CISF offers an array of enriching programs for home-schooled students ages 5 – 17 throughout the academic year. The programs orient students to such subjects as the natural world and ecological consciousness, as well as provide a space for students to interact and play with peers. Want to learn more? Join our homeschool mailing list.
Ages 5-15
Cost: $35/session
Fridays, 12 – 3pm
4/3: Mapping Fort Getty
Come learn how to find your way around using compasses and maps! We will have fun learning how to use these tools to find out where we’re going, and then create our own maps of our favorite area!
4/10: Geology
Come explore the basics of geology at Fort Getty! We will learn the difference between Igneous, Sedimentary, and Metamorphic rocks through a fun hands-on activity, collect specimens from the areas, sort and identify them as best we can, and see what the rocks can teach us about the history of the island!
4/17: Earth Week Trash Clean Up and Audit!
Spend the Friday before Earth Day giving back to the earth in the beautiful outdoors! We will hike around Fort Getty and clean up the shores, to help keep our shores, the bay, and all its inhabitants, safe and clean. We will then do a trash audit, gathering data on what types of litter we are finding most frequently.
5/1: Aquaculture Adventures
Come on an Aquaculture (and wild harvest) journey with us, learning the basics of Oyster Aquaculture, the different edible shellfish we can harvest in the bay, and the rules around harvesting them. This program will culminate in us steaming some freshly harvested clams and having a delicious snack!
5/8: Foraging and Cooking
Join us as we learn about how to forage safely and sustainably – with a focus on the abundance of edible plant life all around us in the spring. Youth will have an opportunity to practice basic cooking skills as we prepare some food with what we harvest.
5/15: How Sailboats Work
Learn the basics of how sailboats work through hands-on activities. We will talk about the forces of buoyancy and lift, put them to practice building our own simple boats, and hopefully go sailing ourselves (if weather allows!)
Ages: 6-10
Cost: $130/session (5 weeks)
Where: CISF Tent @ Ft. Getty
When: Wednesdays, 12 – 2pm
5 weeks: April 29th to May 27th
If you are interested in a program for next school year, you can scroll down to fill out the form for Junior Nature Explorers for ages 5-7, hopefully relaunching in the fall.
Ages: 13-17
Cost: $250
Where: CISF Tent @ Ft. Getty
When: Mondays 12 – 3 PM
5 weeks: April 20th – May 18th
If you are interested in a program for next school year, you can scroll down to fill out the form for Junior Nature Explorers for ages 5-7, hopefully relaunching in the fall.
Ages 8-14
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 12:30 – 3 pm
Cost: $320 / 5 week session
Schedule: 10 Weeks each in the spring and fall, 6-8 weeks of lighter programming through the winter
This program is currently full, with a group of returning participants. If you are interested in your child joining this program, you can add them to the waitlist (more information about the program is stated there)
When a spot opens up you will be reached out to join the group. This is a master running waitlist for all sessions. Once your child has been added to the waitlist they are on it for good, until they are either added into the program or removed. It is our plan to add more spots to this program sometime this year, either by this spring or by fall. We hope to have a good amount of movement off the list at least by fall.
Ages 5-7
Day and Time TBD
Formerly Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9 – 11:30am
Due to low enrollment, we have not been running our Junior Nature Explorers program for 5-7 year olds. We are working on re-launching this program, looking to find the best day and time and attracting more interest.
If you would be interested in your child participating in this program in the coming Spring or Fall, please fill out this interest form:
