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A Day at Headlands Institute

Every day at the Headlands Institute is a special experience, from the hikes around the Marin Headlands to the lessons in the labs. Find out why!

  • Daily Schedule  View our daily schedule.
     
  • Sample Day with Activities  Every day at Headlands Institute is different, here's one example.
     
  • Meals and Lodging: Meals and lodging are given special care.  We offer fresh, healthy meals and comfortable sleeping sleeping accommodations.  Tuition includes lodging and all meals except lunch on the  first day.  
     
  • Lab Spaces:  Lab work is an important part of any Headlands  Institute  program. 
     
  • Evening Programs:  Each overnight at Headlands Institute includes a fun  and educational evening program presented by our staff 
     
  • Field Trips:  Learn about optional field trips available with our 5 day  programs.

Daily Schedule

While specific activities are designed around individual classes based on their needs, the standard schedule at Headlands Institute's field science program is as follows.  
 
6:45 a.m.  Wake-up (no earlier)
7:15 or 8:00 a.m.  Breakfast
9:00 a.m.  Morning meeting
9:15 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.  In the field
12:30 p.m.  Lunch in the field
4:00 - 6:00 p.m.  Activity time
5:15 or 6:10 p.m.  Dinner
6:00 - 7:10 p.m.  Activity time
7:10 p.m.Evening program
8:30 - 9:15 p.m.  Get ready for bed
9:15 p.m.  Story time and lights out
 

 

Waking up and Getting Ready for Bed

Students get ready for the day and ready for bed at these times. They may shower in the dorms, where there are private showers and bathroom stalls.
 
 

Breakfast and Dinner

Breakfast and dinner are served in the dining hall on campus. Since multiple schools visit Headlands Institute at one time, meals are served in shifts. Schools will always eat with members of their school. At the meals, students assign a busser for each table in charge of bringing compost and trash to the bins.

Morning Meeting

Students receive reports on food waste from their breakfast and create goals for reducing waste at dinner. They receive information on the day's activities from Headlands Institute's campus coordinator.

In the Field

Field groups consist of 1 Headlands Institute field science educator, up to 16 students, and 1 - 2 parent chaperones or class teachers. Field groups hike through the Marin Headlands performing science investigations of different ecosystems, as well as visiting the marine and wet labs on campus to get closer looks at plants and animals. Hands-on activities in the field enhance students' learning.

Field science group hikes up from Rodeo Beach.

Lunch

Field groups enjoy lunch in the field, prepared daily by Headlands Institute's team of chefs. Members of the group take on responsibilities of carrying an element of the lunch in their backpacks until lunch time when the group assembles and eats its lunch in the field.

Activity Time

Headlands Institute provides basketballs, soccer balls, volleyballs, footballs, and frisbees for students to play sports  on our courts and fields on campus. Students can also visit the beach if supervised by a chaperone. They may also elect to spend this time in the dorms, if a chaperone is present, to hang out with friends or read. Teachers may also elect to hold a class meeting at this time. Students also prepare for their evening program at this time.
On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, high school interns from our TEAM program, supervised by Headlands Institute staff, lead Eco-Athletics.  These 30 minute activities may include games, eco-art, and  animal feeding in the Marine Lab and are designed to give individual students the opportunity to further explore topics of particular interest to them.

Evening Program

Schools will engage in an evening program each full night of stay. Evening programs may include a campfire, a night hike, games, presentations, and more. They may also correlate with activities performed during the day. All evening programs are led by Headlands Institute staff. See descriptions of evening programs. 

 

Story Time and Lights Out

Headlands staff visits all dorms to make sure lights are out and may share a song or story. 

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A Day in theHeadlands

 
8:58 a.m. Christine explains today's theme, "How Healthy is the Water?" Instructors create these colorful "mindmaps" to orient students to the day's activities, which are always planned around a central teaching theme.
 
 
9:15 a.m. Lily, 9, hits the trail with her hiking group. This afternoon, as the "wildlife professor," she'll teach her classmates how the lupine flower got its name.
 
 
12:26 p.m. Jesse, 12, journals about what he observed at the tidepools. "We saw mussels, hermit crabs, and barnacles. There was a sea anemone that closed up its tentacles to catch pieces of food."
 
 
2:25 p.m. After patiently observing their pond water, 3rd graders Bryan, Cody, and Devon realize that the mud they collected from the pond is actually filled with dragonfly nymphs and caddisfly larvae. 

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