Farm School
10 week Semesters
10 week Semesters - Fridays
Winter Seasons
Fridays: Jan 17 - Mar 21, 2025
Mondays: Jan 13 - Mar 17, 2025
Spring
Fridays: Mar 28 - May 30, 2025
Summer
Fridays: June 6 - Aug 1, 2025
$585 / semester
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 approx:
10:2 for our 3/4 yr. olds
10:1 for our 5/6, 7/8
12:1 for older groups
Cultivating Young Minds through Regenerative Farming
Our Farm School Program at Nature Farm School offers a unique, hands-on learning experience for children of all ages. Rooted in the principles of organic, regenerative, permaculture, and biodynamic farming, this program immerses students in the wonders of sustainable agriculture and environmental stewardship. From the youngest Farm Explorers to the more advanced Farm Builders and Foragers, our curriculum is designed to nurture a deep connection with the natural world.
Students engage in a variety of activities that blend education with practical experience. They learn the cycles of nature through gardening, seasonal crafts, and observing wildlife, while also getting their hands dirty with farm chores like planting, watering, and harvesting. Our program emphasizes respect for all living creatures and teaches the importance of beneficial insects and natural ecosystems.
As students grow, so does the complexity of their learning. Older participants delve into topics like greenhouse management, sustainable beekeeping, and ethical wildcrafting. They explore local ecology, learn food preservation techniques, and even create herbal medicines, all while understanding the vital connections between their actions and the health of the planet.
Our approach ensures that whether building birdhouses, making compost, or navigating by natural landmarks, every student at Nature Farm School gains invaluable skills and insights. By fostering a love for learning, imagination, and play, we prepare the next generation for a life of environmental consciousness and respect for the earth.
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
To Register select a location below…
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 together with 10-12 students per teacher.
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