Basic Adult Education Programs Botanical Printing (1-2 hours) Art programs held in our straw bale art studio encourage guests to connect with the world around them weaving creativity, science, and cultural history to create memorable and customized pieces of art. In Botanical Printing, guests can make prints of leaves, flowers, or ferns using IslandWood’s printing presses on high quality cardstock to create customized notecards, memory book pages, and more. Pairs great with: Naturalist-led Hike Fish Printing (Gyotaku) (1-1.5 hours) Art programs held in our straw bale art studio encourage guests to connect with the world around them weaving art, science, and cultural history to create memorable and customized pieces of art. In Fish Printing, your instructor will guide you through the traditional Japanese art form called Gyotaku, as you create your own print of a fish on paper or muslin fabric. Guests have a choice of using a real or rubber fish during the project. Your team can choose to designate someone to collect the finished pieces on fabric and take home the squares to make into a quilt. An example of a finished quilt in this style can be found in the entryway of Ichthyology Inn. Naturalist-Led Hikes (1.5-3 hours) Our staff naturalists will lead your group throughout the campus focusing on exploration and discovery of our local ecosystems. Themes for hikes might include flora and fauna, natural history, birding, or marine biology. Hikes and topics can be customized based on interest of participants and hands-on learning and exploration are always included! Our hikes can happen at all hours at IslandWood, from quiet early morning bird watches to the enchanting hours of dusk. Pairs great with: Docent-led Trail Hike “Canopy Tower” or Campfire Nighthike (1-2 hours) Owls, coyotes and even nocturnal flying squirrels are all wonderful possibilities as you and your group explore our wooded trails at night led by our fearless naturalist guides. Learn how our local wildlife adapt to and use the darkness to their advantage for survival. We have five species of owls on site and our naturalists know some of their favorite hangouts and habits. Bring your sense of adventure! Pairs great with: Campfire
Campfire (1-2 hours) The best days at IslandWood often end with time to kick back and enjoy the soothing warmth of an evening around the fire. At our covered Friendship Circle, education staff will entertain your group with local stories, songs and skits where you’ll be encouraged to join in or share your talents too! Top off the night with some s’mores for a magical and memorable evening together. Pairs great with: Nighthike Relationships through Rhythm (1 hour) Get your group together and let’s drum! Our musical staff will guide you to learn more about your team and interpersonal relationships all through the art of drumming. Participants will learn basic hand drumming and rhythm techniques on authentic West African djembe drums. If you’re a beginner or feeling shy, no worries! This unique team-building element has the power to invigorate the rhythm of your work together. Pairs great with: Teams Program or Campfire Yoga (1-2hours) Breathe easy and start off your retreat mornings at IslandWood with a yoga session. Whether your goal is to energize or relax, we’ve contracted with top-notch certified yoga instructors who can customize your session to rejuvenate you and your team. Pairs great with: Naturalist-led Hike or Sustainable Cuisine Sustainable Cuisine (1-2 hours) Eat and explore full circle with our popular Sustainable Cuisine program. Taste your way through our 100% organic garden using all your senses. Turn theory into practice with our talented culinary team, and harvest ingredients for a sustainable snack that you will prepare together. Cooking sessions may be held in our garden, using our wood-fired cob oven (weather permitting), or in the Dining Hall. IslandWood chefs are passionate and up to speed on the local food scene and will share details about what’s fresh and seasonal during your visit. Our garden educators will be there to assist your group in the harvest of your appetizer, a tour of our productive composting systems, an interactive scavenger hunt, or a stop by the apiary to visit the beehives and sample some fresh island honey. Pairs great with: Yoga or Naturalist-led Hike
Docent-led Programs (1-2 hours) Our docents complete an 8-week training course to supplement their knowledge of IslandWood as demonstrated in these programs:
Sustainable Design – a tour of the sustainable architecture features of our LEED Gold certified campus, with a focus on either the buildings that teach or other features like our cisterns, waste-water treatment facility, and technologies
Art Walk – view and learn about the many art installations and displays thoughtfully placed throughout our campus
Solo Walk – a leisurely and reflective walk in the woods where guests follow a mixture of inspiring quotations and questions that will engage all your senses
Garden Explorations – enjoy a guided walk tasting your way through our organic garden and greenhouse
Trail Walks, themes include: Bird Habitat – sneak a peek at IslandWood’s variety of bird habitat featuring the Bird Blind on our Cattail Marsh, and Bog Treehouse. Canopy Tower – explore the many layers of the forest as you visit IslandWood’s Suspension Bridge and climb our Canopy Tower. Forest Hike– Discover the ecology of a Pacific Northwest forest in any season as you trek our favorite trails. Field Structure Stories – learn about our many “outdoor classrooms” including the Suspension Bridge, two treehouses and the Floating Classroom on Mac’s Pond.
