Camano Forest School

Welcome to Camano Forest School

Camano Forest School began through the grassroots effort of local parents and teachers who saw a need for a local outdoor education option. Over the past two years we've built a licensed, 100% outdoor, nature-based school that gets kids outside and into the woods every single day, rain or shine, while also filling a real need for childcare in a vastly underserved area.

How does Camano Forest School serve the Stanwood/Camano area?

Camano Forest School serves families across the Stanwood/Camano area, offering one of the only fully outdoor, nature-based early learning options in a region where licensed childcare is already scarce. As we work toward growing enrollment we are positioned to absorb more of the local demand that's currently going unmet, giving working parents a real, accessible option and giving children a foundation the traditional childcare landscape here mostly can't offe

Why outdoor school?

Preschool age children learn best by moving, taking small risks, and using their senses, not by sitting still. Climbing a log or balancing across a puddle builds real focus and self-control, the kind that actually helps in a classroom later on. Being outside calms children and improves attention span. Time spent climbing, balancing and exploring builds executive function, the skill behind focus and self-regulation, while also strengthening social-emotional growth, language and kindergarten readiness. The average American preschooler gets less than an hour outside on a typical weekday. We believe that outdoor school is not an alternative approach to education but a correction to how little time children spend outdoors. 

For school-age children, outdoor learning brings science to life through their own questions and discoveries, while supporting the attention, motivation, and collaboration that help them learn across subjects. Regular, joyful experiences in nature beginning in childhood can also build a lasting sense of belonging in the living world, a connection that research links to caring for and protecting it later in life.

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