Farms and forests are the best classrooms

Welcome to the Vermont Farm and Forest School, where kids learn naturally.

Imagine your kids coming home more confident.  Imagine them asking not to watch another show, but to go outside.  Asking for carrots instead of chips. For seeds instead of screen time.  

This isn’t just a dream — it’s possible.  And it’s exactly what we cultivate at the Vermont Farm and Forest School.

At VFFS, kids re-engage with their curiosity and imagination, and learn how to make a positive impact by engaging with the natural world.

Our school-year and summer programs immerse kids in nature, bringing them onto the farm where they’re engaged in hands-on learning in the soil, fields, and forest.  

Want your kids to dig in at VFFS?  Learn more about our programs:

Summer Camps

Mentor Program

School Year Program

Farm to School Programs

Group and Organization Workshops

Our Educators

Lisa Frost

School Co-Founder/Educator: As a child Lisa played in the woods often, imagining that she was lost and needed to survive until she could find civilization. In Lisa’s interactive play she built shelters to survive the night, made fires to cook whatever rations she had, hunted animals, and found water. Today, Lisa aspires to lead a self-sufficient lifestyle, akin in some respect to her childhood games. As an educator Lisa seeks to guide children on their own path of curiosity and investigation. She has a BA in Environmental Science from Willamette University and a Masters of Education from Antioch University in Keene, NH.

Jaime Clipperly COTTON

Educator: Jaime is an outdoor and environmental educator whose passion for kids and for the environment is woven into the fabric of her teaching style. She creates the space for kids to discover how the world around them works and is interconnected.  Jaime is endlessly moved by the beauty of the natural world and its inner workings and is inspired to share that joy with others.  Jaime loves spending time with her family skiing, biking, swimming, hiking, gardening, and playing outside.

Jaime has a B.A. from UNH, Durham, in Environmental Conservation and has an M.S. from Antioch University, Keene, NH, in Environmental Studies.  Jaime is Wilderness First Aid and CPR certified.

Kelly Guardino

Farm Hand and Farm to School Enthusiast: Since a young girl Kelly always enjoyed two things: being outdoors & being around/working with young children. She grew up in the Mad River Valley where the local food movement has been at Vermont’s forefront. Kelly supports the Farm to School program conducting taste tests, teaching My Plate Nutrition classes and growing school gardens. During the summer you can find Kelly covered in dirt in fields at the farm.

When not on the farm or in the classroom,  Kelly loves camping with her family, swimming or working in her garden.