Wright-Locke Farm

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Youth Education Programs

Wright-Locke Farm’s youth education programs offer children a unique, hands-on experience learning about farming and the natural world on our historic working farm. For each child, we aim to inspire curiosity about the natural world, foster a sense of comfort in the outdoors, and develop a sense of respect for living things. All of our programs include lessons and activities related to agriculture and the environment using our fields, pastures, barns, woods, and farm animals as a living classroom. Specific subjects include Wright-Locke farm animals (goats, chickens, honey bees), farm operations, outdoor exploration, and plant growth.

We have instituted tiered pricing for all of our youth programs. Please choose the price that works best for your family–regardless of which tier you select, everyone enjoys the same program! If you are able, please select Tier A or Tier B while registering to make tiered pricing possible.

Interested in a group visit or enrichment program? Please email us at FarmEd@WLFarm.org!

Youth Registration Instructions

Please use this link to log in or create an account in our system.

Last year we transitioned to a new system! 

If you had an account in our previous registration system:

  • Select “Forgot your login information?” and check “I need to reset my password.” Choose your preferred way of resetting your password (text or email). On the next screen, your username is the email that is associated with our previous registration system. If you have issues resetting your password, please email FarmEd@WLFarm.org

If you did not have an account in our previous system:

  • Select “New User.” Complete the subsequent forms to create your account.

Once you have logged in and created an account you will be able to browse our available sessions! 

If you encounter any issues, please contact our Youth Programs Manager with any questions.

 

Youth Program Terms and Cancellation Policy

Payment & Refund Policy:

  • Online payments can be made via the following credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, Discover
  • Payment for a youth program, made by credit card, check, or cash, must be submitted at least 30 days in advance of the program’s start date. Failure to comply may result in the loss of your child’s spot in the program for which payment is owed.
  • Tuition refunds are guaranteed up to 30 days prior to the start date of a program minus a $10 administrative fee. Cancellations within the 30 days prior to the program are nonrefundable if the child’s spot cannot be filled. (If the spot can be filled, a 50% refund minus the $10 administrative fee will be given.)
  • There will be no tuition refunds for cancellations made after a program has begun.
  • No full or partial tuition refund or credit will be given for a child’s failure to attend any part of a program for which they are registered.
  • We will make every effort to adapt programs to the weather or reschedule if possible. In the event that we must cancel a program due to weather and we are unable to reschedule, the program tuition is nonrefundable.

Updated January 5, 2023.

Photo & Video Policy:

  • The Conservancy may take photos and digital video footage of activities throughout the educational program season for record keeping and publicity purposes. Participant names are never used in connection with these photos or videos.

Liability Statement (Permission for the Conservancy to handle emergencies):

  • I realize injuries can occur from participation in Farm programs. I hereby waive, release, absolve, indemnify, and agree to hold harmless the Wright-Locke Farm Conservancy, Inc., their Board of Directors, instructors, or assignees, and the Town of Winchester from any claim arising out of injury to my child or myself. Should my child be taken to the hospital for emergency purposes, I hereby grant permission to the attending physician and staff to administer anesthesia, medical, X-ray, and surgical procedures as may be deemed necessary or advisable. I understand that every attempt will be made to contact me in an emergency.

 

Tiered Pricing

As part of Wright-Locke Farm’s goal to become a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization, we have instituted tiered pricing across all of our youth education programming. This allows families to choose the price that works best for them, reducing the cost-barrier to our programs. The tiers are calculated as follows:

  • Tier A: 50% above the standard cost
  • Tier B: 15% above the standard cost
  • Tier C: The standard cost (what we normally charge for each participant)
  • Tier D: 25% below the standard cost
  • Tier E: 50% below the standard cost

Please select the price that is best for your family. If you are able, please consider selecting Tier A or Tier B prices. Families that register at these prices help support other children’s participation in our programs.

In addition to our tiered prices, limited financial assistance is available for all farm education programs. To request additional assistance, please email FarmEd@WLFarm.org.

April Break 2023

4/18 – 4/21

We will not be having class on Monday 4/17

Registration is open

Please make sure you have set up your account before registration opens. Instructions are included under “Youth Registration Instructions” above. Please use this link to log in and register.