Adult Education Programs – Dive Deeper The following programs require a three hour place in your agenda. You won’t regret making time for one of the most engaging Adventure Racing: Geocaching at its best! Using the latest GPS technology as your guide, your group will embark on a high-tech scavenger hunt on our 255-acre campus. During this active and challenging exercise, teams will quickly learn how to move from location to location interpreting clues and sharing strategies along the way. At each waypoint participants will have to complete a group challenge in order to get to the next clue. Cache boxes are hidden at points of interest throughout campus making this program an excellent way to explore most of our beautiful wooded trails and get some exercise to boot. Make it a race between your teams – or not, you’ll have fun no matter what! Teams Programs Enhance your skills of problem solving and communication between co-workers in a group setting. Our staff uses innovative educational modules and the natural environment to engage participants at levels beyond what is possible in a typical work environment. Participants are introduced to built and ground elements on and off our low ropes course tucked into a beautiful wooded setting. Your group will work through challenges and tasks designed to engage participants in reflection, self-discovery, participatory role styles, and above all – teamwork! Nighthike and Friendship Circle Owls, coyotes, and nocturnal flying squirrels are all wonderful possibilities as you and your group explore our wooded trails at night led by our fearless naturalists. Learn how our local wildlife adapt to and use the dark to their advantage. We have five species of owls on site and our naturalists know just where to look. Afterwards, make your way over to our Friendship Circle where you’ll have hot cocoa, s’mores, and interactive entertainment next to a toasty bonfire. A perfect way to end your retreat with togetherness, a sense of adventure, and fun!
Naturalist-Led Hike and Blakely Harbor History Walk our wooded trails with one of our expert guides and explore the natural history of our forest, and how humans have changed its landscape. We’ll focus on exploration and discovery of our local ecosystems unraveling nature’s mysteries along the way. Hikes and topics can be customized based on interest of participants, and hands-on learning and exploration are always included! We’ll make our way down to Blakely Harbor where IslandWood’s freshwater streams feed the estuary. Your guides will share tales about mill history and the small city that once stood on the sleepy shores of Bainbridge Island. We’ll beach comb for natural and cultural artifacts before heading back to campus.
Sustainable Cuisine and Wild Edibles Walk Take a walk on the wild side of edible leaves, fruits and roots. Our naturalists will take your group on a hike in our forest with a sensory experience of common and nutritious botanicals. You’ll learn to accurately identify edible and tasty berries, leaves, and even needles from native conifers. We’ll make our way back to the garden for a tasting tour of our 100% organic kitchen garden. You’ll turn theory into practice with our talented culinary team, and harvest ingredients for a sustainable snack that you will prepare together. Cooking sessions may be held in our garden, using our wood-fired cob oven (weather permitting), or in the Dining Hall. IslandWood chefs are passionate and up to speed on the local food scene and will share details about what’s fresh and seasonal during your visit. Our garden educators will be there to assist your group in the harvest of your appetizer, a tour of our productive composting systems, an interactive scavenger hunt, or a stop by our apiary to observe beehives and sample some fresh island honey.
Naturalist-Led Canopy Climb Journey into a ravine ecosystem and wind your way through the mysterious Lower Loop trail peppered with maidenhair ferns and wooden foot bridges. Themes for hikes might include flora and fauna, natural history, birding, or marine biology. Your hike will be customized based on interest of participants, and hands-on learning and exploration are always included! After traversing a Suspension Bridge we’ll ascend the Canopy Tower for a bird’s eye view of the landscape and Mt. Rainier.
Sensory Immersion and Solo Hike A reflective and meaningful way to begin or end a day’s work. Meander the Marsh Loop trail with a naturalist guide, and discover a wetland growing up and changing before your very eyes. This hike is tailored to highlight wild and wonderful textures, smells, sounds and sights of nature. Challenge yourself to go sightless as you familiarize yourself with the forest around you and identify plants using touch alone. Hone your listening skills and quiet your mind (and your “to-do” list) by tuning into the music of the wild birds above you or the rustle of cattails in the marsh. Your guide will lead participants to cozy nooks full of ancient snags where you may want to journal, sketch, or just relax. During this gentle and reflective walk in the woods, your group will follow a mixture of inspiring quotations and questions on notecards placed on the trail. Each card will guide you in thoughtful and experiential practices bringing fresh perspectives and rich conversation to rejuvenate the group for the rest of your time together.
Team Development & Meeting Facilitation Take team building to the next level to create the foundation for a long-term high performance team. Team development sessions explore responsibility, trust, communication, and alignment and provide teams with the tools to effectively grow and improve in these areas. Facilitator, Maketa Wilborn will collaborate with you to create customized, highly efficient and engaging meetings whatever your content focus. If you think your group would benefit from this specialized offering, please contact your IslandWood Conference Coordinator for pricing and more details.
