the nest @ greig farm | red hook, new york

At Farm Camp, learning grows from the land and the children themselves. We design experiences for children ages 3 to 5 in response to what’s happening on the farm, what’s in season, and the questions children are asking. This approach allows curiosity, care, and connection to guide the day in ways that feel natural and meaningful.

Each day follows a predictable yet flexible flow that helps children feel safe and settled, while leaving plenty of room for choice, movement, and exploration. Long stretches of free play indoors and outdoors invite children to build, pretend, observe, create, and collaborate. Activities are offered as open invitations, allowing children to engage at their own pace and return to ideas over time.

Educators support children’s inquiry by listening closely, slowing things down, and offering materials, language, or questions that extend play without directing it. Through shared work like caring for animals, harvesting, preparing food, or creating with natural materials, children experience learning as something they do together, grounded in real life on the farm.

Across the summer, children encounter a wide range of farm-based experiences woven organically into the day: working with tools, noticing patterns and colors, caring for living things, and contributing to their community, all while showing gratitude to the land that provides for them. The schedule below offers a snapshot of how we balance structure and flexibility to support joyful, engaged learning.

A day in the life | 9:00am - 3:00pm

Arrival & Farm Chores

We start the day greeting our friends and helping our favorite goats get their breakfast.

Morning Circle

A morning gathering where we share a daily message, sing songs, and play a group game.

Snack & Storytime

Refueling in the fresh air while enjoying an engaging read-aloud book.

Daily Farm Outing

Adventure awaits! Campers may go berry picking, hunt for nature-based art materials, or explore our walking trails. Check the week’s theme closer to the summer.

Picnic Lunch

A time to relax with friends over a picnic outdoors or at the Market’s dining room tables.

Rest & Reset

A quiet period to recharge our bodies and minds for the afternoon ahead.

Hands-On Discovery

Deep dives into farm life! Activities include farm-to-table cooking, science experiments, or interviewing our resident farmers.

Choice & Creative Play

Camper’s Choice! Options include the climbing gym and puzzles indoors, or mud kitchens and obstacle courses outdoors.

Farewell

Heading home with stories to tell. See you tomorrow!

the nest @ greig farm is a farm-based sister program to Wildflower's Rhinebeck program, offering seasonal sessions from October through June for children 18 months to 3 years. The program centers daily life on Greig Farm through outdoor learning, unstructured play, and engagement with farm life—the people, animals, land, and tools that make the farm come alive.

Our project-based curriculum is emergent, designed to be responsive to the land and to the children’s identities. Activities emphasize values of sharing and reciprocity while making connections to science, literacy, and math. Outdoor experiences are complemented by time in our classroom, a converted barn space nested above the Market, that is intentionally arranged to support purposeful, developmentally-appropriate activities and invite independence and discovery.