New Village Farm

Where

700 Harbor Road, Shelburne, VT 05482 Visit Website | 802-265-0555 | newvillagefarmprograms@gmail.com

Details

Ages: Kinder, Kids, Tweens, Teens Parking: Yes

New Village Farm is a diversified educational farm located in Shelburne, Vermont. The small raw milk cow and goat dairies, poultry operation, gardens, and wilderness areas form an extensive outdoor learning space where people of all ages are invited to actively participate.

Check out the Thanksgiving break drop-in days! Monday and Tuesday, November 25 & 26, 9am - 3pm. No two days are the same, though the flow of the day remains constant. Our days are a balance between farm driven projects, wilderness exploration, and kid-driven play. Projects include construction, carpentry, nature crafts, handwork, cooking, etc.

A primary focus of ours is creating opportunities of participation and belonging for people, as well as fostering connections with earth, plants and animals. The farm hosts a Farm School, After School programming, Family Farming Time, summer camps, family workshops, & other year-round programming. The farm works to empower children and families to learn new skills, to take on responsibility and build community, to explore freedom in the outdoors, and to care for plants and animals. Our basic philosophy is that healthy lives and actions are founded in healthy relationships to ourselves, to each other, and to the natural world.

In addition to our programming, we have a farmstand, where we sell our products such as raw cow and goat’s milk, pastured chicken and eggs, and grass-fed beef. While we are not Certified Organic, we adhere to organic practices in our pastures and gardens.

Farm School: Kids enrolled in Farm School (FS) opt out of their traditional school one day per week on a semester-long or year-long basis. At NVF, we have our own farm & forest curriculum to complement their in-school or homeschool learning. Farm School curriculum changes with the seasons; from harvest and cider pressing, to igloos and ice skating, to tending to seedlings and baby animals. On Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, we run FS for kids aged 5-9 yrs. Additionally, on Tuesdays, we run FS for kids aged 10 yrs and up. Reconnect your child to the rhythm of the seasons by giving them a full day each week to be outdoors! We find most students benefit from the grounding and belonging the farm provides -- not only at the farm, but also at school and at home. FS is priced on a sliding scale. FS runs Fall, Winter, and Spring, 8:30/9 am-3 pm.We offer free trial days!

After School: This program serves as an outbreath after a day at school. Kids regulate themselves through active free play, animal snuggle time, and crafts. After School runs on Wednesdays in the Fall and Spring, 1:45-5:15 pm.

Summer Camps:

Pathfinders, ages 5-6 years
Farm and Garden Camp, ages 7-11 years
Crew Camp, ages 10 years +
CIT (Counselor in Training), 12 years +

Drop-in Program Days: We run Drop-In Program Days when the Champlain Valley School District Schools are out of session during the academic year (e.g. Indigenous People's Day, Thanksgiving week, Eid, April Vacation, etc.). Drop-in days run during the Fall, Winter, and Spring.

Family Farming Time (FFT): FFT is for families with children younger than 5 years old. In this program, adults will join their children as we work together to take care of our bunnies, chickens, goats, and gardens. FFT runs during the academic year. After our chores, there is free play time, during which families are welcome to stick around, and engage with the animals and other families as they choose. Priced on a sliding scale. FFT runs in the Fall and Spring.

Goat Snuggles: Book a half hour or full hour session to play with our wee baby goats! One registration buys access for 4 people. Goat Snuggles run all year long.

Parent/caregiver Testimonials can be found at the bottom of this page.

Reviews

6 reviews

October 2, 2024
"My four-year-old and I loved experiencing life on the farm during Family Farming Time this September. Time slowed down as we learned to care for bunnies, chickens and goats, and my little one loved interacting with the animals. The children are encouraged to manage the chores on their own and you have time to simply explore the grounds or picnic after the event. Highly recommended for a low key time in a beautiful outdoor setting."
- SarahFGS
February 24, 2017
"Our kindergartener loved this camp last summer. The multiage vibe was wonderful the older kids clearly felt such ownership and connection there. I'd agree with the review that noted how many of the campers seem to come from the immediate vicinityWaldorf we're in the BTV public schools, but Michaela immediately tasked a couple of older girls with bringing our kid into the fold. Just the right balance of looseness and focus for unwinding from the school year. "
- ONEMamaVT
February 12, 2017
"My children absolutely love this camp it is their favorite!!!"
- eschramm
January 17, 2017
"My 6year old had the time of his life with Farmer Michaela and her staff! He's already informed me that he is planning on spending much of his summer there again this year. A kindergartener, our little guy isn't big on change, and his teachers recommended he try out some new things last summer to help him work on transitions. We did this camp and a week at Shelburne with the Renaissance School. While he enjoyed both experiences, he requested another week at Farmer Michaela's where he came home each day dirty, proud and tired. Here's what I understand from him that they did each day circle time, chores like helping to water plants, collecting eggs, feeding the animals, fun craft activity, running in the fields, etc. I am sure there was more but 6year olds are not the most reliable tellers of tales. Farmer Michaela is of very good humor and was very patient with our son. Kids get a chance to earn farm bucks for their help with the chores that are redeemable for products from the farm store. Our son was very proud to purchase eggs he helped collect. I cannot recommend this camp enough!"
- MKMinCharlotte
February 9, 2014
"A wild experience! Our daughter wrestled goats in the pen, make cheese, milked cow, pickled beans...pretty much anything you would do at an actual farm your child will do here. Your child will be dirty and exhausted by the end of the day."
- KickingMom
July 5, 2011
"Our daughter attended the after school program this spring. She choose to go just one day out of the four days per week the sessions are offered. She also went with a friend. Although she loved her time spent there, she was so glad that she signed up with someone she knew. All of the other children were from the Lake Champlain Waldorf School. Many of them seemed to be using this program as after care. As a matter of fact the New Village Farm teacher goes to the Waldorf School within walking distance each day to pick the kids up and walk them back to the farm. The kids start of with a healthy snack of nuts, apples, cheese, etc provided in the greenhouse area which is fitted with couches and a workspace. They do a naturefarm type craft and then head out to work on the farm and help with the animals. Our daughter was really looking for an after school activity that was hands on with animals and I would say this definitely fit the bill. She fed baby goats, calves, and sheep. Parents also receive regular email updates from the teacher which is nice."
- missmagpie