Little Hands, Big Impact

Little Hands, Big Impact is a hands-on, whole-day summer program that blends academic learning with outdoor discovery, helping children become thoughtful environmental stewards of their local world. Using our school farm property and nearby state parks around Durham, NC as living classrooms, students explore native North Carolina plants, animals, and ecosystems through meaningful, action-oriented experiences.

Each day balances engaging literacy and math activities with immersive nature exploration. Students listen to nature-themed read-alouds, journal like naturalists, collect data, sketch observations, and apply math skills while studying plant life, wildlife, conservation, and recycling. Through hiking, planting, investigating habitats, and caring for shared outdoor spaces, students connect learning to real-world impact.

Service-learning is woven throughout the week and may include garden work, planting trees, playground or roadside clean-ups, and tending to the farm and surrounding natural areas. The week concludes with a celebratory Earth Day–style showcase where students share what they’ve learned, reflect on their stewardship work, and celebrate the positive impact they’ve made on their community.

This program is ideal for children who love being outdoors and for families seeking meaningful summer learning rooted in place-based education, environmental science, curiosity, and care for the natural world.