Week 8: July 29-Aug 2

Ages: 5-7

Campers, ready your flag! This week will be filled with exciting games and activities. Whether your camper is a natural competitor or a natural spectator, all will have fun at this active week of camp that includes silly copies of some favorite Olympic events!

Lunch, two snacks, a T-shirt and all necessary materials are included.  Campers will need to bring their own water bottle, sunscreen, bug spray, and a change of clothes/shoes.

Week 8: July 29-Aug 2

Ages: 8-12

Campers, ready your flag! This week will be filled with exciting games and activities. Whether your camper is a natural competitor or a natural spectator, all will have fun at this active week of camp that includes silly copies of some favorite Olympic events!

Lunch, two snacks, a T-shirt and all necessary materials are included.  Campers will need to bring their own water bottle, sunscreen, bug spray, and a change of clothes/shoes.

Adventurers also have the opportunity to go to the Monticello Family Aquatic Center twice a week.  Rider intake forms and payment directly to Piattran are required for pool transportation.  Pool entrance is included in camp registration fees.

Experience Level: Beginner

Learn all about the magical world of mushrooms at Introduction to Wild Mushroom Identification from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays, August 3, 10, 17 and 24 in The Studio (August 3, 17, 24), the Greenhouse Auditorium (August 10), and outdoors. Participants will learn to identify various types of wild mushrooms, including some of the most popular and common edible mushrooms. Instructor Lee Schuler will also share information on safety and sustainability.

Classes will begin with a short lecture and slide presentation, then move into the woods for hands-on training. Question and answer periods will also be included.

$110 for the entire series or $35/class. Register by Aug. 2 or one day prior to subsequent classes*. All sales are final.

*Individual class links:

— Aug. 3
— Aug. 10
— Aug. 17
— Aug. 24

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu.

About the instructor

Lee Schuler recently moved from Illinois from Pennsylvania, where she taught fungal identification and edibility at environmental education centers for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and for private land owners. She is certified as a wild edible mushroom expert and licensed to harvest and sell to restaurants and markets in the State of Pennsylvania. Schuler is also a contributing culinary author for a wild mushroom trade journal.

A graduate of East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, Lee has worked as a field biologist and environmental educator, and currently works in public health. She is an artist and cook and enjoys acquiring new and useful skills as much as she loves sharing them.

Experience Level: Beginner

Learn all about the magical world of mushrooms at Introduction to Wild Mushroom Identification from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturdays, August 3, 10, 17 and 24 in The Studio and outdoors. Participants will learn to identify various types of wild mushrooms, including some of the most popular and common edible mushrooms. Instructor Lee Schuler will also share information on safety and sustainability.

Classes will begin with a short lecture and slide presentation, then move into the woods for hands-on training. Question and answer periods will also be included.

$110 for the entire series or $35/class. Register by Aug. 2 or one day prior to subsequent classes*. All sales are final.

*Individual class links:

— Aug. 3
— Aug. 10
— Aug. 17
— Aug. 24

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu.

About the instructor

Lee Schuler recently moved from Illinois from Pennsylvania, where she taught fungal identification and edibility at environmental education centers for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and for private land owners. She is certified as a wild edible mushroom expert and licensed to harvest and sell to restaurants and markets in the State of Pennsylvania. Schuler is also a contributing culinary author for a wild mushroom trade journal.

A graduate of East Stroudsburg University in Pennsylvania, Lee has worked as a field biologist and environmental educator, and currently works in public health. She is an artist and cook and enjoys acquiring new and useful skills as much as she loves sharing them.

Experience Level: Beginner

Learn how to grow herbs in the Central Illinois climate and then taste how they are used in a meal at Cooking with Herbs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 3 in the Herb Garden and Mansion Carriage House.

Join Kay Karnes, Master Gardener and Mid-America Gardener panelist in the Herb Garden to begin this workshop, where you will receive a tour of the garden, which is certified by the Illinois Herb Association. You will learn how to grow herbs and receive cooking tips using herbs and spices in various recipes.

Then, sit down in the Mansion Dining Room for an Italian-themed lunch prepared by Leah Bodine of the Greenhouse Cafè.

