I am ready for a long road flight for working with a week- or months-long projects.
The Poconos Residency
The Residency is a cornerstone of our K-6 program. Three to four times a year — once a season — students travel to a working farm retreat in the Pocono Mountains, with its own farm, forest trails, guest house, and restaurant. For a weekend or several nights at a time, they run a real household together: cooking, caring for animals, studying the land, and learning alongside local friends and the people who run the place.
Our home away from home in the Pocono Mountains — where sustainability, leadership, and independence are practiced, not just discussed.
Beyond practical skills, the residency builds character. Through shared meals, hikes, s’mores and stories around the campfire — and quiet evenings in pajamas by the fireplace, someone at the piano — students develop a strong sense of belonging, respect, and inclusive teamwork. This experience directly reinforces the values of our classroom community.
The natural setting serves as a dynamic extension of the classroom, sparking curiosity and providing authentic contexts for science, ecology, and social studies. Students return with broadened perspectives, a deeper understanding of sustainability, and enhanced confidence and leadership skills. Three years in, the Residency has become the heart of our program — the trip students count down to all semester.
The natural setting serves as a dynamic extension of the classroom, sparking curiosity and providing authentic contexts for science, ecology, and social studies. Students return with broadened perspectives, a deeper understanding of sustainability, and enhanced confidence and leadership skills. Three years in, the Residency has become the heart of our program — the trip students count down to all semester.
What students do at the Residency
➡︎ The farm. Students keep bees, walk the goats, feed the fish, and look after the chickens — including the ones they hatched themselves in our spring life cycle project, who retire to this very farm.
➡︎ Food, full circle. From growing superfoods in the garden to planning the menu, shopping, cooking, and serving — students run their own kitchen. Pasta, salads, and wood-fired pizza from local ingredients are the usual favorites.
➡︎ Business, for real. Students spend time with the owners of the retreat, learning how a sustainable business actually works — operations, marketing, strategy — and pitch their own ideas in brainstorm circles.
➡︎ Research in the field. Forest expeditions with field notes and sketches, hikes, and essays — for example, on how climate and biome shape the way the farm works.
➡︎ Local friends. Students share lessons and hikes with children from the local school — Spanish class included.
➡︎ Food, full circle. From growing superfoods in the garden to planning the menu, shopping, cooking, and serving — students run their own kitchen. Pasta, salads, and wood-fired pizza from local ingredients are the usual favorites.
➡︎ Business, for real. Students spend time with the owners of the retreat, learning how a sustainable business actually works — operations, marketing, strategy — and pitch their own ideas in brainstorm circles.
➡︎ Research in the field. Forest expeditions with field notes and sketches, hikes, and essays — for example, on how climate and biome shape the way the farm works.
➡︎ Local friends. Students share lessons and hikes with children from the local school — Spanish class included.
What students do at the Residency
Morning animal care at the Residency — one of the students' daily responsibilities.
Beyond practical skills, the residency builds character. Through shared meals, hikes, and campfire conversations, students develop a strong sense of belonging, respect, and inclusive teamwork. This experience directly reinforces the values of our classroom community.
The natural setting serves as a dynamic extension of the classroom, sparking curiosity and providing authentic contexts for science, ecology, and social studies. Students return with broadened perspectives, a deeper understanding of sustainability, and enhanced confidence and leadership skills. After three years of program improvements, it has become the heart of our curriculum, beloved by all students.
The natural setting serves as a dynamic extension of the classroom, sparking curiosity and providing authentic contexts for science, ecology, and social studies. Students return with broadened perspectives, a deeper understanding of sustainability, and enhanced confidence and leadership skills. After three years of program improvements, it has become the heart of our curriculum, beloved by all students.
A child-led experience
At Hopscotch, we embrace child-led, experiential learning. Through hands-on activities, enlightening field trips, and collaborative projects, our students gain a comprehensive understanding of the world around them. Join us on this transformative journey where education meets exploration, inspiring young minds to become confident, compassionate, and environmentally conscious leaders of tomorrow.
