Summer Programs 2026
Voted Best of the South Shore for the Past Three Years in a Row
Our farm is a living and breathing classroom and a unique place to learn and explore!
We are a working Certified Organic and sustainable farm, nestled among historic farm buildings, and surrounded by beautiful conservation areas, meadows, woods, and an Ice Pond.
Our programs seek to connect children ages 3.5 - 14 to nature in a way that will stick with them for life!
Children may learn to care for our beloved barnyard animals, observe native wildlife, participate in sustainable farming, create art inspired by nature, cook, adventure, practice survival skills, build and invent, and get out to explore our unique natural learning environment! We tailor our curriculum to your child's specific age group, finding ways to engage and excite children from ages 3.5 -14! Our programs offer a way for children to "graduate" to the next level summer after summer and learn new things every year!
We are offering a few NEW PROGRAMS too!
- Bio-Blitz (ages 9 - 12)
- Farmsteaders - Holly Hill Farm 1776 (ages 9-12)
- Stepping Back in Time - 2-day living history program (ages 11-14)
- Environmental Solutions Leadership 3 - day (ages 11 - 14)
- Counselor-in-Training program that earns community service hours for school (ages 12-15)
We offer tiered pricing, reduced prices, and scholarships.
Families seeking additional assistance beyond our Tier-C reduced price option, are invited to submit a short scholarship application online. See pricing section below for details.
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Farm to Food Pantry Teens harvesting flowers for local food pantries (2025)
Ages 3.5 - 5
Garden Goats
This widely popular program is a terrific introduction to growing, working, and playing in an outdoor setting. During the week, children get to know the chickens, goats, donkey, and pony, and learn the basics of farm animal care. They will experience the joy of growing and eating healthy foods by planting, harvesting, tasting, and nurturing a variety of crops in our education garden. Kids get their hands in the dirt and compost to discover creatures that help a garden’s soil stay healthy. Finally, the children will have adventures in the natural areas outside of the growing areas, including the Ice Pond, where they will find insects, amphibians, and all sorts of creatures at home in that unique ecosystem. Each week there will be themed crafts, games, songs and stories to enrich their time at the farm.
One-week session
Half and full days
Weeks available:
Weeks 1-12: June 8 - August 28*
Notes
* Children must be age 3.5 by the session start date.
All children must be reliably potty-trained, not wearing pull-ups.
* On June 19 and July 3 we will be closed in observance of the holidays.
These 4-day weeks will be priced accordingly.
Ages 6-8
Monarchs
Step into the many habitats at Holly Hill, including growing areas, meadows, woods, marsh, ponds, and diverse flora & fauna. Children in this group will experience them all. Each day, we will work in the gardens, witnessing the plant’s cycle from seed to plant to flower to fruit while also performing chores to ensure the plants’ health and production of wonderful organic foods. We will head out beyond the gardens with tools and strategies to explore and observe the wonders of nature, including pollinating insects, pond and marsh dwellers, life under rocks and logs, geological formations, and more. Children collect simple data, record observations, make connections and predictions, create models, play games, and simply have fun being immersed in the natural world with their peers.
One week sessions
Half and full days.
Weeks available:
Weeks 1-12: June 8 - August 28*
*Must be age 6-8 the session start date
Questions about age requirements?
* On June 19 and July 4 we will be closed in observance of the holidays.
These 4-day weeks will be priced accordingly.
Ages 9-12
Future Farmers & Adventurers
Children will experience regenerative farming and environmental exploration in this program that combines adventure and education. They will gain hands-on experience caring for the on-site gardens by planting, caring for crops, and processing harvests for donation to local food pantries. They’ll learn how the varied ecosystems around the farm support the work they do, and get a chance to take a deep dive into navigating and exploring a diversity of natural spaces including marshes, meadows, and forests. Other aspects of the experience include working with the compost, visits to the farm fields and greenhouses, building new garden boxes and beds, and so much more. Each outing will open their eyes to new places and possibilities as they learn to navigate, observe, and create. Children will use compasses, practice basic survival skills, build shelters, create civilizations, quest, and more during these adventurous weeks.
One-week sessions
Full days
Weeks available:
Week 1: June 8
Must be age 9-12 by session start date.
BioBlitz
Children will learn about the various living systems that help the farm thrive, by going on a series of guided hikes that highlight the diversity of animal and plant species. Each day will focus on a different habitat, including meadows, marshes, forests, ponds, and even the farm itself. They will learn to use field guides, record their findings in journals, and practice sustainable scientific observation that preserves the spaces they visit. The goal is to see how many different species they can find and identify in one week. Other activities include sustainable foraging, designing and planting a garden based “ecosystem”, as well as crafting and cooking.
One-week sessions
Full days
Weeks available:
Week 3: June 22
Week 10: August 10
Must be age 9-12 by session start date.
Future Farmers
Children will learn what it takes to get food from farm to table through hands-on experience with growing, caring for, and harvesting a diversity of seasonal produce in different settings on the farm. This food systems focused exploration will give students the opportunity to learn about the importance of, and take part in, growing for the community, and the majority of the produce they process will be donated to local food pantries. Other aspects of the program include working with the compost, visits to the farm fields and greenhouses, building new garden boxes and beds, and so much more. Children will also have opportunities to explore the trails and see how the farm is part of a much larger ecosystem. And during downtime, they will play games and enjoy the tastes of the harvest.
