“Nurtured In Nature,” An Immersive Four Season Outdoor After-School Program Returns To Pitney Meadows, Deepening Children’s Connection To Nature, Community, And Themselves
This fall, continuing into Spring 2027, the living classroom at Pitney Meadows Community Farm is getting a little bigger… and a lot more connected. For the third year, “Nurtured in Nature” returns with an expanded age range, welcoming students from kindergarten through sixth grade and beyond into an immersive after-school experience designed to help young people connect with the outdoors, with one another, and with themselves.
Fall 2026 Sessions: Wednesdays, 4:30pm–5:30pm
Session One: September 23rd, September 30th, October 7th, October 14th
Session Two: October 28th, November 4th, November 11th, November 18th
Spring 2027 Sessions: Wednesdays, 4:30pm–5:30pm
Session One: March 3rd, March 10th, March 17th, and March 24th
Session Two: April 7th, April 14th, April 21st, and April 28th
What began as a nature-based pilot program connecting elementary-aged children to seasonal science, mindfulness, and exploration has continued to grow alongside the children and families who have made it part of their lives. “Nurtured in Nature” is building on that strong foundation with new opportunities for older students to go deeper… while preserving the playful, sensory-rich experiences that have become the heart of the program.
At its core, “Nurtured in Nature” is about connection: helping children slow down enough to notice the world around them, discover their own curiosity and capabilities, and experience what happens when learning, friendship, and nature come together.
“Children are naturally curious, and nature gives them an incredible place to follow that curiosity,” said Leah Ferrone, “Nurtured in Nature” co-founder and educator. “When we give children time and space to explore, play, wonder, and simply be outside together, something really special happens. They begin to connect the dots… between what they’re noticing in nature, what they’re experiencing within themselves, and how they relate to the people around them.”
Each four-week session follows the rhythms of the season, using Pitney Meadows as a living classroom. Students might investigate a natural phenomenon, observe changes in the landscape, explore seasonal science, engage their senses, practice mindfulness, or simply have the freedom to discover something unexpected.
The evolution reflects what the “Nurtured in Nature” team has learned through its first two years: children are not simply learning about nature here… they are developing a relationship with it.
“We’ve watched this program grow in ways that are really meaningful,” said Brooke McConnell, Executive Director of Pitney Meadows Community Farm. “Children are learning about nature, but they’re also learning how to be in a community, how to pay attention, how to trust their own curiosity, and how to feel at home in a place. That is the kind of learning that stays with you. We’re incredibly proud of what Leah and Andrew have built, and excited to see where it goes next.”
Families have seen that connection firsthand. Feedback from past participants describes children becoming excited to participate, including children who are typically shy, while parents have valued having a meaningful reason to return to the farm together.
For Andrew Ferrone, “Nurtured in Nature” co-founder and educator, the program’s continued growth reflects what can happen when children are given consistent opportunities to experience, and then understand, nature firsthand.
“Nature gives us so many invitations to learn,” said Ferrone. “It asks us to slow down, to observe, to adapt, to be curious. We want children to experience that not as another lesson they have to complete, but as something they genuinely enjoy. If they leave here feeling more connected… to the land, to each other, and to themselves… then we’ve accomplished something pretty powerful.”
That philosophy is at the heart of the “Nurtured in Nature’s” next chapter. Younger students (Continued Core Foundation, K-3rd grade) will continue building foundational connections through sensory exploration, play, seasonal science, and mindfulness. Older students (Emerging Nature Leaders, 4th-6th grade and up) have the opportunity to take those skills further through a four-week project-based exploration, developing observation, collaboration, creative problem-solving, and leadership skills.
“Nurtured in Nature” began by inviting children outside and is becoming something more: a place where young people can learn to notice, wonder, connect, and grow… together. A place to build a relationship with the land. A place to build a relationship with one another. A place to build a relationship with themselves. And at Pitney Meadows, that learning happens one season at a time.
Nurtured in Nature’s Fall 2026 and Spring 2027 sessions, open to K–6+ students, will take place at Pitney Meadows Community Farm. Registration is now open, with limited enrollment available. Thanks to the generous support of Deborah and Dexter Senft, registration is offered at an accessible cost, with scholarships also available.
Fall 2026 Sessions: Wednesdays, 4:30pm–5:30pm
Session One: September 23rd, September 30th, October 7th, October 14th
Session Two: October 28th, November 4th, November 11th, November 18th
Spring 2027 Sessions: Wednesdays, 4:30pm–5:30pm
Session One: March 3rd, March 10th, March 17th, and March 24th
Session Two: April 7th, April 14th, April 21st, and April 28th
Meet Our Educators:
Andrew Ferrone: Andrew is the Elementary Principal at Argyle Central School district. Formerly, he was the Model Schools Coordinator for the WSWHE BOCES region, where he leads the integration of nature-based education, technology, and SEL into regional curricula. Now in his 19th year in education, he began his career teaching in the Schenectady City and Ballston Spa Central school districts. An accomplished author, he has written several children’s books and recently co-authored a PreK–2 nature-based program for teachers. Andrew is a passionate advocate for experiential learning, having led regional "On the Farm STEM" training and co-facilitating the "Nurtured in Nature" program at Pitney Meadows Community Farm. A resident of Schuylerville, he lives with his wife, three daughters, and two beagles, and enjoys spending as much time as possible in the great outdoors.
Leah (Lanci) Ferrone: Leah Ferrone is a certified mindfulness practitioner, yoga instructor, and founder of Brave Lion, where she offers neuroscience-informed, nature-based mindfulness experiences for children, educators, and families. A true child at heart, Leah brings playfulness, curiosity, and wonder into all of her work. She believes that mindfulness should feel accessible and personal—supporting resilience, emotional well-being, and a deeper connection to self, others, and the natural world. Leah received her Bachelor's Degree from the University of Massachusetts, and has trained in mindfulness for children through programs including The Fred Rogers Institute, Mindful Schools, MindUP, and Growing Up Mindful. She lives in upstate New York with her family, and finds her greatest joy in nature.