K-2nd Grade

Let’s get outside for April Break! We will learn the signs of the season, explore adjacent Whipple Hill, care for our goats and chickens, and watch the farm come to life. These programs aim to facilitate a connection with the outdoors no matter the season, develop a love of learning, and foster curiosity. Tiered pricing available ($60 – $180).

4/18-4/21

9am – 12pm

Photo Hybrid Program: 3rd-5th Grade

During school vacation week, we’ll explore the world through the camera’s lens together.  In this class, we’ll use fun activities to learn about creative camera settings, composition, lighting and shadows, and posing using Wright-Locke Farm as a background. We will also spend time exploring and learning about the environment around us. 

We’ll do some fun ‘trick’ photography, portraits, documentary style photography and talk about the fundamentals of image creation using an exercise with cyanotype fabric.  We’ll spend time exploring Wright Locke Farm as part of our documentary lesson and use the farm animals as our subjects.

Requirements : A digital camera is required, this can be a dslr, point and shoot or even a mobile phone camera.

4/18-4/21

1pm – 4pm

Spring 2023

Session 1: 3/6 – 4/14

Session 2: 4/24 – 6/5

Registration for both sessions is open 

Sprouts

Join us for our spring Sprouts season at Wright-Locke Farm! Sprouts and a caregiver will come to the farm once a week to explore a variety of topics focused on the farm, our animals, signs of the season as we near spring and summer, and the adjacent Whipple Hill Conservation Area. These programs aim to facilitate a connection with the outdoors, develop a love of learning, and foster curiosity. This program is for children 2 and 3 years old. Tiered pricing available ($68-$203).

This year we are opening both session 1 and session 2 at the same time to allow folks more heads up with their spring planning. We hope you choose to join us for our full spring season! 

Register Here!

Tuesday

10am – 10:45am

11am – 11:45am

Session 1: 3/7 – 4/11

Session 2: 4/25 – 5/30

Thursday

10am – 10:45am

11am – 11:45am

Session 1: 3/9 – 4/13

Session 2: 4/27 – 6/1

PreK

Join us for our spring season at Wright-Locke Farm! Participants will come to the farm once a week to explore a variety of topics focused on the farm, our animals, signs of the season as we near spring and summer, and the adjacent Whipple Hill Conservation Area. In addition to new topics each week, children will help with our chicken and goat chores! This includes bringing food and water to the animals and collecting the chickens’ eggs! These programs aim to facilitate a connection with the outdoors, develop a love of learning, and foster curiosity. This program is for children 4 and older. Tiered pricing available ($120-$360).

This year we are opening both session 1 and session 2 at the same time to allow folks more heads up with their spring planning. We hope you choose to join us for our full spring season! 

Friday

10am – 12pm

Session 1: 3/10 – 4/14

Session 2: 4/28 – 6/2

K-2nd Grade

Join us for our spring season at Wright-Locke Farm! Participants will come to the farm once a week to explore a variety of topics focused on the farm, our animals, signs of the season as we near spring and summer, and the adjacent Whipple Hill Conservation Area. In addition to new topics each week, children will help with our chicken and goat chores! This includes bringing food and water to the animals and collecting the chickens’ eggs! These programs aim to facilitate a connection with the outdoors, develop a love of learning, and foster curiosity. Tiered pricing available ($120-$360).

This year we are opening both session 1 and session 2 at the same time to allow folks more heads up with their spring planning. We hope you choose to join us for our full spring season!

Monday

3:30pm – 5:30pm

Session 1: 3/6 – 4/10

Session 2: 4/24 – 6/5 (no class 5/29)

Wednesday

3:30pm – 5:30pm

Session 1: 3/8 – 4/12 

Session 2: 4/26 – 5/31

3rd-5th Grade

Join us for our spring outdoor season at Wright-Locke Farm! Participants will come to the farm once a week to explore a variety of topics focused on the farm, our animals, signs of the season as we near spring and summer, and the adjacent Whipple Hill Conservation Area. In addition to new topics each week, children will help with our chicken and goat chores! This includes bringing food and water to the animals and collecting the chickens’ eggs! These programs aim to facilitate a connection with the outdoors, develop a love of learning, and foster curiosity. Tiered pricing available ($120-$360).

