Village School for the 2026 - 2027 year is now full

You can still join our waitlist by filling out the registration form

VILLAGE SCHOOL
at Bread & Butter Farm

Village School is a day-long immersive program for kids offered September - May for kids age 7 - 14 to engage with our farm and forests through the seasons. Our classroom is the farm and over 600 acres of forests, fields, savannas, and marshlands in Shelburne & South Burlington, VT. Our mentors engage kids through meaningful work, craft and game, emphasizing the relationships of humans with each other and our surrounding natural community. Together, we sink into the rhythms of farm life and the natural world.

Village School gives kids opportunities to experience life in a thriving landscape. From the communities at the farm, to the wild of the fields and forests surrounding the farmstead, we strive to create a culture of respect, appreciation, observation, openness, and curiosity. With these as our guiding principles, we focus our learning around Food, Art & Music, Natural History and Earth Skills as a means of connecting with our landscape and instilling a sense of place.

A DAY AT VILLAGE SCHOOL

Gratitude - Chores - Fire - Guilds - Lunch - Sit Spot - Free Choice - Story

Flow of the Day
9:00am // Arrival
9:15 // Morning Circle, Gratitude
9:30 // Farm Chores
10:15 // Hike to woodland base camp
10:30 // Fire and Snack
11:00 // Guilds
12:30 // Lunch
1:00 // Sit Spot
1:30 // Free Choice
3:00pm // Pick-up

GUILDS

Guilds are at the core of what we do at Village School. These are our “classes” that are led by a mentor every morning and allow us to sink into a certain topic or activity. They are focused around the four main subjects: Food, Art & Music, Natural History and Earth Skills.

Healthy food, from our land, is a central theme of Village School. Food is a vital component of this program and of our humanity. A simple, direct connection to the earth and to our land. A means of nourishing ourselves and of creating community. We cook lunch with the kids every day of Village School with food grown and raised right here on the farm!
We focus on creativity, imagination and freedom of expression. Whether we are singing songs, telling stories around the fire or watercolor painting in the pastures, Art and music are an integral part of our program. Through our days we seek to create a space where imagination can run wild.
We spend time observing and getting to know the neighbors that we share this little corner of Vermont with. From the fields to the forests, plants and animals, both wild and domesticated. From tracking to tree ID, from what the cows eat, to annual bird migrations. Learning who we co-habitate this land with, helps us to further understand our sense of place in it.
We use earth skills to define a broad range of skills related to traditional skills, plant uses and wilderness survival. These are skills that provide a direct and meaningful connection to the natural world, and serve to empower and fuel creativity. At Village School we practice many different earth skills, from wild edible foraging to friction fire to herbal remedies, and many things in between. We focus on what can be derived from the land around us as a means of better understanding our relationship with our environment.

Village School registration for the 2026 - 2027 school year will open on June 1st, 2026!
We do NOT accept students on a first come first serve basis. We will be looking at applications starting on June 15th and notify families of placements by June 29th. There is no fee to register, however, we do ask for a $400 non-refundable deposit upon mutual acceptance of application and admission to The Village School.
REGISTER NOW!
The cost for the Village School for 2026/2027 Year (Fall & Spring Semesters) is $2400.
A $400 nonrefundable deposit is due upon admission to Village School.
Sibling Discount: We offer a sibling discount where you sign your first child up at full price and receive a 10% discount for subsequent siblings.
Financial Aid: We strive to make our programs accessible to everyone, and do not want cost to be a barrier. If you need financial assistance, please fill out the financial aid application in the registration portal.
Is the deposit refundable? Your $400 Deposit is non-refundable, unless you decide to withdraw from the program because your financial aid request was not met by Village School.
What happens if I need to drop out of Village School? Village School is a year long commitment (September - May), however we understand that things can come up in this time and change your ability to participate in the program. If at some point in the year you need to cancel, we have a few tiers to provide for refunds:
- If you cancel before September 1st, we will provide a full refund minus the non-refundable deposit.
- If you cancel between September 1st and September 12th, we will provide a 50% refund.
- If you cancel between January 1st and January 15th, we will provide a full refund for Spring Semester
- If you cancel between January 15th and January 29th, we will provide a 50% refund
- Once a semester starts, we cannot offer a refund for that semesters payments.
Snow Days: We follow the South Burlington School District for cancelations due to weather. Per usual, refunds will not be issued for snow days. If more than 3 snow days happen on any given day during the year, we will schedule a make up day.
Schedule conflicts & Individual sick days: Per Usual, refunds will not be issued due to individual sick days or scheduling conflicts.
Fall Semester: September 14, 2026 - December 18th, 2026
Spring Semester: February 1st, 2027 - May 21, 2027
We follow the South Burlington school district for breaks, taking off the weeks of November 23 (Thanksgiving) , February 22 (Winter break), and April 19 , (Spring break).
Please direct any and all questions to education@breadandbutterfarm.com

