Garden Classroom

Garden activities are fully integrated into the SOP curriculum and focus on exploring gardens as ecosystems, art in the garden, soil science, and most importantly, the food cycle: from food waste in the dining hall to compost to garden soil to garden plantings to harvest to the IslandWood kitchen and dining hall! Garden activities center around understanding garden ecology, changes in seasons, the relationship between fresh and nutritious food and human health, and basic hands-on gardening techniques.

The garden beds are intentionally designed and planted to provide a variety of tastes, colors, smells, and culinary uses to demonstrate to children the diversity of fresh vegetables and fruits than can be grown locally in a garden. We hope that in our sensory and tasting tours, children will be able to appreciate fresh produce, and be able to see it in its original form, not encased in plastic or part of a cooked meal!

We also have a garden "classroom" where field groups can meet in a garden setting. The garden is also designed to accommodate wheelchairs, with wide trails between beds, a navigable surface in the greenhouse and garden, and raised beds at varying heights to facilitate wheelchair access.

Volunteer Program at the Garden

IslandWood has a unique partnership with WSU Extension Kitsap County Master Gardener Program, which provides a 6-week training program in organic gardening and working with children in the organic garden. We currently have over 30 volunteers who work in the garden in our school programs and provide other support activities to support the garden.

Connections with Schools and Other Garden Organizations

IslandWood has provided assistance to partner schools to design, develop, and maintain school gardens. This assistance includes school liaison visits to work with students in school gardens, garden curriculum activities, and volunteer support to work with students on special projects. IslandWood also provides produce “starts” to schools, planted by schoolchildren.

IslandWood is developing relationships with other garden organizations, including Seattle Tilth, the Edible Schoolyard, local garden clubs, and community supported agriculture groups (CSAs) to come together and share ideas about gardening with children.

Native Plant Demonstration Area and Restoration Nursery

A natural extension of our organic garden is a native plant demonstration area and small restoration nursery. Plants that are native to the Puget Sound lowlands have been planted along a short loop trail that was built by volunteers from Starbucks. Students have salvaged native plants from trailsides and landscaped beds for replanting on the IslandWood campus for restoration projects. Some plants have also been donated or purchased for our restoration nursery. IslandWood has also provided native plants for special projects for schools and other local organizations. A recent grant from the Washington Native Plant Society provided signage for our demonstration area.

Kitchen

In addition to produce, the organic garden also grows herbs and edible flowers for use in the kitchen and dining events during the School Overnight Program and other special events. The garden has a special production bed to supply the kitchen with fresh produce in larger quantities than available in the rest of the garden.

Children routinely harvest produce and bring it to the kitchen staff to reinforce the seed to table concept of gardening. IslandWood is also incorporating activities into the school program where field groups will prepare and cook the produce they harvest.