Farm to Table Learning.
Farm to Table is our homeschool support program inspired by the old-fashioned “one-room farm schoolhouse.” It is a five-hour, outdoor drop-off program for children ages 5–11, who are split into a Younger Pod and an Older Pod, each learning around one large table with their own head teacher, located on working farms. Each location is unique- some with fruit orchards, vegetable gardens, or greenhouses, all with a variety of farm animals, allowing children to learn through the natural rhythms and resources of the land. Designed to support, not replace, homeschooling families, Farm to Table offers academic guidance. Core subjects include Language Arts, Math, Geography, Art, and Science are woven into the day through our proposed daily schedule. Learning unfolds with a consistent structure that blends workbook time, read-alouds, discussion, hands-on farm experiences, and child-led exploration.
Irvine- Located at the amazing Farm and Food Lab, this 1+ acre working farm features organic horticulture areas, aquaponics demonstration area, chickens, a seed exchange library, food forest, vermicomposting systems, a Monarch Waystation, pollinator garden, and more! All the food harvested from the farm is donated to local food pantries.
DETAILS:
We meet Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays for 5 hours each day at the Farm and Food Lab in Irvine. Come for all three days, two days, or just one! Families are encouraged to attend multiple days to fully experience the program and take advantage of multi-day discounts.
Farm to Table is a year-long program, with fall and spring semesters, meeting from 10am to 3pm.
Fall and Spring Dates:
Spring Semester ‘25 18 weeks: January 5 - May 23
Days Off: April 7-18
Fall Semester ‘25 15 weeks: August 25 - December 12
Days off: November 24 - 28
Spring Semester ‘26 18 weeks: January 8 - May 22
Days Off: March 30 - April 3
Weather Make-Up Week: March 23-27
More about Farm to Table:
What do we mean when we say Farm To Table- multiple-subject & multiple-grade-level farm school, homeschool support program?:
Our vision is to have children of differing ages, all learning together and helping each other learn the core subjects of English Language Arts, Math, History, Science, and Arts. Our vision for this comes from two inspirations:
Our Director’s own homeschooling experience at home- The most used place in their home is their huge table in their kitchen. It’s at the kitchen table where they eat, learn, and spend a lot of quality time. They have 5 children ranging from 3 to 14 years old. Some of their children are just beginning to learn letters, while others are learning to write MLA-formatted essays. Some are just learning to write numbers, and others are learning to complete algebraic equations. Sometimes the older children help guide the younger children with concepts they have already mastered. They teach Science and History lessons to multiple age groups together, knowing they will each experience different levels of comprehension and mastery, depending on what is age and developmentally-appropriate.
One-room farm schoolhouses have been an important part of American history for hundreds of years across the USA. Do you remember those beautiful one-room country schoolhouses, like the ones in the Little House series by Laura Ingalls Wilder? Our family loves this series. Children from TK-8th grade all learn in one space together and are taught by one teacher. While we aim to group students in closer academic learning pods, we have been inspired by the “one-room schoolhouse” and from many seasoned homeschooling families where they found something good that worked!
At Farm to Table, we want parents to feel confident and assured that when their children are dropped off for the day, they will be engaged in activities in Language Arts (Reading, Writing, Phonics, Grammar, and Penmanship), Math, History, Science, Nature Studies, Art, and seasonal cumulative group projects. Ultimately, it is up to you - the parents’ discretion - as to what your child needs; some parents request their child(ren) to come home with their learning materials so they can continue to work on it at home. Others prefer to keep their materials at their child(ren)’s cubby at the farm and only do formal schoolwork at Farm to Table.
So why choose Farm to Table? Farm to Table addresses many of the challenges that homeschool parents face. Parents can rest assured that their children will receive all the core learning from highly qualified, caring teachers every day of the program. Another huge benefit for many families is the children’s opportunity to experience this learning outside in a beautiful, healthy, natural environment and alongside their peers.
We often hear three things from parents:
I don't like that my children are inside all-day
My children need socialization and often spend large amounts of time by themselves
I don't feel confident to teach … (Beginning Reading, Science, Math, etc…)
Farm to Table wonderfully exceeds those needs and provides a place for children to thrive.