Nature Farm School

Helping grow more than just healthy plants

Time to let your kids unplug and reconnect to the natural world. At Nature Farm School, we help grow sustainable and resilient kids who understand the connection between healthy soil and delicious, life-giving food, while deepening their awareness of the natural world. Our teaching style and curriculum is influenced by Wilderness Awareness Schools, Waldorf & Montessori Education, and the Garden-Based Learning Movement.

Classes are taught on a beautiful organic, regenerative, permaculture, biodynamic veggie & medicinal herb farm. Each farm school day consists of group games, circle time, farm chores working with the farmers, gardening or farming activities, time with our seasonal farm animals, nature activities, art, stories, homestead skills, wilderness exploration, food preparation, and so much more.

Spring Break Camp

Mon, March 11 - Fri, March 15

$375

Friday Farm School

Ages 3 - 16 years

Fridays, March 29 - May 31, 2024

10 week semester

$575

Summer Camps

Ages 4 - 12

Weekly Summer Camps
June - August

$375/week
$225 4th of July week*

week 1: June 3-7
week 2: June 10-14
week 3: June 17-21
week 4: June 24-28
week 5: July 1, 2, 3 (m,t,w)
week 6: July 8-12
week 7: July 15 - 19
week 8: July 22 - 26
week 9: July 29 - Aug 2

Friday Farm School

10 week Semesters - Every Friday
Spring, Fall & Winter Seasons

Farm School is available year-round, broken down into 10-week semesters that coincide with the seasons - Fall, Winter and Spring semester. Sibling discounts available. We also have a farm-to-table snack/lunch program available – catered healthy organic food prepared by our chef.

Classes are divided into age groups, similar to: Class 1 ~ ages 3/4, Class 2 ~ ages 5/6, Class 3 ~ ages 7/8, Class 4 ~ ages 9/10, Class 5 ~ ages 11-16. The student teacher ratio is 10:2 for our 3/4 yr. olds, 10:1 for our 5/6, 7/8 and 12:1 for older groups.

Parents are welcome to stay on-site at our Vineyard tasting room during class time to work, read, or relax. We have excellent wi-fi, coffee & tea bar, and food available. Both indoor and outdoor space

Typical Daily Rhythm

9:00 - 9:15 am Check-in | Group Games
9:15 - 9:30 am Greetings | Set Intentions for Day | Sit Spot
9:30 - 10:30 am Garden/Nature activity| Farm Chores
10:30 - 10:45 am Snack
10:45 - 12:00 pm Main Lesson & Seasonal Activity
12:00 - 12:30 pm Lunch & stories/riddles
12:45 - 1:45 pm Games | Nature connection & Garden work
1:45 - 2:00 pm Clean up | Dismissal

Spring Break, Summer & Winter Break Camps

CAMPS
Spring Break
Summer
Thanksgiving & Winter Break

Time to get outside and play! Offered during Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter breaks, our Farm Camps provide endless opportunities for kids to connect with the natural world while experiencing the rhythms of a working farm. Each camp day is designed to inspire a connection with and love of nature and the outdoors.

Activities include group games, circle time, farm chores working with the farmers, gardening or farming activities, time with our seasonal farm animals, nature activities, art, stories, homestead skills, wilderness exploration, food preparation, and so much more.

In the Summer, we cool off in the afternoon with outdoor water play and indoor activities.

In the Winter, we stay warm around the fire, teaching fire building, safety and cooking over the fire!

*On inclement weather days, we have an indoor temperature controlled Farm Classroom where we hold class.

Classes are divided into two age groups w/ a 10:1 student teacher ratio: Willows ~ ages 4-6 & Oaks ~ ages 7-12

Sample Daily Camp Rhythm

9:00 - 9:30 am Welcome Games / Intentions of the day
9:30 - 10:30 am Farm Chores / Activities
10:30 - 10:45 am Snack
10:45 - 12:00 pm Theme Activity
12:00 - 12:30 pm Lunch
12:30 - 1:15 pm Theme Activity
1:15 - 2:00 pm Seasonal Activities / Clean Up
2:00 pm Dismissal

Spring Break Registration

Summer Camp Registration

EMBARK ON AN EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY

Nature Farm School Programs by Age

Farm Explorers (ages 3-6)

The focus for the Farm Explorers is learning to be comfortable with the natural world, while also practicing respect and compassion for all living creatures - including each other! Through experiential learning, we help foster a Love for Learning through Imagination and Play. The days are Rooted in the Rhythms of the Natural World.

The children are introduced to the cycles of seasons and nature through seasonal garden activities, games, crafts, stories, and songs. They practice appropriate “farm etiquette” and the proper use and function of hand tools. They engage in weekly farm chores that may include watering plants, harvesting, planting seeds and working with seasonal farm animals.

Activities are nature-based and seasonal such as making flower presses, weaving nature looms, brewing and tasting herbal teas, making salads, observing insects with magnifiers, and sifting compost to find out who lives and works in our soil. The Farm Explorers also take discovery walks during the day to explore our farm space and the surrounding natural preserve. We include plenty of time to connect with nature through play and curiosity!

The Farm Explorers are divided into two age grouped classes: Ages 3/4 are together and 5/6 are together in another class. We keep the class sizes small. 10 students per teacher. The 3/4 year old class will also have an assistant teacher.