Mentorship

Mentorship is the backbone of Village School that links together kids and adult mentors in a tight group based on trust and shared learning.

Griffin Cummings (he/him)

Griffin originally came to Vermont to study Environmental Policy at Champlain College. After graduating he worked at the Winooski Valley Parks District doing conservation, trail restoration, and invasive species management. He also spent time at the North Branch Nature center in Montpelier as an Environmental Educator, which sparked his love for teaching outdoors. He followed this by working in special education at South Burlington High School as an interventionist. He brings joy, enthusiasm, and wonder wherever he goes and is always looking to learn more. Griffin has a deep love of people, food, travel, music, and all of the messy things that make us human.
Ella Mighell (she/her/they/them)

Ella is our Land/Education Liaison & Village School Mentor. On-farm they enjoy preserving & processing food and other seasonal materials, looking to the trees, learning from the pigs, practicing stewardship of place ~ honored to be alongside kids. She began mentoring with Village School in the Fall of 2018 after being connected to the farm through a UVM agroecology partnership. From instructing for Outward Bound, they bring heart & experience to community building and conflict resolution. With On-farm education and beyond, her heart-fire is sustained by wonder-driven learning and sharing good food. Practicing and studying agroforestry, Ella is participating in the Northeast Forest Farmers Coalition’s Mentorship Program. She believes deeply in the paradigm-shifting capabilities of community & land connection. Raised in the redwood forests and oak valleys of northern California, they now call the green mountains home.
Cayden Shaw (she/her)

My name is Cayden, and I’ve lived in Vermont my whole life. I graduated from the University of Vermont with a major in Food Systems and a minor in Agroecology. Since joining the farm three years ago, I’ve deepened my understanding of agriculture, community, and food—and developed a new appreciation for my relationship with the land and all that it offers us.
What began as an internship for an agroecology course quickly turned into a job, and over time, has grown into a place that truly feels like home. I’m grateful to have worked in nearly every area of the farm, and I’ve found a special connection with both our education programs and our CSA community.
This past summer, I was involved with vegetable production and CSA. It’s been a powerful full-circle experience to participate in the entire process—from seeding, to harvest, to distributing food directly to our community.
Looking ahead, I’m excited to dive deeper into our Village School, Little Village, and homeschool program, while continuing to connect with our CSA members each week at pickups.
This farm holds such a special place in my heart, and I’m so happy to be here with our incredible team and community!
Alex Gemme (he/him)

Alex is the Village School Manager and has been a part of Bread & Butter Farm in various capacities for several years - as a gardener, Burger Night staff, and Village School Mentor. Alex has taught in various settings including in the gardens at Rock Point School, as a rock climbing instructor, an apprentice ski guide, and as a mentor with Crow’s Path. Alex's gentle style puts all of us at ease. He is steady and strong and kind.
Carina Crane (she/her)

Carina believes that connecting to and learning through the land, our community, and beings that surround us is a gift. Carina is a recent UVM graduate where she focused on environmental studies and place-based education. She has spent time in various outdoor, place-based programs and schools throughout Vermont where she has cultivated a deep curiosity and care for learning alongside and with kids.
Emily Vinson (she/her)

Emily grew up in Vermont and has spent the past few years working at Bread and Butter Farm and Blank Page Cafe while attending school for clinical herbalism. She loves learning all sorts of earth-based skills that bring us into deeper relationship with the land around us. She is excited to be a part of Village School and share her passions while learning from others.