This October, 960 kindergarten through fourth grade students from South Whidbey, Coupeville, and Oak Harbor school districts traded their classrooms for the shoreline and fields at YMCA Camp Casey. Each outdoor education day trip included hands-on lessons, camp activities, and lunch.

The day trips are the latest step in the Y's plan to grow outdoor education, both for Whidbey Island schools and for students beyond the island. The Camp Casey team built the program with community partners, pairing local kids with experts on the island's shorelines, wildlife, and nature.

“Outdoor education at Camp Casey is an opportunity to get kids outside, where the great outdoors is their classroom,” said Jake Carlson, Executive Director of YMCA Camp Casey. "Kids get to learn about their environment while they're in that environment, and a lot kids who struggle in school are the ones who thrive the most out here. They get to be curious, explore, and ask questions."

Students rotated between stations led by partner experts and Y staff, exploring the sealab, local birds and shoreline health, and taking on camp favorites like the climbing wall and giant slide.

The idea started with putting Camp Casey’s quiet fall weekdays to work for local kids, and community partners made it possible. The Y thanks Sound Water Stewards, Whidbey Audubon Society, Washington State Parks, and the Island County Department of Natural Resources, whose expertise, together with Y staff, gave students a day of outdoor learning they won't forget.

This year’s day trips were made possible by a generous gift from Ballmer Group. Looking ahead, the Y aims to raise $35,000 through its 2027 Community Campaign to bring fall outdoor education back next year. Camp Casey also plans to grow its spring overnight program, which mostly serves fifth and sixth graders from across the region, and add a dedicated outdoor education coordinator.

For inquiries about your school, public or private, taking part in outdoor education at YMCA Camp Casey in 2027, contact Jake Carlson at jcarlson@ymca-snoco.org.

If interested in getting local kids outdoors to learn, explore and grow, you can help bring fall day trips back next year by giving to the YMCA of Snohomish County 2027 Community Campaign at ymca-snoco.org/community-campaign.