Farm Builders (ages 7-10)

In Farm Builders we meet this inquisitive age head-on with plenty of farming, building, creating, and exploring.

Farm activities may include building things that help out on the farm, such as raised beds, compost sifters, chicken shelters, etc. They get deeper into the practices of organic, regenerative, permaculture and biodynamic farming practices by planting, tending, harvesting, and cooking. They also learn about our medicinal plant garden, as well as native and traditional food and medicine sources, and our local wildlife, including insects and birds. The children are exposed to the concept of beneficial insects and their role in maintaining a healthy farm/garden ecosystem. They gain an understanding that what happens in the natural world is what we practice here at the farm and that everything is connected to the ecology of life.

Examples of some of our seasonal activities include saving seeds, building bird houses, creating native bee habitats, making and tossing native seed balls, and making flower presses, building & making compost, soil science, berms & swales, harvesting & much much more.

Practical outdoor skill activities may include animal tracking, natural navigation, fire building & fire safety, shelter building, wood carving & knife safety, and making cordage and basketry from natural fibers, plant dyes, basic first aid medicinal herbs.

The Farm Builders are divided into two age grouped classes: Ages 7/8 are together and 9/10 are together in another class. We keep the class sizes small. 10-12 students per teacher.

Farm & Forage (ages 11-16)

Our Farm & Forage program gives tweens and teens the opportunity to learn about holistic farming practices literally from the ground up. Topics include regenerative agriculture, permaculture, biodynamics, compost making, chicken care, greenhouse management, seed saving, botany, local ecology & climatology, agroforestry, sustainable beekeeping, food preservation, and fermentation, harvesting, and cooking. We also study our nature preserve and learn ethical wildcrafting and native plant identification, then make useful products by hand such as herbal medicines, cordage and natural fiber baskets. They observe, study, interact with and build, all while keeping with the seasonal themes and workings on the farm.

They spend time in ‘sit-spot’ where students choose a particular spot in nature to sit quietly and observe. This spot becomes a personal space for connecting with the natural environment, allowing students to watch, listen, and learn from the landscape and its inhabitants over time. These students also get plenty of time to play with nature being the playground.

The Farm & Forage students are all together with 10-12 students per teacher.

FAQs

Our 100% outdoor program seeks to meet children at their developmental age through a unique curriculum inspired by Waldorf & Montessori Education, Nature-Based Education, and Wilderness Awareness Schools. Our Farm Explorer program gives our youngest students room for imaginative and explorative play and sensory engagement, while our Farm Builder program focuses on concrete life experiences to engage them in deep purposeful work. As we move up into middle and high school years, the Farm & Forage and Farm Apprenticeship programs give students the power of autonomy, deeper ecological knowledge, and provide the opportunity to learn the basics of holistic farming methods. We connect the students to how food is grown in the utmost sustainable & nutritious way while deepening their awareness of the natural world and connecting deeper with who they are and their role in this ecosystem.
Click here for the bios of our amazing teaching team.
Yes! We have an amazing Farm-to-Table meal program. We source organic regeneratively grown food from our farm and local partner farms & our chef cooks up made from scratch whole food meals. The meals are served Family style so the students can serve themselves & gain awareness about trying new things, portion control & having more autonomy around their food. After lunch, Students do their own dishes & help with composting any waste. We do not send any food waste to the landfill but instead turn it into fertility for the farm through our composting methods. You can add-on the meal program during registration. We can cater to most food allergies and sensitivities.
Absolutely! We’ve provided the ideal place for you to hang out after you drop your kids off at the farm. We open our tasting room at 8 am with coffee and tea. There’s plenty of comfortable indoor and outdoor seating with excellent WiFi. We also have lunch and snacks available during the day. Many parents stay and get work done, read, and even exercise - there’s plenty of yoga space under the oaks and running / walking trails nearby.
We offer aftercare until 3:30pm. Please contact us directly if you are interested in signing up.
Yes, all children must be potty trained. We are an outdoor school that uses compost toilets, so we do not have the facilities to assist with pull-ups or diapers.
When you register, you are committing to the entire farm school semester or farm camp program. In order for us to run these programs and keep class sizes low and secure our teachers, we need to plan for our exact number of students. If, for any reason, you need to withdraw from enrollment, you can do so up to 14 days before the first class date. After that date, the enrollment fees are non-refundable.
We are a “beyond organic” regenerative farm that takes pride in our permaculture and regenerative soil building practices to grow our food and take care of our farm animals. One of the intentions of our farm, besides growing amazing food, is to build community. We love to have volunteers at our farm who are interested in learning and growing with us. If you are interested in coming out and working hard with us, register on our volunteer page.
Internship opportunities are available for high school age students and up. If you want to dive deeper into this method of farming, we offer internship opportunities to those that are serious and want to learn about what we're doing and are willing to work hard to learn. Please contact us for more information.Item description
Yes! We are a living classroom and provide many educational opportunities for schools, home schools or private parties. Let us know what you want to learn about our farm. We can offer tours, hands-on experience, harvesting and bundling up your own veggies, crafts, art, nature skills, learning about our animals, play and much more. Please fill out an inquiry form here.
Please email or text us!