Our various Summer Youth Programs provide kids the opportunity to experience all the fun that Sylvester Manor has to offer. Registration will open on February 3, 2025 at 9:00am for the 2025 season.
Questions? Email youthprograms@sylvestermanor.org
Ages 2-7 Years Old
THE place for your kids to enjoy growing and harvesting vegetables in our Children’s Garden, creating nature-based arts and crafts, exploring the Sylvester Manor forest, taking field walks to the Windmill Field and learning about music, imagery, fiber arts and more! Meeting new friends, spending time outside and participating in all of these activities will certainly engage your Meadowlark (ages 2-3 ½), Little Sprout (ages 3 ½, 4-5) or Young Farmer (ages 6-7) this summer!
The traditional program runs weekly, Monday through Friday, June 30 through August 22, 2025.
Meadowlarks (ages 2-3 ½ years old)
[must be 2 years old by June 30, 2025]
8:30am-11:30am
$475/week
Little Sprouts (ages 3 ½, 4 & 5 years old) [must be 3 years old by January 1, 2025]
9:00am-12:30pm
$550/week
Young Farmer (ages 6-7 years old)
9:00am-12:30pm
$550/week
Ages 4-7 Years Old
The extended day is a supervised, unstructured time for 4-7 year olds. It runs from 12:30-3:00pm, Monday through Thursday each week. You can sign up for the day or for the week. Your child does not need to be enrolled in the morning program to attend the extended day.
June 30-August 22 (M-Th)
$85/day or $300 for the week
Ages 4-7 Years Old
You have been asking and we listened! This year, we will offer an extra week for a limited number of children. An enchanted celebration of summers end, the week will be a collaboration of music and dance, foraging and preparing for a forest to table soiree at the end of the week.
Quintessence (ages 4-7 years old)
August 25-30
9:00am-12:30pm
$600
Limited enrollment, so register early!
Ages 7-14 Years Old
This unique program is an experiential theatrical conservatory supporting the belief that children can find the noblest understanding of themselves…and the world…within an environment that embraces nature.
Forest Theatre encompasses aspects of theatrical study while deepening the wonder and understanding of oneself in relation to nature. The children will move through music and dance as a basis for culture and communication through poignant storytelling and spirited movement.
Performances are structured to embody the spirit of each child while fostering a deeper understanding of the expressive arts, inside a reverence for nature.
Each program will culminate in a uniquely authentic performance, in the forest.
Dancing Moths (ages 7-10 years old)
August 4 – August 22
12:30-2:30pm
Performance on August 22
$950
Wing & Song (ages 11-14 years old)
June 30 – July 25
12:30-3:00pm
Performance on July 26
$1875
Ages 8-10 Years Old
Fig & Forest is open to children ages 8-10 years old and will provide for a more focused approach to the wonder of story and the culinary arts in an outdoor summer setting. Each week children will be invited to collaborate in an authentic way pairing food, art, storytelling and music in a unique, interactive and intimate space. The children will explore the culture of the culinary arts through music, storytelling and dance and their week will culminate in both cooking for others and the creation of a unique cookbook that includes their cooking experiences.
Fig & Forest runs weekly, Monday through Friday, June 30 through August 22, 2025.
Fig & Forest (8-10 year olds)
9:00am-12:30pm
$575/week
Ages 8-12 Years Old
Using the Manor grounds as their laboratory, kids will engage in hands-on discovery learning each day during this week-long STEM program! Young scientists will ask questions, make observations and create solutions as they participate in a variety of experiences and challenges. Everything from building structures using natural objects, to creating mixtures and solutions, to identifying native plants and animals, to experimenting with leaves and creating physical sensory boards – if your child is curious and enjoys scientific investigation, register now! This exciting program will be led this year by local educator, Julie Fanelli.
STEM (ages 8-12 years old)
July 14-18
9:00-11:30am
$550
Ages 8-12 Years Old
Outdoor Wilderness Living Skills (O.W.L.S.) program is a two-week program that teaches kids how to practice outdoor skills mindfully and safely. They learn how to identify, avoid and deal with common hazards encountered outdoors. Exploring all of Sylvester Manor’s terrain—Farm, Field, Forest and Wetlands—kids will explore how these and other landscape features influence each other. Depending on the season, a typical day may include foraging in the forest, fishing in the creek, building a shelter, using a field knife, crafting tools for camp, starting and managing fire, all while moving through the various landscapes safely and comfortably. Led by Shelter Island native and outdoor expert Mark Mobius, the O.W.L.S. program will immerse your kids in two action-packed weeks of authentic wilderness training, exploring and skills building.
O.W.L.S. (ages 8-12 years olds)
Session One: July 7-18
Session Two: August 4-15
9:00am-12:00pm
$1200/session
Post Office Box 2029
80 North Ferry Road
Shelter Island, NY 11964 info@sylvestermanor.org 631.749.0626