This year we are opening both session 1 and session 2 at the same time to allow folks more heads up with their spring planning. We hope you choose to join us for our full spring season!

Tuesday

3:30pm – 5:30pm

Session 1: 3/7 – 4/11

Session 2: 4/25 – 6/6 

Photo Hybrid Program: 3rd-5th Grade

In this new weekly class, we’ll use fun activities to learn about creative camera settings, composition, lighting and shadows, and posing. We’ll do some fun ‘trick’ photography, portraits, documentary style photography and talk about the fundamentals of image creation using an exercise with cyanotype fabric.  We’ll spend time exploring Wright Locke Farm as part of our documentary lesson and use the farm animals as our subjects all while deepening our environmental knowledge. Join us to engage with the farm in a whole new way! Tiered pricing available ($120-$360). 

We will only be offering one 6 week session of our photo hybrid class. 

Requirements : A digital camera is required, this can be a dslr, point and shoot or even a mobile phone camera.

Wednesday

3:30pm – 5:30pm

4/26 – 5/31

Register Here! 

About the Instructor: 

Sue D’Arcy Fuller is a fine-art photographer who teaches and promotes photography as a way of understanding our world.

D’Arcy Fuller has exhibited her photographs at the Griffin Museum of Photography and several Boston area galleries. Sue was also the studio photographer for the award winning full length documentary, Ashbash: A love story, created and directed by Heidi Sullivan.

She has taught photographic skills as part of the Lakota Youth Stay program, a cultural and educational exchange with Lakota youth from the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, and is a farm educator of children in grades K – 5 at Wright Locke Farm in Winchester, MA.

At Sanctuary UCC’s Arts and Inspiration Gallery in Medford, MA, Sue promotes and curates the arts in her community by creating opportunities for artists of all genres to share their work and inspiration.

She holds an MBA from Fordham University in New York City.

At the Griffin Museum, Sue is responsible for implementing educational programming, lectures and conversations.

 https://www.suedarcyfullerphotography.com/

Kitchen Hybrid Program: 3rd-5th Grade

Surprise! We just couldn’t resist offering a kitchen hybrid program this spring. Join us for six weeks of after school fun! Week 1 and 6 will be completely outdoors but weeks 2-5 we will split our time between the farm and the kitchen. We will start our days by preparing delicious food with Chef Kelcy and then take a break to snack on our culinary creations! After we will set out to explore Whipple Hill, do our chicken and goat chores, and deepen our connection to the natural environment around us. The cost of this program as a little higher than our others to accommodate local food costs. Tiered pricing available ($120-$360).

Thursday

3:30pm – 5:30pm

Session 1: 3/9 – 4/13

Summer 2023

Registration is now open

Please make sure that you have created an account in our system and that all information is accurate before our registration date. Please use this link to log in and update your information.

This is a half day program

Please limit registrations to two weeks to allow more folks to join our programming. If we have space available on 4/1 we will allow additional weeks of programing. 

PreK-K

Come spend your summer with us! Please note that this program is for kids who are 4 years and older. We offer half day programming in the morning and afternoons. We will learn about the lush environment around us, explore adjacent Whipple Hill, and care for our goats and chickens, and of course we will play some games and make friends a long the way!  These programs aim to facilitate a connection with the outdoors and where our food comes from, develop a love of learning, and foster curiosity. Tiered pricing available ($150 – $405).

Morning Sessions: 9am-12pm

June 20-23 (No programs on June 19th)*

July 5-7 (No programs July 3 and 4th)*

July 10-14

July 17-21

July 31-August 4

August 7-11

Afternoon Sessions: 1pm-4pm 

June 20-23 (No programs on June 19th)*

July 5-7 (No programs July 3 and 4th)*

July 24-28

July 31-August 4

August 14-18

 

*Prorated session

1st-3rd Grade

Come spend your summer with us! We will learn about the lush environment around us, explore adjacent Whipple Hill, and care for our goats and chickens, and of course we will play some games and make friends a long the way!  These programs aim to facilitate a connection with the outdoors and where our food comes from, develop a love of learning, and foster curiosity. Tiered pricing available ($150 – $405).

