Farm, Forest & Homesteading program
for children age 5 to 13
Our Farm, Forest & Homesteading Program is offered on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays allowing families the flexibility to enroll for one, two, or all three days each week.
Designed as a mixed-age community, children spend their days immersed in the rhythms of nature, the changing seasons, and the meaningful work of life on the homestead.
Children spend their days unplugged, active, and deeply engaged in meaningful experiences that nurture confidence, independence, and a lasting connection to nature.
Each day offers authentic, hands-on experiences that foster confidence, resilience, curiosity, and a deep connection to the natural world. Children learn by doing—through exploration, observation, creativity, and purposeful work alongside caring mentors.
QUESTIONS? Please check our FAQ page.
Experiences may include:
Caring for farm animals and learning responsible animal stewardship
Forest exploration, nature observation, and wildlife discovery
Fire building and outdoor cooking
Homesteading skills and practical life activities
Gardening, planting, harvesting, and seed saving
Nature-based crafts, woodworking, and seasonal projects
Shelter building and outdoor adventures
Nature journaling, storytelling, songs, and games
Creek play and imaginative free play
Seasonal celebrations and farm traditions
Because our community includes children of mixed ages (ages 5–13), activities are thoughtfully adapted to each child’s stage of development. Younger children are gently guided through discovery and play, while older children are given increasing responsibility, leadership opportunities, and opportunities to develop more advanced outdoor and homesteading skills.
Rather than separating children by age, we embrace the richness of a mixed-age community where older children naturally mentor younger ones, friendships flourish across age groups, and every child is valued for the unique gifts they bring.
Limited spaces are available to preserve the close-knit, family-like atmosphere that makes Stony Hollow so special. We believe children thrive when they are known, valued, and given the freedom to explore, create, and grow in a nurturing natural environment.
Upcoming Sessions:
Fall Farm Program (9am-12pm and 12pm to 3pm; Ages 5 to 13)
Monday, Wednesday and/or Friday
Sep 14 to Dec 18
You may register for 1 day per week or more
Our Special “Evergreen Dreams” Program (9am-3pm; Ages 5 to 13)
Monday to Thursday, 4-day program
Dec 28 - 31
Drop-ins question to availability, we will proritize full week enrollment
EXCHANGE:
Fall Farm Program
1 day per week morning session 9am-12pm (for example every Tuesday morning for 13 weeks): sliding scale from $650 to $825 (Value: $750)
1 day per week afternoon session 12pm-3pm (for example every Tuesday afternoon for 13 weeks): sliding scale from $650 to $825 (Value: $750)
1 day per week morning & afternoon (for example every Tuesday for 13 weeks): sliding scale from $1040 to $1560 (Value: $1250)
Evergreen Dreams Program
4-day program full day session (9am-3pm): sliding scale from $400 to $600
Enrollment Process
The enrollment process to Stony Hollow Farm programs is simple:
Go to our Enroll page, choose the program your are interested in and register and pay online.
Alternatively, you may enroll by filling up an online registration form and sending the payment via a Venmo or check (with this pathway, please confirm the availablity of the spot before enrolling).
“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood.”
— Fred Rogers
Our daily activities at the farm for all children
Collecting farm fresh eggs
Building, constructing, creating
Snuggling with farm animals
Beekeeping, learning about bees
Feeding animals
Bottle-feeding baby goats
Cooking
Beeswax projects
Grooming animals
Gardening
Baking
Needle felting with wool from our sheep or rabbit fur
Learn more about our Ravens Program!
Farm, Forest & Homesteading program for Tweens and Teens (age 10 to 14)
Discover an engaging and enriching homeschooling program at our farm, thoughtfully designed for tweens and teens ages 10 to 14. This project-based learning experience blends hands-on farm work with meaningful interdisciplinary studies, giving students the opportunity to explore, create, and problem-solve in a setting that feels both inspiring and real.
Through a variety of projects, seasonal farm tasks, and collaborative research, our tweens and teens are encouraged to take ownership of their ideas and bring them to life. They learn to think critically, work as a team, and apply math, science, history, and language arts in ways that are practical, relevant, and deeply connected to daily farm life.
Here, students don’t just absorb information — they build, design, question, experiment, and contribute to something lasting.
Skills Developed:
Environmental Stewardship: Understand and implement practices that promote ecological balance and sustainability.
Collaboration & Teamwork: Work collaboratively with peers to achieve common goals.
Problem-Solving: Tackle challenges with creative and critical thinking.
Social Skills: Enhance cooperation, communication, teamwork, and conflict resolution through group collaboration.
Animal Husbandry: Participate in general care of the farm and its beloved animals.
Forest Discovery: Foraging, observing and reflecting on the natural world and understanding the impact we have on our environment.
Creativity Development: Produce a variety of goods for the farm store by using items grown and harvested from both greenhouse and natural environments, including foraged items like herbs and mushrooms, to create products such as tinctures and salves.
We are so excited to introduce this creative program to our community of older homeschoolers!
Upcoming Sessions:
Winter Farm Program (9am-12pm & 12pm-3pm)
Ravens Program on Fridays, Jan 6 to Mar 13 (10 weeks)
You may also register for our Farm program on other days where ages are mixed
Regular Farm, Forest & Homesteading Program for all ages on Tue or Thu, from Jan 6 to Mar 13
Evergreen Dreams Program (9am-12pm and 12pm to 3pm; Friday)
Friday, Jan 2
EXCHANGE:
Winter Farm Program
1 day per week morning session 9am-12pm (for example every Friday morning for 10 weeks): sliding scale from $500 to $750 (Value: $650)
1 day per week afternoon session 12pm-3pm (for example every Thursday afternoon for 10 weeks): sliding scale from $500 to $750 (Value: $650)
1 day per week morning & afternoon (every Friday for 10 weeks): sliding scale $750 to $1200 (Value: $950)
Evergreen Dreams Program on Friday
1-full day session (9am - 3pm): sliding scale from $85 to $130
More days per week: please contact us
Financial Aid: We do not have a financial aid program per se, however we strive to support homeschoolers in Hudson Valley, so if finances are an obstacle, please do not hesitate to reach out to us, as we are willing to get creative.
Enrollment Process
The enrollment process to Stony Hollow Farm programs is simple:
Go to our Enroll page, choose the program your are interested in and register and pay online.
Alternatively, you may enroll by filling up an online registration form and sending the payment via a Venmo or check (with this pathway, please confirm the availablity of the spot before enrolling).