One-week session
Full days
Week available:
Week 4: June 29 week*
Week 9 : 8/3
* On Friday, July 3 we will be closed for the holiday.
This 4-day week session will be priced accordingly.
Must be age 9-12 by session start date.
Outdoor Adventurers
Children explore the farther reaches of the farm and surrounding forest while putting a variety of outdoor adventure skills into practice. Each outing will open their eyes to new places and possibilities as they learn to navigate, observe the local landscape and its resources, and create solutions to survival problems. Children will use compasses, learn basic survival skills, go on scavenger hunts, build shelters, practice safe wood carving skills, try their hand at primitive fire making skills with tools such as bow drill sets, identify edible wild plants, and more during these adventurous weeks. On one day each week, participants will be invited to the return after dark and test out the skills they practiced on a special nighttime adventure.
One-week session
Full days
Weeks available:
Week 5: July 6 week
Week 7: July 20 week
Must be age 9-12 by session start date.
Creativity & Cooking with Nature
Children will experiment with different art forms and cooking techniques while exploring the natural beauty of Holly Hill Farm. They may paint a meadow landscape with watercolors, draw the Tomato Barn with pencil or other tools, sculpt an animal out of clay, construct leaf mandalas and stone and shell mosaics, and weave with grasses from the fields and marshes. And each day will include a new set of recipes that utilize produce they harvest from our gardens. In the end, they will create art for all senses.
One week sessions
Full days
Weeks available:
Week 6: July 13 week
Week 8: July 27 week
Must be age 9-12 by session start date.
Farmsteaders - Holly Hill Farm 1776
Travel back in time to Holly Hill Farm in the 18th century and imagine you are living in the early years of the nation through this experiential program. What would you need to understand and create to survive? Learn some of the many skills that young people had to master to contribute to their households, such as identifying edible plants, creating tools with local natural resources, mending and making wearable items out of natural fibers, food preservation, keeping a fire going for cooking, seed saving, maintaining healthy soil for farming, caring for livestock, and more.
One-week sessions
Full days
Weeks available:
Week 11: August 17
Must be age 9-12 by session start date.
Ages 11-15 and Teens
Counselor-in-Training (ages 12-15)
The Counselor-in-Training (CIT) program fosters leadership skills in participants with hands-on training in activity and lesson development. CITs will work with educators to thoughtfully engage with campers and manage group dynamics. They will learn the nuances of working with young children, while also working on building skills in communication, collaboration, respect, responsibility, and sustainability education. Certificates of completion will be awarded at week’s end and hopefully propel these counselors to return in a following year as a high school assistant teacher. CIT registrants must be willing to be attentive to camper needs throughout the morning and adhere to the no cell-phone use policy during the program times.
One-week session
Half day program
Weeks available:
Weeks 2-12: June 15 - August 28*
*On June 19 and July 3 we will be closed for the holiday. This 4-day week session will be priced accordingly.
Must be age 12 by session start date.
Stepping Back in Time: A 2-Day Living History Program for Middle Schoolers (ages 11-14)
Chances are, if you lived in Massachusetts in the late 1700’s, you lived on a farm. This summer, celebrate the nation’s 250th anniversary by walking in the footsteps of a young person living when the country was new, the daily chores were many, and fun was always screen-free.
In this two-day program, explore the intersections of history, culture, and nature at our historic farm and work with the artifacts that tell us about our past. We'll get hands-on as we learn about the chemistry of making ink, the science of preserving food, how to use local natural resources to make tools and crafts, and the activities popular with young people.
2-Day Program
July 13 - July 14 (Monday and Tuesday)
9 am - 3 pm
Environmental Solutions Leadership: A 3- Day Program for Middle Schoolers (ages 11-14)
Gain leadership skills with an emphasis on decision-making and communicating your ideas.
As we are a working organic farm practicing regenerative agriculture, we will learn about how improving soil health, capturing carbon, increasing biodiversity, enhancing water cycles all benefit the planet. We will also increase our knowledge across different environmental challenges and opportunities so that we can become solution-based leaders and champions of the planet.
Participants will choose among different strategies and opportunities to pursue a real-world project.
3-Day Program
August 10-12 (Monday - Wednesday)
9 am - 3 pm
Farm to Food Pantry Program for High School Teens
Founded in 2012, the Farm to Food Pantry program welcomes students and volunteers year-round to participate in growing and donating produce to local area food pantries. Tasks include making compost, sowing seeds, transplanting, cooking, weeding, cultivating, harvesting, washing, and delivering the flowers, vegetables, flowers, and herbs.
During the summer we offer week-long programs
Starting June 23
Mondays - Fridays
8:30 -11:30 a.m.
Sign up for one week, a few, or many.
Membership is not required to participate.
This program uses a different registration site. Click the button below for more information and to register.
Early drop off
Would an earlier start work better for your family? Is your child a morning person? Join us for early drop-off!
Children will be with a teacher, they may explore some of the early morning happenings on the farm, listen to a story, create in the barn, play outdoors, or enjoy the beautiful morning and socialize with us and friends!
Sign up for one morning or all mornings of your child's session.*
You can register for early drop-off closer to your child's start date.
Ages 3-15
Must be registered for a half or full-day program the same week, to participate in the early drop-off program.
*June 19 & July 4 are observed holidays and there will be no programs on these days.
Join us for our adventurous, creative, and enriching afterschool sessions for ages 5 -14!