Winter on the Farm 2025
January 6 - March 28, 2025. Winter may seem like a time of hibernation and stillness, especially on a farm. In reality, there is much energy, magic, and adventure! We have created some wonderful, adventurous, creative, and exciting programs! Ages 3-12.
Join us this winter season!
Click to learn more and register!
Mornings for ages 3-5
About
1-Day or 9-week bundle sign up
1-Day or 9-week bundle sign up
Program Dates
January 7 - March 28*
Drop Off
Time
9:30 am - 11:00 am
Available days: Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, Fridays
Sign up for one day, a few, or a discounted 9-week bundle session. Read on for details.
Explorations, activities, and experiences may include:
- Exploring snowflakes and ice
- Building nests
- Finding animal signs
- Maple sugaring
- Caring for the farming animals
- Planting in hoop houses
- Explore the seasons
- Magical creatures
- Games
Winter morning groups will include unique storytimes and outdoor/indoor activities. Children will also get to visit the farm animals.
*No sessions during the weeks of 2/17, 3/10, 3/17
1-Day or 9-week bundle sign up
1-Day or 9-week bundle sign up
1-Day or 9-week bundle sign up
Sign up for one day, a few, or a 9-week session!
Tiered and reduced pricing available.
9-week session bundle discount of 15%!
9-week session meets on the same day of the week for 9 weeks.
Family membership required.
1-Day session
Membership discounts available.
*No sessions during the weeks of 2/17, 3/10, 3/17
Afterschool for ages 6-12
About
10-week sesson*
Programs
Your child will have the opportunity to participate in a variety of afterschool programs on the farm and its surrounding areas this winter! Programs range from exploring and creating in the outdoors to diving into many STEAM winter activities to cooking seasonal treats!
Program Dates
January 6 - March 28*
Drop Off
Available days: Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays.
Sessions meet the same day of the week for 10* weeks.
Time
4:00 - 6:00 pm
*No sessions 1/20, 2/17-2/21,and 3/10-14. Monday Healthy Cooking sessions meets 9 weeks.
Programs
10-week sesson*
Programs
Mondays
Healthy Cooking on the Farm
(ages 8-12)
There’s nothing like warm food on a winter evening, except for when you work with others around an outdoor brick oven or propane stove to create these flavors. Children will work with our farm health coach and educator to prepare recipes, which may include winter crops and various root vegetables, flatbreads, soups, baked goods, rice bowls, chips, and more. Children will also learn how to prepare foods safely and healthfully.
Tuesdays
Outdoor Exploration (6-10)
Children will explore and create within the secret areas around the farm, including the woods, meadows, and Ice Pond. Each outing will open their eyes to new places and possibilities as they learn to navigate, observe, and create within the winter settings of the farm. Children may be using compasses, building full-size shelters, creating winter fairy homes, tracking animals, and more. These older groups will also learn how to cook simple foods over an open fire and build winter tools.
Wednesdays
Winter Farming (6-10)
Children will experience the different ways farming continues throughout the coldest months. This will include maple sugaring, pickling, growing in the greenhouse, winter crops, maintaining animal and garden spaces, composting, and more.
Thursdays
Winter Farm Building and Innovation (6-10)
Children will use a variety of skills to meet needs on the farm, as well as in the ecosystem around it. They may learn how to build in the greenhouse and garden, design water systems and weather stations, construct winter birdfeeders, and much more. Or they may be citizen scientists and contribute to ecological and conservation work through observation and data collection while also studying how nature can inspire and inform our decisions. Finally, some of their building and innovation challenges might be on the whimsical side, like creating magical creature homes and Rube Goldberg chain reactions.
10-week sesson*
10-week sesson*
10-week sesson*
Tiered and reduced pricing available.
Sessions meets on the same day of the week for 10 weeks.
Family membership required.
If you register mid-season we can prorate you for the days your child missed.
*No sessions 1/13/25, 2/17-2/21/25, 3/10-3/14/25. Healthy cooking session meets for 9 weeks.
Homeschool for Ages 5 -12
Dates
Homeschool Program
Homeschool Program
Program Dates
Winter Session: January 9 - March 13, 2025 *
Spring Session: March 27 - May 29, 2025
Session meets weekly on Thursdays.
Drop Off
Time:
Thursdays
10:-00 am - 2:00 pm
*no session 2/20/25 and 4/24
When you join our winter & spring 2025 session you'll save 7.5% off the total cost!!!*
Homeschool Program
Homeschool Program
Homeschool Program
This program will be farm-, ecology-, and STEAM-based. It will incorporate activities and lessons that enable students to explore farming a wide variety of plants, as well as preparing and cooking much of this produce.
