Some programs will feature “up-close” visits with the featured farm animal of the week. Visitors will learn more about their role on the farm, both past, and present through displays of farm artifacts, videos, and demonstrations. Families can find items hidden in the Farm Life Exhibits and enjoy storytime. Children can make or take home a theme-related craft.

The 1890 Farm Manager’s house is not open to visitors at this time, but guests will be able to experience the sitting and dining rooms from the farmhouse with exhibits in the Activity Barn.

Billings Farm and Museum is also offering fall and spring Homeschooler Days and educational programs designed for both homeschools and remoted learning students. An array of onsite and virtual programs will be provided for the 2020-2021 school year. Contact BF&M at 802.457.2355 for questions about current or future courses.

Think Like a Farmer: a Remote & Homeschool Program, is an onsite educator-led class designed to foster curiosity, exploration, and discovery in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, and math). Farmers are some of the most creative inventors and problem solvers in the world. In this class, we’ll take inspiration from their ingenuity during four sessions of creative making and problem-solving. Guided by Billings Farm educator Tiana St. James, students will learn about simple machines, physics, and STEAM concepts with hands-on projects, including designing and building contraptions. In each session, students will create a solution in response to a weekly prompt outlining a problem to solve.

Recycled materials and tools will be provided; students are encouraged to bring a notebook for planning. The class will be limited to 10-12 students and will follow Billings Farm’s Safety Pillars requiring social distancing, face coverings, and health screenings in addition to all CDC and Vermont state guidelines.

Tools of the Trade is a one-hour interactive program for ages 7-12. Offered on November 19, individuals learn about the tools and technologies used on a farm and how they have evolved. They will look at artifacts from Billings Farm’s collections and compare then to modern-day tools in current homes and surroundings.

Find details and register online for both of these courses click here.