Franklin, Tennessee · 17 Wild Acres

Summer Camp at Hyphae House

Hyphae House Learning Center · Ages 4–12 · Starting June 15

Duration
8 Weeks
Hours
9am–3pm
Per Week
$385
Ages
4–12
Enroll Now — $385 / Week What Campers Experience
Explore

Summer at Hyphae House is about choice, discovery,
and joyful connection with the natural world —
days spent in the rhythms of farm and forest,
the magic of the outdoors.

Campers walking a wooded trail together at Hyphae House
A Different Kind of Summer

Farm & forest,
every day

At our farm and forest location, summer is all about choice. Campers spend their days immersed in the rhythms of farm and forest life — caring for animals, exploring ecosystems, creating in the studio, playing games, and building friendships that last long after the season ends.

There is no rigid schedule here. The land leads. Curiosity drives. And every child gets to follow what lights them up — in an environment that is safe, wild, and genuinely alive.

What a day here feels like
Wild. Warm.
Wonderfully real.
Caring for animals who genuinely need them
Exploring forests, streams, and meadows on foot
Creating — art, building, theater, making things with their hands
Playing freely in a space big enough to get lost in
Discovering something new every single day
Building real friendships with kids who love the outdoors too
What Campers Experience

Every week,
a new discovery

Each week may include but is not limited to…

🐝
Animal Care & Farm Life
Chickens, goats, lambs, a donkey, honeybees, and more — campers choose how deeply they want to engage. Some become the barn's most dedicated helpers. All of them leave knowing what it feels like to be truly needed.
🌲
Forest Exploration
Miles of wooded trails, a forest canopy to get lost in, mushrooms to find, and creatures to track. The forest is open every day — and no two days in it are ever the same.
💧
Creek Wading & Water Play
Our living streams are one of the most beloved places on the property. Campers wade, explore, catch, release, and simply splash — discovering what lives in the water and loving every muddy minute of it.
🎨
Arts & Making
Studio space for painting, sculpture, botanical illustration, natural dyeing, and fiber arts. Campers create at their own pace and in their own direction — making things with their hands that they're genuinely proud of.
🎭
The Expression
Art and making are how we process what we've found. A song about the water cycle. A clay model of the hive. Mimicking animal behaviors in nature play. Creating music from forest sounds. At Hyphae House, expression isn't a break from discovery — it's how discovery becomes real.
🌿
Garden & Harvest
The Produce Garden and Herb Garden are always growing something. Campers plant, tend, harvest, and taste — connecting with where food actually comes from in a way that sticks with them for life.
🦋
Nature Discovery & Bug Life
Pollinators, insects, fungi, birds, and everything in between. Campers who want to go deep get loupe lenses and field guides. Campers who just want to watch are equally welcome — wonder takes many forms.
🏕️
Building & Wilderness Skills
Shelter construction, tool use, knot-tying, and hands-on problem-solving in the field. The kind of real-world competence that builds genuine confidence — not just the feeling of it.
🫙
Cooking & Food Craft
Jam-making, honey extraction, preservation, and farm-to-table cooking from what the land produces. Campers learn that food is something you make — not just something that arrives.
🌿
Games & Free Play
Wide open space, 17 acres, and the freedom to just play. Campers design their own games, build their own worlds, and discover that boredom — when you're surrounded by a living farm and forest — doesn't last very long.
👯
Friendships & Community
Mixed-age groups, shared adventures, animals to love together, and a community built around genuine care for one another. The friendships that form at Hyphae House have a way of lasting well beyond summer.
The Daily Rhythm

Every day has
a purpose

The weekly schedule follows a consistent five-day arc that builds from open wondering to deep synthesis. Children always know what kind of day it is — and that predictable rhythm is what makes them feel safe enough to take real risks.

Monday
The Invitation
A provocation waits when children arrive — no explanation. Grand Huddle opens with "What do you notice?" The week's Discovery Thread is born from children's questions, not a guide's plan.
Tuesday
The Investigation
Hands on the land. Data collection, measurement, specimen gathering, scientific observation. Trek Tech tools deployed. The land is the teacher.
Wednesday
The Expression
Making, building, creating. Clay models, botanical illustration, shelter design, market products in development. Art is how we process what we've found.
Thursday
The Synthesis
The thread comes together. Projects advance or complete. Each Huddle shares what they discovered, built, or noticed — in their own words, in their own way.
Friday
The Wild Day
Farm chores, animal care, land stewardship, and an open-ended Wild Day. The least structured day by design — it builds the initiative and self-directed discovery that carries children through the rest of their lives.
A Look at Our Summer

Real days,
real wonder

A family meeting the goats at the Hyphae House farm
Campers scanning the tree line with binoculars
A camper tending a raised garden bed
A camper examining a discovery through a magnifying glass
Children exploring the life around a fallen log
Smiling campers together outdoors at Hyphae House
What They're Really Learning

Ten life skills
woven through everything

When children are free to follow their curiosity — caring for a goat, harvesting honey, building a shelter, running a market stall — life skills aren't taught. They just happen.

🔍 Asking Questions
🧭 Making Decisions
🛠️ Solving Problems
🤝 Working with Others
📣 Communicating Clearly
🌱 Stewardship
💪 Managing Yourself
🔄 Adapting to Change
❤️ Empathy & Care
✅ Taking Action
"We built this place so children could have a summer that feels like childhood is supposed to feel — free, full of wonder, and deeply real."
— KT, Founder & Lead Guide
Enrollment

Simple, transparent pricing

Summer Day Camp
— Weekly Enrollment
Enroll one week or all eight. No long-term commitment required.
$385
per camper / per week
🕗
Mon–Fri, 9:00 AM–3:00 PM
Starting June 15 · Franklin, TN
🌿
17 Wild Tennessee Acres
Forest, streams, farm, apiary & gardens
👥
Small-Group Ratios
KT + Assistant Guides
🏅
Ages 4–12 Welcome
Mixed-age Huddle model — Seekers, Weavers & Guardians
Reserve Your Child's Spot

Summer camp is enrolled weekly — no semester commitment needed.

Common Questions

We've heard
these before

My child has never done forest school. Will they struggle?
Almost every child takes a few days to settle in. Week 1 is designed entirely for this — building the container before we fill it. By Friday of Week 1, children who were uncertain on Monday are usually the ones who don't want to leave. Trust the process.
What if my child is scared of animals or insects?
We meet every child where they are. Nobody is required to handle an animal before they're ready. Children who are initially anxious often become the most enthusiastic animal caregivers by the end of the season — because they got to move at their own pace.
What happens if it rains?
Rain is not a cancellation at Hyphae House — it's a curriculum condition. Students learn to dress for the weather, find calm in discomfort, and study the creek while it runs high. Please send a rain poncho every day regardless of the forecast.
How is safety managed?
All guides are First Aid, CPR, and Wilderness First Aid certified. A full emergency kit is carried at all times. We use the Risk Framework — children learn to identify when they need support and ask for it. Safety is taught, not just imposed.
My child has a learning difference. Is this right for them?
Hyphae House was built, in part, for these children. Movement-based learning, multi-sensory experiences, small ratios, and project-based structure are not adaptations here — they are the program. Many of our most thriving students are children who struggled in traditional settings.
Franklin, Tennessee

Give them a summer
that feels like childhood

Choice, discovery, and joyful connection with the natural world — on 17 wild Tennessee acres, all summer long.

Enroll Now — $385 / Week Ask a Question
Monday–Friday · 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM · Ages 4–12 · Starting June 15