Too many of us these days are anxious, depressed, angry, or afraid, but there is an antidote for that: being in the woods. The benefits of urban forests for human health seem almost too profound to describe, yet public health researchers have factually proven and quantified their benefits.

Even so, recent trends conspire to keep people indoors, gazing at phones instead of trees, TVs instead of sunsets. Children have forgotten how to play outside. Ward 8 Woods is pushing to change that by making the woods more welcoming and reintroducing them to our neighbors as a resource for healing and empowerment.

Through five years of intensive trash and invasive plant removal, Ward 8 Woods has dramatically improved the health and beauty of local forests. All that was for a purpose. The next, even more important step, is to connect residents to their public lands. The woods need to be experienced. 

In 2025 we launched a program to bring Ward 8 elementary school kids into the woods right in their own neighborhoods. With funding from the Hattie M. Strong Foundation, we’re on site at the shared campus of the St. Thomas More Academy and Merrick Center in Washington Highlands. Their property includes a two-acre forest patch that serves as our outdoor classroom for after-school program attendees.  

Lessons start with our inner selves, focusing on slowing down and using the senses to notice the ground, trees, birds and sky, before moving outward to confront the problems of trash pollution, invasive species and deforestation and students’ potential roles in solving them. Children participate in removing invasive vegetation and cultivating desirable native plants, taking part in a slow transformation from neglected forest into an oasis of biodiversity.

Ward 8 Woods offers similar experiences to other schools by hosting field trips to parks in Ward 8 and adjoining neighborhoods.  Lessons are tailored to seasons, grade level, and curriculum. 

We also offer in-school lessons as part of our Trash Free DC campaign. To arrange a field trip or school-based program, contact us: info@ward8woods.org.