Resembling a human arm, a tree-trunk porch-support column ushers children into the Blakely Elementary School. Its smooth, barkless surface begs to be touched by students, most of whom live among the tall firs of Bainbridge Island, an exurban redoubt of tiny farms and waterfront houses 35 minutes west of Seattle by ferry.

Children discover many such evocative, tactile elements throughout the 63,800-square-foot, $34 million school, which was designed by Seattle-based Mithun for 450 students in pre-K through the fourth grade. There are kid-size niches fitted along the entry portico that invite exploration. In the library, children can stack laminated wood blocks to clamber upon, or gather them around to form a story nook. These are grace notes with a pedagogical intent: “We wanted to have the entire school available for learning,” says Tamela Van Winkle, the executive director of Facilities Operations and Capital Projects for the Bainbridge Island School District.