At the Waldorf School of Baltimore, the natural world isn’t outside the classroom— it is the classroom. From the very beginning, children are invited to learn with their whole bodies—through play, exploration, and discovery in all weather. In the preschool and Baltimore City’s only Forest Kindergarten, students build forts from fallen branches, stir soup in mud kitchens, harvest figs in the fall and pick mulberries in spring. “I love our forest!” says kindergartener Ida. “It has secret trails, lizards and toads, and trees you can hug.”
These early encounters with the earth plant seeds of curiosity and care. As students grow, so does their sense of responsibility. Grade schoolers tend garden plots, care for the community chickens, and venture out on multi day camping trips. By middle school, they’re diving into food systems, ecosystems, and climate science—learning not only what challenges the world faces, but how they might contribute to meaningful solutions.
One morning this spring, eighth graders Henry and Levi joined Ida beneath the same mulberry trees they’ve loved for years. “It’s kind of full circle,” said Henry, who joined WSB in first grade. “I used to pick berries here when I was little—and now I get to share that with the younger kids.” Levi added, “When you really understand how everything’s connected, it makes you want to take care of it. Waldorf makes you feel like you actually can.”
WSB is a MAEOE Certified Sustainable Green School and a proud USDE Green Ribbon School—the highest national honor for environmental education.
At the Waldorf School of Baltimore, academic depth, artistic joy, and a reverent connection to nature come together to foster capable, compassionate, and creative human beings.
This article is part of our 2025-2026 Guide to Baltimore Independent School Guide.
