Outdoor Education

Outdoor Education

In the 1960s, more than 200 sixth graders from regional schools visited Camp Casey to attend our first outdoor education camp. The tradition continues for many of those schools and many new schools, including homeschool co-ops.

Deer in front of lighthouse

Camp Casey offers unique classes to supplement your program:

  • Sea Lab: 45-minute class for up to 30 students with a tour of the lab’s many aquariums and a lively demonstration of its sea creatures. This activity available in the spring only.
  • Beach Seine: 90-minute class for up to 95 students. The instructor pilots a motorboat near shore, lets out a net, and students assist in pulling the net onshore to examine and learn about the sea life it contains. Weather- and tide-dependent.  This activity is only available weekdays during the Spring.
  • Forest Meadow Walk: 90-minute class limited to 40 students. Plant and animal life are on display as a naturalist leads the way through our heritage forest and meadows on the north side of Camp Casey. This activity is available weekdays.
  • Night Sky Viewing Class: Look through our 25″ diameter f/5 telescope with Professor Doug Downing to catch a glimpse of the moon, planets or constellation (weather dependent).
  • Birding with Whidbey Audubon Society: Learn about native bird species and their habitats on Whidbey.
  • Native American Storyteller Professor Lou LaBombard: Hear stories and tales from Professor LaBombards ancestors and friends. This can be scheduled around a campfire too!  
  • Orca Network Lectures on orca conservation and habitat protection.

Teachers regularly utilize Casey’s ideal location to enhance curriculum on Washington state history, geology, and marine biology.

  • Fort Casey State Park and Admiralty Head Lighthouse are a 5-minute walk
  • Just 3 miles to downtown Coupeville and regional historical museum