Growing Future Stewards of our Global Community
Hilltop Hanover Farm directly influences the environmental and sustainability education in Westchester County by offering year-round specialized programming in farming and food practices, local ecology, biodiversity, and natural climate solutions.
Visiting Hilltop Hanover Farm nurtures young people’s connection to their food source, environment, and the biodiversity native to their region. Every one of our updated visit offerings (appropriate for every age and discipline) is seamlessly integrated with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), NYS Science Learning Standards (NYSSLS), Education for Sustainability (EfS), and STEAM curricula. Learn more.
Not a school group? We also offer educational Group Visits!
Visit Offerings At A Glance
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Smell rich soil and earthy compost, feel silky goat noses and prickly eggplant stems, and taste your way through the crop fields and greenhouses as our farmers guide you through reconnecting with the natural world using all 5 of your senses, exploring the sense landscape across the farm.
Excellent for younger students; inspiring for students of all ages, artists and scientists alike. -
As community members of a local and global ecosystem, we have a responsibility to practice sustainable stewardship of the earth. Students learn about the sustainable, organic practices on our working production farm, and engage in deeper conversation about environmental responsibility, local food systems, and climate action.
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How do farmers always have fresh produce ready throughout the season? Why do we plant cover crops? And are green peppers really just unripe? Get up close and personal with the 40+ varieties of crops in our fields and greenhouses, explore life cycles and earth cycles, and learn what it takes to produce healthy, organic food year after year – from compost tea to soil pH – before putting your skills to work.
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Hilltop Hanover is situated overlooking the Croton Reservoir, and our crop fields lose over 100 feet of elevation as they slope towards the NYC water supply. But there are broader reasons for our all-organic practices; in fact, everyone lives in a watershed, and our responsibility to our environment is equal, regardless of where we live. Experience watersheds with the help of Westchester County Parks educators and our farmers!
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Experience your food from source to belly as we take you through the organic growing process, harvest ingredients together, and prepare a seasonal meal in our farm kitchen. Students engage with the roots of the growing local food movement, learn the relationship between real food and lifelong nutrition and health, and discuss the impacts of sustainable and organic practices.
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The health of the ecosystem surrounding a farm is as important as the health of the crop fields themselves, and the farm sits amid over one hundred acres of park land. Students experience the farm and fields, learning about our sustainable agriculture practices, then venture onto the trails and meet the trees, geology, and hydrology of their home forest.