Experience Level: Beginner

Learn all about the magical world of mushrooms at Mushroom Identification for Beginners from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Sundays, July 6, 13, and 20 in The Studio and outdoors. Participants will learn about mushroom anatomy, toxicity, edibility, and common uses. 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 identification practice outside. Question and answer periods will also be included.

$100 for the entire series or $45/class. Register by July 4 or one day prior to subsequent classes*. All sales are final.

*Individual class links:

— July 6
— July 13
— July 20
— Full Series

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.

Join us on a bi-monthly basis as we observe how honey bees manage hive activity during the summer at Bee Hive Observation on July 20. 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.

$20/class. Register 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.

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.

Week 6: Jul 21-25

Ages: 5-7 (Acorns)

Music, drama, storytelling, and dance are the focus of this week of camp. Campers will make their own instruments with natural materials, create a skit or two with their camp friends, and dance their hearts out in the great outdoors of Allerton Park!

Camp hours are 8am to 3pm. Early Arrivers and After Care extended day options are available for an additional fee, with earliest drop off at 7am and latest pickup at 5:30pm. Extended day option - $15/AM; $35/PM (includes an afternoon snack)

Two snacks, a camp 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.Lunch can be purchased for the week as an add-on to the registration or a lunch can be sent from home. Lunch - $25/week

A limited number of partial scholarships will be available this year. Scholarships will be awarded as a percentage of camp fees, based on need, as decided by Allerton. To apply for a scholarship, please complete the application here: https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/1676504062

Week 6: Jul 21-25

Ages: 8-11 (Adventurers)

Music, drama, storytelling, and dance are the focus of this week of camp. Campers will make their own instruments with natural materials, create a skit or two with their camp friends, and dance their hearts out in the great outdoors of Allerton Park!

Camp hours are 8am to 3pm. Early Arrivers and After Care extended day options are available for an additional fee, with earliest drop off at 7am and latest pickup at 5:30pm. Extended day option - $15/AM; $35/PM (includes an afternoon snack)

Two snacks, a camp 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.Lunch can be purchased for the week as an add-on to the registration or a lunch can be sent from home. Lunch - $25/week

Adventurers 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.

A limited number of partial scholarships will be available this year. Scholarships will be awarded as a percentage of camp fees, based on need, as decided by Allerton. To apply for a scholarship, please complete the application here: https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/1676504062

The Intuitive Yoga & Journaling class includes 1 hour of yoga followed by 30 minutes of journaling. The class will begin with intention setting and meditation before easing into a gentle yoga sequence that emphasizes intuitive flow and following the rhythm of your own body. Each class will end with dedicated time for reflection and journaling. Prompts will be offered but yogis will also be encouraged to write about anything that came up for them during their practice. Journals and writing utensils provided!

Experience Level: Some Sewing Skills Recommended

Learn the process of making a shirt at Sewing a Button-Down Shirt on Saturday and Sunday, July 26-27 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in The Studio.

Over the course of the weekend, instructor Caitlin O’Donoghue will walk students through cutting a pattern, assembling a button-down shirt using a commercial pattern and learning a variety of techniques to complete a professional-looking garment.

$120/person*. Register here by July 12. All sales are final.

*Students should bring:
— 3 yards of 45-inch pre-washed cotton, preferably with a print
— A sewing machine, if possible. A limited number of machines are available to rent. For more information email Olivia at owarren@illinois.edu.

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email owarren@illinois.edu.

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.

About the instructor

Caitlin O’Donoghue is the Costume Shop Manager at Millikin University, where she teaches intro and advanced costume construction, pattern drafting and stage makeup. She has been working in professional and academic costume shops for 15 years and loves working with beginning stitchers.

About The Farms

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

Find the complete Summer Session schedule here.

Experience Level: Beginner (ages 12+)

Learn about soft pastels and ways to use them through basic mark-making techniques at Introduction to Pastel Painting on Sunday, July 27th from 1 to 4 p.m. in the Mansion Library.

Serious artists ages 10 and older can sign up for this course, where award-winning artist Mandy Roeing will help students learn about pastels and paint to create a simple still life to take home. More than just a one-time painting project, this class is intended to give you basic pastel painting skills and knowledge that you can build on to continue creating.

$85/person (Ages 12+. Ages 12-15 need to be accompanied by a registered adult). Register by July 24th. All sales are final.

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

By attending, you consent to your image being used in Allerton marketing, social media and publications. Please alert the photographer or videographer if you do not want your image taken.

About the instructor

Award-winning artist Mandy Roeing resides in Downs with her husband and their two daughters. Inspired by the beauty and tranquility of nature, Roeing creates color-filled landscapes and beachscapes that go beyond representation to capture the emotion of a place.

All of Roeing’s paintings are done in soft pastels, a beautiful and versatile medium that she is passionate about sharing with others through both her work and classes. She is an instructor at the McLean County Arts Center and the Peninsula School of Art and holds regular classes in painting and drawing at her own studio and gallery space in downtown Bloomington.

Mandy earned her BFA in Studio Art from the University of North Carolina in 2004. She is the Vice President of the Illinois Prairie Pastel Society and an active member of the Peoria Art Guild. Her work has been published in The Pastel Journal magazine and the IAPS Globe and is in numberous private collections throughout the country and abroad.

Week 7: Jul 28 – Aug 1

Ages: 8-11 (Adventurers)

Oh no, the environment is in peril! What would Captain America do? Campers will suit up to be the superhero that we need while they explore all the different ecosystems at Allerton Park!

Camp hours are 8am to 3pm. Early Arrivers and After Care extended day options are available for an additional fee, with earliest drop off at 7am and latest pickup at 5:30pm. Extended day option - $15/AM; $35/PM (includes an afternoon snack)

Two snacks, a camp 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.Lunch can be purchased for the week as an add-on to the registration or a lunch can be sent from home. Lunch - $25/week

Adventurers 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.

A limited number of partial scholarships will be available this year. Scholarships will be awarded as a percentage of camp fees, based on need, as decided by Allerton. To apply for a scholarship, please complete the application here: https://forms.illinois.edu/sec/1676504062