CHOOSE A DAY, CHOOSE A SEASON!

We offer two days to choose from to better accommodate different scheduling needs. Both paths offer a nature-based curriculum that emphasizes community-mindedness, play, and skill-building tailored to meet the needs of the group.  All sessions meet 10am-3pm at Pearlstone and accommodate ages 6-16.

Sunday Pathway – Extracurricular – 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.

Monday Pathway – Homeschooler – 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. 

Questions? Contact the Stephanie Katsampis at skatsampis@pearlstonecenter.org

Note: if two or more sessions are cancelled for any reason, additional date(s) will be added to the end of the season.

2024-2025 Rates (Sliding Scale)

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. 

Please be in touch with Stephanie Katsampis if you need any financial assistance or need to set up a payment plan.

Experiential Learning

Farm & Forest School provides a unique and enriching environment for children to connect with nature and each other through exploration, play, and immersive, hands-on learning. This program emphasizes building character, fostering community, and promoting environmental stewardship while drawing from Jewish and Indigenous wisdom. Through our nature and community-based curriculum, children explore ecosystems, learn about organic & sustainable gardening practices, and develop essential earth skills, like shelter-building & wild edibles. Our educators value creating an environment that helps their students gain a sense of confidence, belonging, gratitude, and responsibility for themselves, the community, and the Earth. 

The Jewish and Indigenous wisdom we share is presented in a secular way that is inclusive and welcoming for youth of all backgrounds. Our program aims to build a bridge between nature connection, spiritual wisdom, and loving community for all.

Students gain a tremendous amount of knowledge through encountering and understanding dozens of plants, animals, ecological systems, and earth skills.

Drawing on Jewish and Indigenous educational wisdom, Farm & Forest School trains students in a plethora of practical skills and scientific knowledge while building essential character traits like compassion, alert awareness, gratitude, and deep listening.

Our students have so much fun they don’t even realize how much they’re learning!  Collaborative group challenges followed by artfully guided debrief activities build compassionate communication and leadership skills.  Farm projects encompass tending perennial and annual plants, animal care, mushroom cultivation, natural building, cooking, herbal medicine, and more. Inspiring or thought-provoking articles or short videos may be shared on a wide range of topics from local food systems to innovative compost solutions to global initiatives in eco-social entrepreneurship. Time for lunch and supervised free play are built into the schedule. 

Skills & Activities

Here are some examples of what we do during Farm & Forest School:

Teachers and Educators

Joe Murray | Wilderness Educator

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.

Alexa White | Farmer Educator

Alexa is committed to growing a culture of care as an educator and land steward. Her background is in outdoor & STEAM education, program administration, and community health work. She is passionate about connecting people with the land and each other.

Stephanie Katsampis | Farm & Forest School Program Director and Educator

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.

Amy Booth | Educator

Amy’s background is in neuroscience and virology; she spent many years studying the smallest life forms before moving up to larger organisms. Along with Farm and Forest school, she is currently an education professor and robotics coach. At Pearlstone, she finds joy in helping kids foster self-awareness and environmental consciousness

Avihay Aharoni | Educator and Pearlstone Shaliach

I am the Shaliach, a Jewish educator from Israel. I was born and raised in Jerusalem. I have traveled to many beautiful places in the world enjoying the connections between nature, Judaism, and Israel. I believe that connections can be made through songs, stories and music. I hope to connect you to the land of Israel by exploring our roots at Pearlstone.

2024-2025 Rates (Sliding Scale)

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 Rate Per Season: Our suggested rate to cover all costs is $65/session.

Fall (10 sessions) – $650

Winter (9 sessions) – $585

Spring (8 sessions) – $520

BUNDLE 3 Seasons with Camp – 10 Monthly Installments of $157.95 (plus your choice of Summer Camp)

SLIDE 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 (10 sessions) – $750

Winter (9 sessions) – $685

Spring (8 sessions) – $620

Bundle 3 Seasons with Camp – 10 Monthly Installments of $184.95 (plus your choice of Summer Camp)

SLIDE DOWN – Community Supported – Paying at the lowest level only covers a portion of our costs and is for families with financial need.

Fall (10 sessions) – $550

Winter (9 sessions) – $485

Spring (8 sessions) – $420

Bundle 3 Seasons with Camp – 10 Monthly Installments of $130.95 (plus your choice of Summer Camp)

Please be in touch with Stephanie Katsampis if you need any financial assistance or need to set up a payment plan.