Youth Education Programs
After School in the ACFL: Our School Year Program
Join our exploration and discovery based after school programs throughout the school year! We will spend our time together making observations, asking and answering questions, and getting personal with the natural world around us. We will also engage in team building, social-emotional learning, and plenty of nature play.
Playing and discovering nature are integral parts of childhood development and these activities encourage our young community members to become leaders as environmental stewards and change makers in our world. Plus, we will make friends, have fun, and take learning outside of the classroom!
During each session (Fall 1&2, Winter, and Spring), we will meet on Wednesday afternoons from 3-5pm at different trailheads throughout the ACFL. Our sessions are separated by grade so we can offer programs specific to each group’s interests and abilities.
Please read the After School in the ACFL Handbook HERE before registering to learn more about our schedule, things you’ll need to send with each child, and more information about the program.
2024 Fall Session 1 (Grades 1-2)
September 11 - October 30 (excludes Oct. 16)
2024 Fall Session 2 (Grades 3-5)
November 6 - December 11 (excludes Nov. 27)
2025 Winter Session (Grades K-2)
February 19 - April 2 2025
2025 Spring Session (Grades 3-5)
April-May 2025
Forest Discovery Day Camp: Our Summer Program
Forest Discovery is for campers ages 6-8 and 8-11 with a maximum capacity of 15 participants per session. Sessions for the younger campers are half-days (3 hours long) and for the older campers, full days (9 am-4 pm). Each session runs Tuesday-Friday and is led by two adult educators. Because of high demand for this program, children can be registered for only one session per summer.
Click here for the 2024 Forest Discovery Parent Handbook
For over three decades, Friends of the Forest has held Forest Discovery, our free environmental education summer day camp. Children who are enrolled in Forest Discovery Summer Day Camp will have the opportunity to explore and experience the ACFL’s rich ecosystems through activities relevant to the group's interests. Observational skills, critical thinking, social-emotional learning, and team-building will be practiced through art, science, writing, reading, and physical activities. Forest Discovery helps nurture a connection with the ACFL and deepens a sense of place in our young community members. Campers will gain a sense of camaraderie with each other and the natural world and, of course, have a blast!
REGISTRATION FOR 2025 FOREST DISCOVERY CAMP OPENS MARCH 1ST FOR MEMBERS!
Thanks for a great summer of free, fun, forest based summer camp in the ACFL! We couldn't have done it without support from our community. Registration for summer camp 2025 will open March 1st 2025 for members and March 17th for non-members.
Science Sleuths: Our Spring Break Camp
2025 Spring Break Camp Schedule:
Morning Session 9am-12pm | Afternoon session: 1pm-4pm
(During Anacortes School District Spring Break)
Friends of the ACFL is excited to host our new science and inquiry-based spring break camp for students grades K-5! Every day our science sleuths will do investigations and experiments to learn about the forest around them and build their connection with our wonderful community forest.
Our three hour, half-day schedule is perfect for kids who are looking for some independence and to make new friends while exploring the forest. Please note that children can only attend one session.The camp runs April 7-11 in correspondence with the Anacortes school district’s spring break. Each day we will explore a specific theme through asking questions, making art, and getting to know the forest. We will also have time to play, share stories, and team build throughout the week.
Please read the 2024 Science Sleuths Handbook HERE for more information!
Young Explorers: A K-5 Half Day Camp
Young Explorers runs one week in February and October (coming 2025) during the Anacortes School District Half-Day Conference Weeks.
Our young explorers learn about the forest and themselves while completing hands-on activities and playing in the forest. This camp focuses on nature inquiry, using critical thinking and teamwork skills to uncover some of our forest’s mysteries. Every day at camp your child will get the chance to be a scientist, artist, problem solver, and member of the forest community. Each day we will explore a specific theme through asking questions, making art, and getting to know the forest. We will also have time to play, share stories, and team build throughout the week. Plus they’ll come home with stories to share and great ways to get the whole family outside!
Our three hour, half-day schedule is perfect for kids who are looking for some independence and to make new friends while exploring the forest. The camp runs in correspondence with February and October half-day conference weeks for the Anacortes School District.
Please read the 2025 Young Explorers Handbook HERE for more information!
Registration for February Young Explorers opens January 1st!
Young Explorers February Camp will run Monday-Thursday (2/10-2/13) from 12:30-4pm.
Registration is free for any students grades K-5. We will spend some time as a full group, and some split into K-2 and 3-5 groups.
Public School Programs
Thanks to our dedicated donors, business sponsors and members, we are proud to offer no cost education programs for every kindergartener, 3rd grader and 7th grader in the Anacortes School District (ASD). Our programs focus on bringing the ACFL into each classroom and getting students out into our cherished community forest lands. Each grade level program is aligned with classroom learning standards and focuses on observations, inquiry and developing a personal relationships with the forest. Read more about each grade level program below.
Kindergarten Programs
ASD kindergarteners spend the year exploring the theme, “Trees and Me”. During our year round programming students use their senses to gather information about trees and the forest around them, while discovering the ways humans and trees are similar and different.
3rd Grade programs
3rd graders throughout ASD follow the theme of “Observations and Adaptations” as they learn about traits and relationships throughout the forest. These programs build around forming connections with specific plants and animals in the forest and learning about how they contribute to the web of life that is our forest ecosystem.
7th grade programs
7th graders engage in project based learning to explore the theme of “Ecosystem Formation and Effects of Selection Pressures”. During classroom visits and field trips, students are prompted to investigate the processes of ecosystem formation through geologic events and the effects of ecosystem differences on organisms that live there. This series of ACFL-based learning culminates in a project where students create the perfect beast using adaptions they have learned about, or creating their own.
Homeschool Days in the ACFL
This exciting new program launches in January 2025, and registration is open now!
Our homeschool program provides place-based learning opportunities for students to practice science and communication skills, meet new people and get outside in our beautiful community forest lands!
Friends of the ACFL offers three homeschool field trips per school year in the fall, winter and spring, starting in the winter of 2025. These field trips are designed to be flexible for K-5 students with modifications and extensions for a variety of learners.
Upcoming Homeschool Field Trips:
Tuesday, January 14th
Wednesday, January 15th
*Friends of the ACFL’s programming is entirely FREE, but we prioritize member registration before opening spots to the general public. If you would like to become a member and learn about these opportunities first, please head to our Support Us page prior to registration opening to ensure that you have first access to the registration information.
If you have any questions about our youth programs, please email our Youth Education Coordinator at hannah@friendsoftheacfl.org.