Youth of all backgrounds are invited into this immersive, earth-based program grounded in hands-on farm and forest skills, nature connection, spiritual wisdom, and community.
Sign up by semester and choose the program day that best fits your family’s schedule. We offer a weekly Monday program for homeschool families (10:00 AM–3:00 PM) and a weekly Sunday program (10:00 AM–1:00 PM).
This program is for ages 6-16 years old.
Both of my kids have spent five years with Joe in Farm & Forest School. Through all weather, all seasons, they are more excited to attend every year. The content is wonderful, but what we have gained the most is a sense of their own ability to be in the world. They have real, tangible challenges and group interactions that are structured and at the same time very organic. They are solving their own problems and building their confidence. Farm & Forest School has been priceless!
Our kids have been enthusiastically involved in Farm and Forest School for several years now and each season they grow more and more excited to participate. They have learned the valuable skills of independence, appreciation of nature, and survival and love the interaction they have with the other children in their groups. We love hearing and learning from their experience at the end of each class as they recount their day to us. We greatly appreciate the Farm & Forest School team’s kindness, care, and generosity.
My kid has been doing Farm & Forest School for a year and a half, starting each class eager and ending full of stories and smelling of fresh air. I especially appreciate the strong experiential learning: yes, my kid can identify different owl calls and wild plants (for example), but she has also amassed a collection of really fun group games to share in other situations, and is learning to cultivate awareness and focus through challenges both routine and adventurous. We’re so lucky to have found the terrific team at Farm & Forest School.
I currently have three children who attend Farm & Forest School. My oldest two girls have been attending since 2020 and my son became a regular in 2022. They each have learned so many things about nature and most importantly, themselves. They have developed a sense of self awareness and independence that I feel confident would not exist if it was not for Farm & Forest. Joe and Stephanie are wonderful leaders; both are patient and incredibly knowledgeable. While we live fairly close and I appreciate the convenience, I would absolutely spend a considerable amount of time in the car for this experience!
Farm & Forest School takes place in Reisterstown, MD. Classes use our 182-acre outdoor classroom of meadows, forests, lakes, streams, and a working farm where we delve into a wide range of topics and skills that we believe are helping to raise a generation that can hold a better future.
Our passionate, fun-loving, experienced outdoor educators guide students through hands-on activities oriented towards personal and collective growth, self-awareness and self-confidence, interconnectedness, and responsibility.
At Farm & Forest School, students gain real-world skills while building character, fostering community, and connecting with the Earth.
Through guided reflection, free play, and exposure to eco-social ideas, we nurture compassionate leaders with a deep sense of belonging and responsibility. Students explore ecosystems, homesteading, earth skills, and more and engage in collaborative challenges that spark confidence, gratitude, and joy.
Our immersive curriculum is inspired by both Jewish and Indigenous wisdom and is shared in a secular, inclusive way for youth of all backgrounds.
Before coming to Pearlstone, Steph spent years traveling, tending the Land & studying various traditions and ways of healing. As an educator, she finds joy in weaving Cultural Wisdom and Nature-based education together in a way that allows her students tap into a greater sense of wonder, confidence, play, and sacred purpose.
Joe has been teaching nature connection since 1997 and has made it his life’s work to learn from the indigenous peoples of the earth and share the old ways with as many people as possible. During that time, he has mentored thousands of kids and helped design the curriculum for several wilderness schools and is a founding member of the nonprofit Ancestral Knowledge.
As an educator with Pearlstone and Adamah, I am honored to co-create our heart-guided, nature-centered, pluralistic and diverse community with my amazing colleagues. I love to learn, explore, create, cultivate, laugh, play, think. I want to be outside, immersed in nature, every possible moment. I value learning about and connecting with people — sharing our humanity, stories, cultures, heritage, traditions. Pearlstone brings many of these worlds together.