Students will also learn how to harvest and prepare other resources on the farm and throughout the ecosystems. Being on the farm year-round will also give the students a sense of purpose and they will be integral in helping grow food for food pantries.
In addition, students will explore the science of nature, which includes animals, plants, water systems, geology, weather, ecosystems, fire, biomimicry, and more. These lessons may include different types of homes and habitats, communication, adaptations, climate change, structures of snow and ice, pollinators and bees, cooking skills and food uses, wild edible plants, and so much more.
Every week will also include some sort of adventure/survival skills activity, such as shelter building, orienteering, map-making, knot tying, and more. The group will establish their own space for outdoor living. Since these explorations will also be STEAM-based, students can expect to use literature, arts, math, engineering, and games to dive deeper into concepts as well as to express themselves.
Students will often design solutions to problems presented in lessons or found throughout the farm, such as water collection, erosion control, pest control, use of invasive plants, etc.
The time on the farm will also be about socializing and following children’s interests. The lead teacher and education team will modify lessons based on these needs and interests, as well as create new ones.
How to Register
Instructions
- Family level membership is required to register for 9-week sessions, or to receive the member rate for one day programming and must be active through the entire session you are registering for. Join or renew here now. If you are not sure when your membership expires email us at programs@hollyhillfarm.org
- Review our programming here and information about tiered pricing.
- Register! (Note new families will need to set up their household account first)
- You will need to upload your child's physician's letter & immunizations to their profile* for our 9-week sessions.
- You will be prompted to complete our 5 question Medical Form so that our teachers can best prepare for your child. *
* If you have submitted in the past, you may be required to resubmit or complete if your child's original form has expired.
Schedule notes
Due to the unpredictable weather of winter, we have built in two weeks of make-up days.
Winter sessions will not be held on January 20 (Martin Luther King Jr. Observance) and the weeks of February 17 and March 10-22 for February and March breaks. We will host vacation week programming that you can register your child for separately!
We must have a minimum number of registrations in each session in order to offer. If we do not meet that number we will reach out to families and refund you.
Tiered Pricing!
What is tiered pricing?
MORNING SESSIONS Ages 3-5
What is tiered pricing?
We strive to make educational programming accessible to all ages. Tiered pricing allows families to choose the price that is right for their family, while also becoming more aware of the costs associated with putting on educational programs for each child. This program is voluntary and families are free to choose the tier that best suits their financial situation. If your family is able to choose a higher tier, it allows more children to access programming. Your support allows Friends of Holly Hill Farm to better utilize the charitable contributions we need to operate our non profit organization and continue with our mission of growing food for our community, educating all ages, and caring for this precious land.
What are the tiers?
MORNING SESSIONS Ages 3-5
What is tiered pricing?
Tier A: Cost to run program plus contribution to support tiered pricing
Tier B: Cost to run program
Tier C: Reduced cost
Please select the price that is best for your family. If you are able, please consider selecting Tier A. Families that register at this level help support other children’s participation in our programs.
MORNING SESSIONS Ages 3-5
MORNING SESSIONS Ages 3-5
AFTERSCHOOL SESSIONS Ages 6-12*
Sign up for one day, a few, or a 9-week session!
9-WEEK SESSION BUNDLE
(Same day each week)
9-week bundle tiered-pricing*
Tier A - $276
Tier B - $240
Tier C - $204
*Active family-level membership or above required at time of registration and through duration of program. To join or renew click here.
1- DAY SIGN UP
Members receive a discount!*
Tier A - $35 (Member) or $45
Tier B - $30 (Member) or $40
Tier C - $25 (Member) or $35
To receive the member rate, you must have active family-level membership or above at time of registration and through the duration of the program. Join or renew here.
AFTERSCHOOL SESSIONS Ages 6-12*
AFTERSCHOOL SESSIONS Ages 6-12*
AFTERSCHOOL SESSIONS Ages 6-12*
*Active family-level membership or above required at time of registration and through duration of program. To join or renew click here.
Tier A - $345
(Mondays - Cooking - $380. Cost includes supplies.)
Tier B - $300
(Mondays - Cooking - $330. Cost includes supplies.)
Tier C - $255
(Mondays - Cooking - $280. Cost includes supplies.)
If there is still space in a program and you register your child mid-season we will refund you for the days missed. Please register for full session. Ensure your membership is up to date. Then, contact our office and we can issue you a refund for the earlier dates your child missed.
Homeschool Ages 5-12
AFTERSCHOOL SESSIONS Ages 6-12*
Homeschool Ages 5-12
See program registration site for details.
Can we count on your support?
Make an end-of-year contribution to help keep us growing and thriving in 2025.