A typical day for a third or fourth grade student. Wake-up is at 7 am, except for a few who will have started the day at 5:45 am to begin feeding the animals! Every child gets a turn to feed the animals either in the morning or evening. It is a job much loved by students, especially in the early hours when only they, a staff member and the farmer are in the barn with all the animals.
Breakfast is at 7:30 am and house-keeping is at 8 am. Children on the farm are each assigned specific chores such as setting and waiting on tables full of their classmates, housekeeping all the rooms of the Main House, and kitchen chores. They are real tasks that are a necessary part of farm life and living in a community setting.
Beginning at 8:30 am, there are all-class activities which might include yogurt making, food preservation, fun with our sheep and crafting with wool, exploring our on-site creamery and making cheese. After a small snack, the children are then divided into smaller groups to enjoy mid-morning activities such as bread baking, barn cleaning, wood chopping, or a gardening project. At lunch time, all the children eat together in the dining hall where the hearty organic meals are served family style. Our day follows the rhythm of in-breathing (contemplative or quiet times), and out-breathing (active times).
After the noon meal, the children have a quiet time to replenish and get ready for the busy afternoon activities. These activities can include butter making, exploring, horse grooming/rides, cooking, hiking and seasonal maple syrup tapping or apple cider pressing. A fruit snack is served, then the children have play time monitored by their teachers.
The evening animal feeders get to stroll through the stalls making sure that all the animals are ready for the evening. The dinner meal, which is partially prepared by the students, is served. The day ends with all gathered together for a quiet story time in the Main House living room.
The students live in the original farm house which has four dorm rooms with double bunk beds. There are also four bathrooms in the house. The teachers have their own sleeping quarters next, or adjacent to, the children’s rooms.
Older students or returning classes have varying activities that are class/age appropriatesuch as map and compass, orienteering, and caving. Ninth and tenth grade students stay in our cabins in the woods and work alongside our professional farmers and staff to learn about the farm-to-table and farm-to-store process and biodynamics. All of our activities are hands-on and can be adjusted to the needs of the individual classes. Our program managers work closely with the teachers to make each farm trip a memorable experience for the students.