Play, Learn, & Grow with Us

at Perch Playschool

perch farm illustration

Our Story

In a serendipitous set of circumstances, Nicci Conn, the President of Perch Farm Foundation, and Becca Thiemann, the owner of Becca’s Book Box, have teamed up to offer classes and programs full of life, play, fun, mess, and child-centered learning. Their unique backgrounds compliment each other to bring you the best nature and farm education has to offer.

View Our Programs

Perch Playschool

We are thrilled to announce we will be opening a preschool for Fall 2025!

This preschool will be play and nature-based designed to work cooperatively to supplement what you are doing at home. Our goal is to teach, play, and learn outside on the farm to grow curious and engaged children. This time will be spent reading, playing, exploring, and learning on the farm in the fresh air. We will be offering one class this fall and hope to grow in the future.

Day + Time Details

Mondays and Wednesdays:
9:00 AM – 12:00 pm drop-off

Sign up for the year!
Labor Day to Memorial Day
(Ages 3-5 years old)

Learn More + Apply
perch playschool at perch farm
perch playgroup at perch farm

Perch Playgroup

Read, sing, and play with us to build language, make friends (both human and animal), and grow as a lifelong learner!

This weekly caregiver and me class at Perch Farm is child-centered, play-based, and dedicated time outside. It is designed for children ages six months through five years.  Your child will have the chance to interact and bond with you, explore the natural world around them while making new friends, and build their confidence as they try new things.

Day + Time Details

Tuesdays and Thursdays:
9:00 AM – 10:15 AM and 10:30 AM – 11:45 AM
(pick one class per session)

Fall – 10 weeks
Winter – 6 weeks
Spring – 10 weeks
Summer – mini sessions

Learn More

Meet Our Team

Nicolette Conn

Nicolette Conn

Co-director of Perch Playschool

President of Perch Farm Foundation

About Nicci

Hello! I was born and raised in Cincinnati in a Dutch household where my parents imported flower bulbs from the Netherlands. I went on to get my Bachelor’s degree in communications from Ohio University. In 2015, my husband and I founded Perch Farm as a hobby that quickly grew into a labor of love. What started as a small farm venture became our passion, particularly in sharing our knowledge and love for farming with children and our community at large. This led us to establish a non-profit organization focused on education, turning our farm into a valuable resource for sustainable agriculture practices.

Learn more here

Becca Thiemann

Becca Thiemann

Co-director of Perch Playschool

PhD in Literacy, Owner of Becca’s Book Box

About Becca

Hi! I am a mom, literacy expert, and author of Kindergarten Ready Through Play. I received my Masters from Xavier in Early Childhood Education and my doctorate from the University of Cincinnati. I am the founder of Becca’s Book Box & Tutoring Services and we serve families through K-12 tutoring, storytimes, and parent education. Creating opportunities for children to play, read, and be outside is a dream come true. Helping children and families find a love of reading and learning is my ultimate goal. Most of the time, you can find me spending time with my two children, 5 and 18 months, and my husband.

Learn more here

Kathleen Koester

Kathleen Koester

Lead Teacher of Perch Playgroup and Curriculum Support

About Kathleen

Kathleen is an enthusiastic Early Childhood educator with a Master’s in Education from Mount Saint Joseph University and a Bachelor’s in Family Studies from The Ohio State University. She has spent over 15 years bringing joy to learning through imaginative, hands-on, and play-based activities. Kathleen believes in the magic of early education and she hopes to foster a lifelong love for learning and curiosity in her young students. Outside of education, she can be found chasing her two energetic children through local parks, enjoying a cup of coffee with her family, or working on home decor projects.
Jordan Hammans

Jordan Hammans

Lead Teacher of Perch Playschool

About Jordan

Jordan has her Masters degree in Education from Antioch University NE and her Bachelors degree in Education from Xavier University. She is Waldorf certified with over 16 years of multidisciplinary classroom and tutoring experience in pre-K through 8th grade. She also enjoys working as a Student Teaching Supervisor for Xavier University. In her free time, she loves baking, beekeeping, gardening, and working on various projects in her studio.
baby-animals-perch-farm-in-indian-hill-ohio
About the Farm

Discover Perch Farm in Indian Hill

Perch Farm Foundation is an educational foundation dedicated to learning opportunities for children and the community. In this exquisite setting, children will be gifted so many new experiences through play, farm fun, and more.

Learn More Here

Don’t miss out!

Sign up to be notified when registration opens for future Playgroup dates, drop-in days, and other events at Perch Farm.

Be in the Know
kindergarten readiness resources

What they’re saying…

“This takes your typical mommy and me activity up a notch and we couldn’t be happier or more excited to enroll for the next session! The weekly themes, introduction of new live animals, and physical, mental and emotional stimulation have created a truly unique and authentic morning of reading, crafts, sensory play and memory-making with my son every week! Thank you and kudos! Just what we never knew we needed!”
– Katie

“Playgroup has far exceeded any and all expectations we had for a morning activity for our little ones! Becca, Kathleen and Nicci have carefully thought out every detail (from the activities to the books read to the children, to the crafts and the special animal visits!) and it shows. We have enjoyed our session immensely and cannot wait to sign back up next season!”
– Heather

“…The teachers are so sweet and fun. They have created a great variety of themes and play invitations/stations that keep my daughter engaged the whole time. Storytime and reading are interwoven throughout our time at Perch and my daughter loves to choose books to read from the library Miss Becca curated! It has been such a gift to share this time with my daughter, we will both treasure the memories we made at Perch for years to come!”
– Cassidy

“Perch Farm Playgroup is the highlight of our week! Not only is the farm beautiful, but the content that is taught each week is so fun. I love that each session has a different focus and different play stations/crafts but the structure stays the same from week to week. My daughter has loved getting to meet a new animal each week and I look forward to it too! I can’t say enough wonderful things about Miss Kathleen, Miss Nicci, and Miss Becca. They are so wonderful with the children (and adults) and this is such a special and unique experience.”
– Annamarie

“Perch Playgroup is an incredibly special way to spend one on one time with my daughter while her brother is in school. The setting is gorgeous, the people are warm, and the activities are so well planned and engaging. Of course, meeting a special farm animal friend each week has also been a highlight for both of us! The group allows me to truly focus on my daughter without distractions and I have absolutely loved watching her explore and express herself each week.”
– Tricia