Our Primary School Program
Grades Pre-K - 6th | Glen Spey Campus
Welcome to the Homestead School Primary Program
Homestead students as early as age 3 begin their experiential and outdoor learning at our farm-based 100 acre campus in Glen Spey, NY. As our students continue through 6th grade, they are immersed in opportunities to develop their academic and social selves through Montessori based learning. At the core of the Montessori approach is the honoring of the unique potential of each child. At Homestead, children are given the structured freedom to practice independence and self-formation.
Our Primary School Offerings
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Early Childhood
Our Early Childhood Program provides children ages 3 to 6 years old with a safe, nurturing, and respectful environment to develop concentration, focus, and self-discipline.
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Lower Elementary
Our Lower Elementary Program is where students ages 6 to 9 learn Montessori’s “Great Lessons”, designed to spark wonder and awe as they learn about our universe and the history of life on our planet in a peaceful setting.
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Upper Elementary
Our Upper Elementary Program offers students ages 9 to 12 a deeper dive into our integrated curriculum and increased opportunities to grow as individuals and as a community.
Our Campus Classroom
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![Group of children playing and sitting on large rocks in a wooded area during daytime.]()
Split Rock
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![Children and adults planting and tending to crops in a garden during fall, with a background of trees with colorful autumn leaves.]()
The Farm
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![A young girl holding a brown chicken outdoors with a wooden fence and trees in the background, backlit by sunlight.]()
The Chicken Coop
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![Children playing and sitting on rocks in a creek with trees and grassy area in the background beneath a partly cloudy sky.]()
Tuttle Creek
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![A group of children and an adult by a pond, observing the water, with one child holding a bucket and another holding a net, surrounded by trees and grass on a sunny day.]()
The Pond
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![A wooden treehouse built on a large tree in a wooded area, with a child looking out from the front opening, wearing a blue hat and a red jacket, with a staircase leading up to it.]()
The Treehouse
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![Children wearing animal-themed paper hats and costumes walking through a forest on a trail.]()
Deep Woods
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![Children playing and exploring in a forested area with tall trees, bushes, and a small creek or rocky area.]()
Pete's Park
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![A young girl in colorful leggings and a purple shirt with a purple jacket tied around her waist, running up a dirt hill in a wooded area. In the background, there are people walking and playing on a grassy area surrounded by trees.]()
Big Vanilla
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![Children walking along a grassy trail surrounded by trees in a park on a sunny day.]()
Nature Trails
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![Interior space with four blue bean bag chairs on a smooth tan floor, reddish textured wall, large geodesic glass dome ceiling letting in natural light.]()
The Geodome
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![Children playing and running outdoors in a forest, some on a wooden ramp and others on the ground, with a small platform and railing in the background.]()
The Amphitheater
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![Close-up of a goat with white and brown fur and blue eyes, standing on dirt ground and looking up at the camera.]()
The Animal Pasture
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![Children engaging in handstand exercises in a grassy park area with trees in the background, while other kids and adults stand or sit nearby.]()
The Big Field
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![Two young girls playing on a jungle gym in a park during autumn, surrounded by fallen leaves and trees with yellow and orange foliage.]()
Playgrounds
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![Children sitting on the wooden floor and blue mats in a rustic wooden room, attentively watching a performer reading from a book. Decorations hanging from the ceiling include colorful paper lanterns and string lights.]()
The Barn
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![People working and examining plants inside a geodesic dome greenhouse filled with lush green tropical plants and a small pond.]()
The Biodome
We believe in the development of the whole child and offer multiple opportunities for a student to learn using all of their abilities and talents. . Our enrichment courses provide new avenues for integration with the skills and concepts that are being studied in the classroom curricula.
Expansive Programming for All Ages
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Across Early Childhood, Lower Elementary, and Upper Elementary, students at Homestead are building a shared foundation in Spanish that includes greetings, adverbs of place, colors, family members, adjectives of size and quantity, numbers, elements of nature, cultural references, body parts, days of the week, and more. This common vocabulary creates continuity and confidence as children grow through the program.
In the Upper Elementary classrooms, students are deepening their understanding of Spanish by exploring the present tense and beginning to see language as a living system they can actively use. Alongside grammar and vocabulary, we continue an essential conversation: why we learn another language. Beyond communication, language is a bridge to empathy, cultural awareness, and connection. It is a human value and a powerful tool, one that students may one day use to support others, serve a community, and understand the world more fully.
In Spanish class, learning goes beyond words; it becomes a way of relating to one another and honoring our shared humanity.
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Our Physical Education program is about helping children feel capable, confident, and at home in their bodies. Through purposeful games, movement challenges, and cooperative play, students build strength, coordination, balance, and endurance while learning how to move safely and responsibly in community with others.
As students grow, PE becomes more intentional and reflective. Older students explore strategy, teamwork, and perseverance, learning how effort and communication shape both personal growth and group success. The focus is never on comparison or pressure, but on progress, effort, and respect. At its core, our PE program supports the whole child. Movement is treated as a lifelong skill—one that builds resilience, supports mental health, and fosters joy.
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Environmental Education at Homestead combines hands-on outdoor learning with careful observation of the natural world. Students spend regular time outside exploring, experimenting, and paying close attention to what’s happening around them. Through direct experience they build a clear picture of how the natural world "works" and how land, water, weather, people, plants, and animals are interconnected.
Our goal is to help students grow into curious, informed individuals who understand how the natural world functions and why it matters. By pairing scientific understanding with care and responsibility, environmental education at Homestead supports the development of thoughtful stewards, nature lovers, and advocates for a healthy planet—one that we all share and enjoy.
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