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 22. 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 3: June 23-27

Ages: 8-11 (Adventurers)

We are taking things offline to play brain games, board games, card games and even games from around the world. Campers will play games new and old, learning game rules and fair game play, all with the goal of inventing their own game that can be played with camp friends!

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

Week 3: June 23-27

Ages: 5-7 (Acorns)

We are taking things offline to play brain games, board games, card games and even games from around the world. Campers will play games new and old, learning game rules and fair game play, all with the goal of inventing their own game that can be played with camp friends!

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

Experience Level: Any

Learn how to mak several everyday condiments on Tuesday, June 24th in the Mansion Carriage House!

$45/person. Register by June 10th. All sales are final.

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

About the instructor

Leah Bodine calls herself the ‘accidental chef’ with years of experience in the food industry. She started her catering company, Blue Dragonfly Catering, to express her creative mind in food preparation and cultivating recipes. She loves sharing her skills with others and seeing the fascination on students’ faces when they realize how creative they can be and how easy it is to do so. Her experiences in the food industry have led her to live in Paris and cater for rock and country legends.

Experience Level: Beginner

Learn how to ease your foot, back, or hip pain, and hike without pain at MELT with Mary on June 27 & 28, July 11 & 12 and Aug. 15 & 16 in The Studio.

Instructor Mary French will lead this introductory workshop to the MELT (Myofascial Energetic Length Technique) method, a self-treatment system that uses soft rollers and balls to improve the body’s connective tissue, nervous and lymphatic systems.

Students will use MELT soft balls and soft rollers as they learn simple techniques that can be done at home to remain active and healthy, and help provide relief from low back pain, arthritis, bunions and plantar fasciitis.

Friday class schedule: (Registration includes all three hours, but students may choose to attend all/part when registering):
— 2-3 p.m.: MELT feet
— 3-4 p.m.: Hike
— 4-5 p.m.: MELT roller

Saturday class schedule:
— 9-10 a.m.: MELT roller

$25/person. Register one day before each class. All sales are final.

— Friday, June 27
— Saturday, June 28
— Friday, July 11
— Saturday, July 12
— Friday, Aug. 15
— Saturday, Aug. 16

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations in order 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

As a walker and runner with plantar fasciitis, Mary French received relief from the MELT Method and became a MELT instructor in 2014. She now shares her passion for the self-care method at various health events, including at Allerton.

“If hikers MELT their feet before hitting the trails, they will reduce their risk of injury and aches. Then MELTing afterwards will reduce the soreness from hiking.”

Experience Level: Beginner

Learn how to ease your foot, back, or hip pain, and hike without pain at MELT with Mary on June 27 & 28, July 11 & 12 and Aug. 15 & 16 in The Studio.

Instructor Mary French will lead this introductory workshop to the MELT (Myofascial Energetic Length Technique) method, a self-treatment system that uses soft rollers and balls to improve the body’s connective tissue, nervous and lymphatic systems.

Students will use MELT soft balls and soft rollers as they learn simple techniques that can be done at home to remain active and healthy, and help provide relief from low back pain, arthritis, bunions and plantar fasciitis.

Friday class schedule: (Registration includes all three hours, but students may choose to attend all/part when registering):
— 2-3 p.m.: MELT feet
— 3-4 p.m.: Hike
— 4-5 p.m.: MELT roller

Saturday class schedule:
— 9-10 a.m.: MELT roller

$25/person. Register one day before each class. All sales are final.

— Friday, June 27
— Saturday, June 28
— Friday, July 11
— Saturday, July 12
— Friday, Aug. 15
— Saturday, Aug. 16

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations in order 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

As a walker and runner with plantar fasciitis, Mary French received relief from the MELT Method and became a MELT instructor in 2014. She now shares her passion for the self-care method at various health events, including at Allerton.

“If hikers MELT their feet before hitting the trails, they will reduce their risk of injury and aches. Then MELTing afterwards will reduce the soreness from hiking.”

, overuse, and age. This simple self-treatment can make your whole body feel better and provide relief from low back pain, arthritis, bunions, and plantar fasciitis. Learn how the connective tissue in your feet gets dehydrated, the common aches and pains it can cause, and how to rehydrate this essential system in your body for vibrant health and pain-free movement, so you can enjoy hiking, walking, or running. We will be using the MELT soft balls & soft rollers.

Friday Class Schedule (choose which parts you'd like to attend upon registration)
- 2-3PM – MELT feet
- 3-4PM – Hike
- 4-5PM – MELT roller

Saturday Schedule (separate registration):
- 9-10AM – MELT roller

Experience Level: Beginner

Gather with your fellow dulcimer musicians and create some music at Mountain Dulcimer Jam Sessions on Saturday, June 28 from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. in the Studio. This gathering is perfect for those who have taken Beginner Mountain Dulcimer at The Farms and want a space to practice with fellow players.

$5/person. Register a day prior to each jam session. All sales are final.

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

About the instructor

Lou Ann Koebel currently leads a weekly dulcimer jam for the East Central Dulcimer Illinois Dulcimer Club at Lincoln Square. She also plays in a local band that visits and performs at local assisted living facilities.

Last fall, she taught a beginning dulcimer class for The Farms, where she had a wonderful time teaching the group and realized her love of teaching and passing on the tradition of playing a mountain dulcimer. Lou Ann also plays at area music festivals.

Experience Level: Beginner

Learn about the process of making sourdough bread at Beginner Sourdough Breadmaking on Sunday, June 29 and Aug. 10 from 2 to 5 p.m. in the Mansion Kitchen and Carriage House. (Each class will cover the same material).

Instructor Hannah Fink will cover the basic biology of a ferment and what it means to a sourdough culture, how to mix sourdough, how to maintain a healthy starter in your home and the importance of baking with regionally grown grains. Students will also get hands-on experience as they learn to mix sourdough.

Prepared dough will be available to showcase baking and for students to prepare a snack toward the end of class. Students will take home their own jar of sourdough culture, a sample of gains from Janie’s Mill, as well as printouts of everything covered, simple recipes and a thorough list of resources.

$75/person. Register 10 days before each workshop. All sales are final.

Learn more about the space where your course will take place here. If you will need disability-related accommodations in order 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

Hannah Fink — a baker and local food enthusiast — started Tooth Butter Cottage Bakery in Urbana so she could be at home with her son and still keep her hands in dough. She revels in naturally leavened bread and quality pastries and focuses on organic whole grains, mostly stone milled from Janie’s Mill in Ashkum.

She is of the firm belief that a “toothy dose of good butter” is the best start, which led to the name of her business that bakes for special orders and pop-up collaborations with fellow creators.

Hannah started baking about 10 years ago while working in the music industry in Nashville and ended up falling in love with enough to change careers. She started as a bread delivery driver, then worked as a kitchen manager at Pear Tree Estate in Champaign and as a pastry manager in Michigan.

Fink is a member of the Artisan Grain Collaborative and is looking forward to passing on the knowledge she has gained on breads and grains.

About The Farms

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

See the complete Spring Session schedule here.