planting in our garden beds.

📸: 2) Focused students planting in our garden beds.

📸: The proud team showing off their work!

Winter gardening is in full swing! 🪏🧤
IslandWood School Overnight Program students got their hands in the soil to plant leek. These tough members of the onion family can handle the chill, making them perfect for winter gardening! 🌱
#IslandWood

Dr. Dé sitting in front of bookshelves and smiling.

🌿 We are excited to share that Dr. Déana Scipio, IslandWood’s Director of Graduate and Higher Education Programming, has co-authored a piece in the journal Science Education,“Pedagogies of Joy: A Leap to Joy-Centered Critical Design.”
📖 Learn more >> bit.ly/49TyxKs

IslandWood Campus School Programs Manager, Kathleen Lich (far right), spreads the wings of one of the donated specimens while a group of students watch intently.

Thanks to @birdsconnectsea.bsky.social generous donation, our students can now explore:

• Adaptations up close
• Food webs in action
• Conservation efforts

Take a peek inside this unique learning experience: bit.ly/4appkKH

#islandwood #birdsconnectseattle #birdsofpnw

Dr. Dé holding up a book titled "You Are A Story" against a backdrop of shelves of books.

In her holiday edition of Book Nook, Dr. Dé celebrates trees! Check out her latest children’s book recs -> bit.ly/48HhFVL

If you know him, you love him ❤️

If you haven’t met him yet, we’re delighted to introduce you to IslandWood’s Chef Jim, who has nourished IslandWood for 20+ years....

Our Impact in Action Awards celebrate students and educators who turned their IslandWood experiences into real-world impact!
What awardees get:
• $1,000 award
• 2 tix to our Dinner in the Woods event
• Recognition on our website, social media & emails
• Deadline: Jan 18, 2026!
• islandwood.org/iaa

Image description: A student from Westside School (Seattle, WA) is outdoors and standing against a wood pillar, holding a sign that reads "This week, we're growing together!"

This is everything ❤️

#IslandWood #SeattlePublicSchools #OutdoorSchoolsWA

A group of kids on a wooden platform in the middle of Mac's Pond on IslandWood's campus.

Our graduate program, in partnership with the University of Washington is a 10-month residency in experiential, student-centered learning and curriculum development.
Learn more >> bit.ly/475Suwj
#islandwood #universityofwashington #uwcollegeofeducation

Join the annual Mushroom Mania series at IslandWood to explore our Bainbridge Island forest and discover some cap-tivating fungi! 🍄 There are three events including a delicious wild mushroom dinner! 🎟️https://bit.ly/42I84vt #IslandWood #mushrooms #mycology #fungi

#SeattlePublicSchools Green Lake Elementary students got a unique look at the world during their IslandWood Schools Overnight Program visit! Staff instructor Patrick led them in "perspective storytelling," an activity designed to help them see things through the eyes of a non-human, living being.💚

newlyweds and their guests jumping in the air in jubilance

an outdoor banquet at dusk with many guests and string lights surrounding the tables.

IslandWood was awarded Best Conference Spaces and Best Wedding & Event Venue in the 2025 Best of Bainbridge Island!

Every meeting, wedding, and celebration hosted here helps fund outdoor learning experiences for thousands of kids.

Learn more about hosting your event at IslandWood bit.ly/48yegKb

🌿 “The magic of IslandWood is that everything is new to everyone at the same time—and they get to discover it together.” ✨

Amina Loftin from #SeattlePublicSchools Bertschi School, captured what makes our School Overnight Program so powerful. #islandwood #outdoorschoolswa

Yesterday we welcomed the first kids of the school year to our School Overnight Program. IslandWood staff and graduate program students are excited and primed for a week of discovery! 🔎🌲 #IslandWood #seattleschooldistrict #bellevueschooldistrict

Photo of a group of kids taken during one of our Seattle-based programs at the Be’er Sheva Park playground.

#IslandWood is standing as a supporter of NM Sen. Martin Heinrich's Revitalizing America’s Schoolyards Act. The proposed bill aims to turn barren asphalt into thriving, green schoolyards that benefit students, communities, and local ecosystems. Learn about the bill 🔗 bit.ly/48eDQ6N #OutdoorClassroom