Sylvester Manor summer youth programs include two new offerings — one focused on culinary arts and the other on wilderness living. All programs occur outdoors on the 235-acre grounds along Gardiners Creek in the heart of Shelter Island.
Please note that if your preferred program is fully-subscribed, you can join the waitlist.
Fig & Forest
This new endeavor for 8- and 9-year-olds combines the wonder of story with culinary arts. Each week children will collaborate by pairing food, art, storytelling, music, and dance and explore the culture of the culinary arts. The week culminates with cooking for others and creating a cookbook reflecting their experiences.
The program, limited to 10 participants per session, runs weekly from June 26 through August 18, Monday to Friday, from 9 AM to 12:30 PM. The cost is $550 per week. Follow this link to register for Fig & Forest.
OWLS
OWLS — Outdoor Wilderness Living Skills — is a new program that will teach kids ages 8 to 13 how to practice outdoor skills mindfully and safely. They’ll learn to identify, avoid and deal with common outdoor hazards. Then, exploring Sylvester Manor’s terrain — farm, field, and forest— they’ll experience how landscape features influence one another.
A typical day for the 10 participants may include foraging in the forest, fishing in the creek, building a shelter, using a field knife, crafting tools, or starting and managing a campfire. With Shelter Island native and outdoor expert Mark Mobius as their guide, explorers are in for kids in an action-packed week of authentic wilderness training and skills building.
Sessions are Monday to Friday, from 1 to 4 PM. July 10 to 14 is open to kids ages 8 to 10; August 7 to 11 is for kids ages 11 to 13. The cost is $550 per session. Follow this link to register for OWLS.
Traditional programs and extended day option
Participants grow and harvest vegetables in the Manor’s Children’s Garden, create nature-based arts and crafts, explore the forest and Windmill Field and learn about music, imagery, fiber arts, and more. They’ll meet new friends while spending time outdoors.
Sessions are Monday to Friday from June 26 to August 18, from 9 AM to 12:30 PM. Little Sprouts is for ages 3 to 4, and Young Farmers is for ages 5 to 7. Choose one or more weekly sessions, costing $525 per week.
An extended day option is open to kids ages 5 to 7 and runs Monday to Thursday from 12:30 to 3 PM. The cost is $75 per day or $275 per week. Follow this link for the traditional Little Sprouts and Young Farmers programs.
Forest Theatre
The Forest Theatre welcomes children to experience elements of stagecraft in Sylvester Manor’s forest. The program introduces historical and cultural aspects of theatre, music, and dance. Depending on the age group, a performer’s typical day may involve breathing exercises, singing warm-ups, reading the book the play will be adapted from, researching aspects of theatre and how they’re connected to life in small farming towns, writing a short journal entry, blocking and rehearsing the show.
Both three-week programs culminate in a performance structured to feature participants to the best of their ability. Wing and Song is for ages 9 to 12 and runs from July 3 to 21, Monday to Friday, from 1 to 3:30 PM. The cost is $1,300. Dancing Moths is for ages 6 to 8 and runs from July 31 to August 18, Monday to Friday, from 1 to 2:30 PM. The cost is $775. Follow this link to register for Forest Theatre.
STEM @ Sylvester Manor
Using the Manor as their laboratory, kids ages 8 to 12 will engage in hands-on discovery during this week-long program. Themed days include activities involving engineering, electricity, chemistry, biology, and earth science. Rob Strauss, a dynamic and engaging retired science teacher, will guide 10 participants as they create windmills and boats, check out what’s in the creek, make simple circuits, identify rocks and soil, and more.
Sessions are Monday to Friday from 9 to 11:30 AM. The week of July 17 to 21 is for kids ages 8 to 12. The week of July 31 to August 4 is for ages 8 to 10. The cost is $525 per week. Use this link for STEM @ Sylvester Manor.
Discounts and other details
Discounts of 10 percent may be available for children who live year-round on Shelter Island; check the program links for details.
Sylvester Manor’s summer youth programs are outdoors, and the nonprofit may have to cancel sessions on days when severe weather is anticipated. While there is a tent suitable for when it’s drizzly out, there are no indoor facilities sufficient to accommodate children and staff in severe weather. Fees are not prorated based on weather closures.
Each program has a non-refundable $100 administrative fee per week; no refunds are available after May 1.
About Sylvester Manor
Once a Native American hunting and fishing ground, Sylvester Manor, since 1652, was home to 11 generations of its original European settler family. It was begun as a provisioning plantation worked by enslaved laborers. At the time, it encompassed the entire island.
Today, the non-profit Sylvester Manor is open to the public, with educational and cultural arts events throughout the year and a seasonal farm with a Community Supported Agriculture program and farm stand selling locally grown produce, eggs, and pork.
For more information, visit sylvestermanor.org.
