About
Farm Hands is a program where young learners spend time outdoors exploring land, animals, water, gardens, and farm work. Learners use their senses to work in gardens and on the farm as they come to understand the work it takes to sustain where food comes from. They explore the spaces around them, use their senses to experience their environment, and ask questions that they discover answers to through their explorations.
Farm Hands is aimed at giving young learners the opportunity to learn outdoors, gain confidence as they explore, and develop an appreciation for hard work and the nature around them. The program focuses on learning outdoors in ways that engage a learner's senses, stimulate creativity, and put problem-solving skills at the forefront. Learners at Farm Hands foster their love of the outdoors and explore first-hand what they wonder about in their environment. The leadership team includes Director and Teacher Jessica de Vera Wells, Teacher Sophia Malatesta, Teacher Lillian (Lilly) Cowburn, and Teacher Danielle Hendrickson. Jessica de Vera Wells is a local farmer and certified teacher with a degree in Horticulture from Cornell University and a Masters of Education from Hunter College, and she taught preschool, elementary, and middle school ages in New York City for 16 years. Sophia is a long-time educator with elementary classroom experience and is certified as a Level 3 Forest School Leader. Lilly Cowburn has a bachelor’s degree in Plant Science. Danielle Hendrickson is a certified elementary school teacher. Jessica grew up on her family’s farm, Wells Homestead Acres, in Aquebogue. Danielle worked for the Town of Riverhead Parks and Recreation Department as the Cultural Affairs Supervisor. Sophia is a native Long Islander who recently moved back from living in Ireland, and Lilly is originally from the suburbs of Syracuse, New York, and moved to the North Fork in 2022.
Last updated May 28, 2026.
Farm Hands is aimed at giving young learners the opportunity to learn outdoors, gain confidence as they explore, and develop an appreciation for hard work and the nature around them. The program focuses on learning outdoors in ways that engage a learner's senses, stimulate creativity, and put problem-solving skills at the forefront. Learners at Farm Hands foster their love of the outdoors and explore first-hand what they wonder about in their environment. The leadership team includes Director and Teacher Jessica de Vera Wells, Teacher Sophia Malatesta, Teacher Lillian (Lilly) Cowburn, and Teacher Danielle Hendrickson. Jessica de Vera Wells is a local farmer and certified teacher with a degree in Horticulture from Cornell University and a Masters of Education from Hunter College, and she taught preschool, elementary, and middle school ages in New York City for 16 years. Sophia is a long-time educator with elementary classroom experience and is certified as a Level 3 Forest School Leader. Lilly Cowburn has a bachelor’s degree in Plant Science. Danielle Hendrickson is a certified elementary school teacher. Jessica grew up on her family’s farm, Wells Homestead Acres, in Aquebogue. Danielle worked for the Town of Riverhead Parks and Recreation Department as the Cultural Affairs Supervisor. Sophia is a native Long Islander who recently moved back from living in Ireland, and Lilly is originally from the suburbs of Syracuse, New York, and moved to the North Fork in 2022.
Last updated May 28, 2026.
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