$45/person. Register by July 27. All sales are final.

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu.

About the Instructor

Kay Karnes’ love of gardening began at an early age “helping” her father in his vegetable garden and has continued throughout her life.

Kay is a Champaign County Master Gardener, a member and past president of the Illinois Herb Association and has been a panelist on MidAmerican Gardener since 1995. She and her husband, Dave, live on 2.5 acres outside of Monticello. This has given her ample space to pursue her passion and retirement from the University has given her the time. Her areas of expertise are herbs, vegetables and seed saving.

Join us on a bi-monthly basis as we observe how honey bees manage hive activity during the summer at Bee Hive Observation on June 2 & 15, July 7 & 21 and Aug. 4.* Classes will include an overview of seasonal influences, followed by a peek inside the hives to observe honey bees at work. Traditional and Flow Hives will be discussed.

Participants should wear long sleeves and pants, loose-fitting garments and no open shoes. You should also bring a protective bee veil and unscented rubber gloves.

$90/person for the entire series or $20/class. Register here for the entire series by May 31 or two days before each individual class.* All sales are final.

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.

— Sunday, June 2, 1-3 p.m. in The Studio
— Saturday, June 15, 2:30-4:30 p.m. in The Studio
— Sunday, July 7: 1-3 p.m. in the Greenhouse Auditorium
— Sunday, July 21, 1-3 p.m. in The Studio
— Sunday, Aug. 4, 1-3 p.m. in The Studio

About the instructor

When Maggie Wachter began her social work degree at the University of Illinois in 2008, she had no idea that she would become a beekeeper. As for honey, she kept a single jar in the back of her kitchen cabinet for recipes. Today she is a master beekeeper who never eats sugar.

Maggie received her first hive as a gift in 2008. By 2010, she was enrolled in the Master Beekeeper course at the University of Florida. From there, things happened quickly to turn her life around. In 2012, she started teaching beekeeping for Parkland Community Education and today she is a beekeeping teacher, honey judge, mead maker and master beekeeper.

She has also participated in honeybee research at the University of Illinois and the USDA.

About The Farms

The Farms: An Allerton Folk School, offers classes, workshops, and gatherings focusing on art, wellness, outdoor education, storytelling, and science. All experiences value hands-on, experiential teaching and learning, and are facilitated by and for the members of the community.

See the complete summer session here.

Learn the foundational skills of watercolor at Beginning Watercolor from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Mondays, Aug. 5, 12, 19 and 26 in The Studio. Instructor and former art educator Sally Walsh will walk participants through new techniques each week to create paintings focusing on landscapes, flowers, fruit, glass and special effects.

Pencils, erasers, clear plastic rulers, paper towels and spray bottles will be provided.

Participants should bring the following supplies:
— Basic pallet of cake watercolors (can be made available on request)
— Tube or cake watercolors
— Watercolor brushes of varying sizes
— Personal sketchbook or journal with paper suitable for watercolor (spiral bound is best)

$65/person. Register by July 29. All sales are final.

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.

About the instructor

Sally Walsh is a retired art teacher from Richland Community College in Decatur. She has more than 30 years of teaching experience and has led previous art classes at Allerton.

Learn the foundational skills of watercolor at Beginning Watercolor from 1 to 3 p.m. Mondays, Aug. 5, 12, 19 and 26 in The Studio. Instructor and former art educator Sally Walsh will walk participants through new techniques each week to create paintings focusing on landscapes, flowers, fruit, glass and special effects.

Pencils, erasers, clear plastic rulers, paper towels and spray bottles will be provided.

Participants should bring the following supplies:
— Basic pallet of cake watercolors (can be made available on request)
— Tube or cake watercolors
— Watercolor brushes of varying sizes
— Personal sketchbook or journal with paper suitable for watercolor (spiral bound is best)

$65/person. Register by July 29. All sales are final.

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia Bunting at owarren@illinois.edu.

About the instructor

Sally Walsh is a retired art teacher from Richland Community College in Decatur. She has more than 30 years of teaching experience and has led previous art classes at Allerton.