I work alongside my amazing colleagues in a variety of programs: Farm & Forest School (our skills-development and nature-integration educational program that runs the length of the school year), Teva (the residential outdoor education program designed for Jewish day school students), immersive Jewish holiday [and other] retreats, public school field trips, assorted summer camps, monthly on-site harvest festivals, team-building sessions, and other unique Pearlstone offerings.
Allison Goldman-Blustin | Educator
Allison Goldman Blustin is one of the lead Jewish educators on the Pearlstone program team, where she helps adults and children explore the deep connections between Judaism, nature, and the body. Before shifting into Jewish education, Allison worked as an economist focused on international trade and development, living in China and working with the Canada China Business Council. Her time abroad gave her a global perspective on culture and community, which now informs her teaching about the interdependence of people and the natural world.
A trained mikveh guide and spiritual counselor, Allison brings over a decade of experience as a Jewish educator, ritual facilitator, and community builder. She holds a B.A. in Political Science and Mandarin from the University of Pennsylvania, pursued doctoral studies in Political Economy at the University of Toronto, and holds certificates in Spiritual Counseling and Liberatory Torah Education.
Allison lives in Pikesville with her husband, Rabbi Sam Blustin, and loves helping students discover wonder and holiness in the rhythms of the natural world.
Are you searching for an extracurricular space where your child can be active, play freely, and discover the natural world while learning essential skills and building a sense of community? Look no further! Join us at our Sunday Farm & Forest School, where learning is an incredibly enjoyable experience. Here, we foster a spirit of exploration, encourage self-led curiosity, and place great importance on fostering friendships and a strong sense of community.
Are you a part of the homeschooling community? If so, our Monday Farm & Forest School is for you! Nature-focused curriculum and community mindedness create an immensely rich, meaningful, and immersive experience. We will explore the amazing world of ecosystems, responsible land stewardship, and sustainable gardening practices. *Please note, you do not have to be a homeschooler to sign up for Monday classes.
Contact farmandforest@adamah.org
Farm & Forest School uses a sliding scale with 3 pricing options to make the program more accessible to all. We trust participants to choose which tier aligns with their current financial capacity while contributing to the sustainability of our program and are grateful for your honesty and support.
Suggested Rates: Our base cost which enable us to cover all the costs of Farm & Forest School.
• Fall (11 weeks) – $500 • Winter (7 weeks) – $300 • Spring (10 weeks) – $450 •
Sliding Up / Pay it Forward: Paying at the highest level supports our ability to offer a sliding scale. As a thank-you, Slide Up families receive access to an exclusive Pearlstone Pool Party and U-Pick Berries summer kick-off.
• Fall (11 weeks) – $600 • Winter (7 weeks) – $400 • Spring (10 weeks) – $550 •
Sliding Down / Community Supported: Paying at the lowest level only covers a portion of our costs and is for families with financial need only.
• Fall (11 weeks) – $400 • Winter (7 weeks) – $200 • Spring (10 weeks) – $350 •
Suggested Rates: Our base cost which enable us to cover all the costs of Farm & Forest School.
• Fall (13 weeks) – $830 • Winter (7 weeks) – $500 • Spring (10 weeks) – $650 •
Sliding Up / Pay it Forward: Paying at the highest level supports our ability to offer a sliding scale. As a thank-you, Slide Up families receive access to an exclusive Pearlstone Pool Party and U-Pick Berries summer kick-off.
• Fall (13 weeks) – $930 • Winter (7 weeks) – $600 • Spring (10 weeks) $750 •
Sliding Down / Community Supported: Paying at the lowest level only covers a portion of our costs and is for families with financial need only.
• Fall (13 weeks) – $730 • Winter (7 weeks) – $400 • Spring (10 weeks) – $550 •
Cancel 2 weeks or more before session start date – 100% refund
Cancel Less than 1 week before the session start date – 50% refund
Please note – no partial refunds or credits will be issued for missed days for any reason including but not limited to: family vacation/travel, holidays or changes in students schedule.
Please be in touch if you need financial assistance, or if there are extenuating circumstances, please email ssimmons@pearlstonecenter.org