Morning Sessions

June 26-30

August 14-18

Afternoon Sessions

June 26-30

July 10-14

July 17-21

July 31-August 4

August 21-25

4th-6th Grade

We are so thrilled to be expanding our grade offerings this summer! We just simply couldn’t say goodbye to some of our oldest participants.

Come spend your summer with us! We will learn about the lush environment around us, explore adjacent Whipple Hill, and care for our goats and chickens, and of course we will play some games and make friends a long the way!  These programs aim to facilitate a connection with the outdoors and where our food comes from, develop a love of learning, and foster curiosity. With out older participants we will dig into what role we can play as environmental stewards. Tiered pricing available ($150 – $405). 

Morning Sessions

July 5-7 (No programs on July 4th and 5th)*

July 17-21

Afternoon Sessions

June 26-30

July 10-14

August 7-11

*Prorated*

Kitchen Hybrid Program: 1st-6th Grade

Join us for our second year of outdoor/kitchen hybrid programming! These programs combine all the joys of a Chef Kelcy cooking class with our traditional outdoor based programming. This program aims to facilitate a connection with the outdoors and deepen our understanding of where our food comes from. We will visit our chickens and goats, learn about our surrounding environment and spend time in the kitchen cooking with fresh ingredients each day. Tiered pricing available ($150 – $405). 

These programs take place from 9am-12pm.

1st-3rd Grade

July 31-August 4

4th-6th Grade 

July 24-28

August 21-25

Frequently Asked Questions

What age group do I sign my child up for?

You will sign your child up for the grade they will be in the Fall of 2023!

Please note our PreK/K program is for children 4 years and older.

Is the curriculum the same each week?

Yes and no. Generally we will always spend time visiting our goats and chickens, hiking, exploring our ponds, and playing games. Our weekly plan is dependent on what’s going on around the farm and who is teaching that week. If we have an educator who is extra knowledgeable about pond life we may spend a little more time exploring the ponds! While there will be variations in our activities there will also be overlap in topics from week to week.

What are your program hours?

Each week we have two sessions: 

Morning: 9am-12pm 

Afternoon: 1pm-4pm

Our program is a half-day program and we do not offer before or after care at this time.

What is your nut policy?

We ask that all snacks are nut free as nut allergies have become more common! Thanks for helping to keep all our participants safe.

 

How many weeks can I sign my child up for?

We are capping initial registrations at two weeks per participant to allow more families to join our programming. If we still have space available come April 1st we will allow families to sign up for additional weeks. Thanks for your understanding. 

 

We’re Hiring! 

Interested in working with us this year? We are now hiring educators for our 2023 Spring and Summer season! Email eallen@wlfarm.org with a resume and cover letter if you are interested in applying or have any questions about joining our staff.  

Financial Assistance

In addition to our tiered prices, limited financial assistance is available for all farm education programs. To request additional assistance, please email FarmEd@WLFarm.org.

Group Visits & Enrichment Programs

Are you interested in having your class, group, or organization come to Wright-Locke Farm for an education or volunteer-oriented visit? Or would you like the Farm to come to your school or group for an in-house enrichment program? Please contact our Enrichment Coordinator, Lauren Winterer, to book a future farm visit or enrichment program.

Please note that we typically host farm visits April through October, on Mondays and Wednesdays during school hours, but we do operate for the full 12-month year. If Mondays/Wednesdays do not work for your program, please let us know and we can work with accommodating your schedule.

Off-farm, year-round enrichment programs can be hosted at your location as our schedule allows.

Pricing and scheduling can be individualized to your school’s or program’s needs.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the Youth Programs Manager

Farm education programs are generously supported by the Cummings Foundation and the John and Mary Murphy Foundation. You can support the Farm by making a donation.

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Inclusion Policy

Wright-Locke Farm Conservancy Is Dedicated To Providing An Inclusive And Welcoming Environment To All, Regardless Of And Not Limited To Race, Religion, Color, Age, National Origin, Military Service, Physical Appearance, Gender Identity Or Gender Expression, Sex Or Sexual Orientation, Or Physical Or Mental Ability Or Disability. We Do Not Tolerate Harassment In Any Form. Please Join Us In Respecting Everyone.