Learn • Explore • Create • Grow
We are excited to offer Hood Canal Summer School 2026 for students in Pre-K through 8th grade! This free summer program combines engaging academic learning with exciting hands-on enrichment opportunities designed to keep students learning, exploring, and growing throughout the summer.
👉 Click here to sign up today!
Program Information
Dates: July 6–23, 2026
Days: Monday–Thursday
Time: 9:00 AM–1:00 PM
Transportation Provided (limited in some areas)
Free Breakfast & Lunch Daily
Students will spend the mornings building important academic skills in reading, writing, and math through engaging, supportive instruction. In the afternoons, students will participate in creative enrichment activities, outdoor learning, STEM challenges, art, teamwork activities, and more.
This program is designed to help students maintain and strengthen academic skills while also creating positive summer experiences, building confidence, encouraging creativity, and supporting social connection.
Enrichment Activities
In addition to academics, students will participate in exciting enrichment opportunities designed to build creativity, teamwork, leadership, and hands-on learning skills throughout the summer.
☀️ STEM Engineering Challenges
Students will explore engineering, design, and problem-solving through engaging hands-on projects and experiments. Working individually and in teams, students will imagine, build, test, and improve their creations while learning the basics of physics and engineering design.
Activities may include:
Egg drops
Rockets
Catapults
Team design challenges
Creative problem-solving projects
Students will experiment, compete, collaborate, and bring their ideas to life through active learning experiences.
☀️ Young Author & Comic Creator Projects
Students will unleash their creativity through storytelling, writing, illustration, and comic creation. Whether writing imaginative stories or designing original comic books, students will learn how ideas develop from brainstorming to final publication.
Students will:
Write original stories or comics
Develop characters and story themes
Practice drafting, revising, and editing
Learn storytelling and visual design skills
Collaborate on class publications
Completed projects may be published in a class book or anthology for the school library.
☀️ Become a Published Author
Students interested in creative writing will have opportunities to strengthen their writing skills while developing original stories and personal voice. Students will work through the full writing process from idea development to polished final drafts.
Students will explore:
Creative storytelling techniques
Theme and character development
Writing organization and structure
Drafting, revising, editing, and publishing
Sharing and presenting written work
Selected student work may be compiled into a published class anthology.
☀️ Outdoor Art & Nature Exploration
Students will combine creativity and outdoor learning through art, observation, and exploration activities inspired by the natural beauty of Hood Canal and the Pacific Northwest.
Activities may include:
Outdoor painting and sketching
Nature observation journals
Botanical and flower art
Color scavenger hunts
Creative projects using natural inspiration
Students will build artistic confidence while connecting creativity with the outdoors.
☀️ PlayWorks Junior Coaches
Students will build leadership, teamwork, and communication skills by helping lead cooperative games and positive recess activities for younger students. This program encourages students to become role models and positive leaders within the school community.
Students will practice:
Leadership and teamwork
Conflict resolution
Recess game facilitation
Team-building activities
Positive peer interaction and encouragement
Students will gain confidence while helping create an inclusive and supportive environment for others.
☀️ PE Games & First Aid
Students will stay active and build healthy habits through movement-based games, team challenges, and introductory first aid and safety activities. This class combines physical activity with practical life skills in a fun and engaging environment.
Students will participate in:
Team games and fitness activities
Movement and coordination challenges
Introductory first aid and safety skills
Healthy habit development
Cooperative and sportsmanship activities
The focus is on fun, teamwork, confidence, and healthy living.
☀️ Salmon Science & Art Integration with Mr. Max
Students will explore the connection between science, art, and the local environment through engaging projects focused on salmon, ecosystems, and the Hood Canal region. This interdisciplinary class combines hands-on learning, environmental education, and creative expression.
Students will explore:
Salmon life cycles and habitat
Environmental science concepts
Art projects inspired by nature
Local ecosystems and stewardship
Hands-on investigations and creative projects
This class helps students better understand and appreciate the environment and natural resources that surround our community.
☀️ Video Production & Digital Storytelling
Students will learn how to plan, film, and edit their own original videos using iPads and iMovie. Throughout the summer, students will work together to create creative projects that will be showcased during a special Summer School Film Festival at the end of the program.
Students will explore:
Storyboarding and planning scenes
Filming techniques using iPads
Video editing with iMovie
Voiceover recording and sound effects
Creative storytelling and visual communication
Teamwork, interviewing, and presentation skills
Students will have the opportunity to premiere their finished projects for families, staff, and classmates during our end-of-summer celebration and mini film festival.