Fernbrook Farms Homeschool Classes

The Fernbrook Farm Environmental Education Center offers great homeschool classes throughout the year for ages three to fourteen! My son loved attending two sessions of classes here. Be sure to register for a spot before they fill up!

What is Fernbrook Farms?

Fernbrook Farms is a 230 acre farm that has an environmental education center, wholesale nursery, CSA and space for events such as weddings.

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Where is Fernbrook Farms located?

Fernbrook Farms is located in Chesterfield, NJ. The address is 142 Bordentown-Georgetown Road Chesterfield, NJ 08515.

 

What should kids wear to class?

Kids should be prepared for the outdoors and to get messy. Some places on the farm could get muddy. Towards the drop-off area there was often a giant section of mud and water as well. My son wore rain boots to every class.

Both of his sessions were in the Spring. He would wear either a light jacket or a rain coat. He would also take a small backpack with some water in it. Some kids wore rain suits to class. Layering is always a great thing to do as well.

If you are attending a winter session it would definitely be good to wear a winter coat, hat and gloves.

Our Experience

My son did one session of the Preschool level class and another of the Kindergarten level class here. The preschool class was for ages three and four. The kindergarten class was for ages four and a half to five years old. When I registered there were different times available for the class that I could pick from and I could pick either Tuesday or Thursday.

Prior to this my son had only been with me at home and other places for homeschooling. For this age class parents are welcome to stay with their child as well. I stayed with him for the first two classes. After that I was able to drop him off and he adjusted very quickly. The classes are only an hour long and their size is limited to ten or twelve children. This makes attending a class less intimidating for kids.

Each week there was a different topic. Classes usually had either an indoor portion or portion under which the kids were over an overhang as well. There were usually books associated with each class. Hikes were often included to do things such as bird watching or a Spring scavenger hunt. One of my son’s favorite classes was one where they made a salad. Each session was unique and had a lot of hands-on learning.

Fernbrook Farms itself is a beautiful place. The Spring was especially pretty with all of the cherry blossoms and other flowers that were blooming. Attending classes here is a great way to visit this farm since it is not generally open to the public.

What kinds of class topics are offered?

There are lots of different topics. Each week is something new. In the winter they have themes such as a Colors of Winter Scavenger Hunt and Water Phases. Other topics are things such as Butter Churning, Compost Critters and Exploring Evaporation and Condensation. Some topics my son enjoyed in his kindergarten spring classes were Metamorphosis: The Changes of Life. This one looked at life cycles of butterflies and frogs. He also liked What’s In that Egg? where they tried identifying which eggs were associated with different kids of birds. The kids all had fun in Creepy Crawlies when they looked under logs for various insects. The kids also had fun planting things that grew in the greenhouse throughout the Spring session.

When he was younger in his Pre-K level class he enjoyed making kites and exploring wind in one class. The Creek Hike was another fun one where kids went on a hike and had fun in the creek. He also enjoyed using a Stethoscope in his Sounds of the Body class.

What can parents do while their child is in class?

Some parents went along with the classes for those who had younger kids. Parents were often reading books near the drop-off area. In the Spring there was a sale of plants which parents could walk around. We bought a blueberry bush!

What classes are offered?

The Spring Session of classes on the farm in 2025 is an eight week session. These classes are from March 18th to the 20th until May 6th to the 8th.

Pre-K and K classes are one hour long. There is a Fall Session, Fall-Winter Bridge, Winter Session and Spring Session of classes. Each session is very inexpensive. Registration and class times can be found here: Fernbrook Farms Pre-K & K Classes.

There is a Saplings program for ages three to five. This program is longer. More information can be found here: Fernbrook Farms Saplings.

The Lower Level School is for ages six to eleven. More information can be found here: Lower Level School.

The Upper Level Homeschool is for ages twelve to fourteen. More information can be found here: Upper Level Homeschool.

Do they offer a summer camp?

During the summer camp there are also different options that are offered for ages three to fourteen. More information can be found here: Summer Camps Fernbrook Farms.

Do they offer an after school program?

Yes. There is an after school program offered from 3:30 pm to 6:00 pm for students at Chesterfield, John Hydock and MTES. There is more information here: After School Programs.

What is their CSA program?

Fernbrook Farms has a 26-week or a 10-week CSA program. The CSA season runs from Memorial Day until Thanksgiving. Registration for their CSA can be done here: Fernbrook Farms CSA registration.

What is the history behind Fernbrook Farms?

Fernbrook Farms was purchased by Charles Morgan in 1881. It was a gentleman farm where he built a mansion, gatehouse, formal gardens and a barn. He also raised English cattle on the property that he bred and it was a working agricultural farm. During the Gilded Age a gentleman farm was generally a farm that was part of a person’s estate. Often they had livestock and a summer home for the family.

The farm was later purchased by John L. Kuser in 1899. He and his family gave the farm the name of Fernbrook. They added an English garden, forest and outdoor recreation to the farm. Later his son Walter ran the farm as a dairy business from 1940 until 1964. After this portions of the land was rented out to others.

Walter’s son Larry Kuser and his wife Susie started living on the farm in 1974. Initially they tried growing winter wheat and had a plot of land for cut-your-own Christmas trees. They started to run the farm in 1984. They ran a nursery on the farm. Now it has expanded so the space for the nursery crops covers 350 acres. In 1996 the Inn at Fernbrook Farms began being used for events such as weddings and even had a bed and breakfast option for guests. The Fernbrook Farms Education Center was later formed in 2001 in order to educate people about their environment as well as agriculture.Larry’s son Bobby is another educator on the farm. In 2008 the farm also started offering summer camps. Now the farm also offers a CSA program as well.

Resources used: Kuser Farm 125th Anniversary, New Jersey Historic Trust and Nursery Management.

I enjoyed visiting this farm as much as the kids did. Each time we found something new whether it was a lamb that was just born or a frog hopping into a puddle. Be sure to register your kids for a spot while they are still available!