Experience Level: Beginner 

Understand what your subconscious mind is telling you while you sleep at Understanding Dreams on Tuesdays, Aug. 18 and 25 from 6-8 p.m. in The Studio. 

Licensed Clinical Social Worker Julie Lauper will introduce students to the foundations of dream analysis and encourage students to explore how their dreams can deepen self-understanding, creativity, and emotional insight. 

By the end of this two-day class, students will be able to understand how dreams are formed, why certain symbols repeat, and how personal experiences shape a dream’s meaning. 

$70/person. Registration will close Aug. 16 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final. 

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

Julie Lauper has taught higher education for over 30 years, even in foreign countries. More recently, Lauper has been a K-8 in-school social worker. As the owner of Serenity Fields Farm, Lauper has run farm camps every summer for 11 years as well as selling herbal products. She also teaches at Richland Community College and Millikin University and loves working with kids and adults. 

Experience Level: All Levels

Learn the basics of weaving and take home a basket at Basket Weaving: April Flowers on Friday, August 21 from 12 to 4 p.m. in The Studio.

Instructor Bonnie Rideout will lead students in weaving a basket for their wall or door with a custom “quick weave” handle. Students will learn weaving techniques including start/stop weaving, triple twining, and how to include overlays. Choose from a variety of florals to make this basket seasonal and unique to you. 

$75/person. Registration will close Aug. 14 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

If you will need disability-related accommodations to participate, please email Olivia 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

Bonnie Rideout wove her first basket in 1994 and quickly caught the “basket bug.” She created a business — Bonnie’s Baskets in Decatur — in 2006 to teach others to weave. She is also a traveling instructor and has taught weaving in 18 states.

Find out more about Bonnie on her website, Facebook, Instagram and Etsy pages.

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.

Experience Level: Beginner 

Step up your baking game and skip the butter at Baking with Olive Oil on Sunday, Aug. 23 from 1 to 3 p.m. in the Allerton Dining Room. 

Chef Leah Bodine will teach students how using olive oil in sweet and savory recipes can take your baking to the next level. 

$45/person. Register here. Registration closes on Aug. 9 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final. 

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

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 

Get a first-hand look at how honey bees manage hive activity at Beehive Observation on Sundays, April 12 & 26, May 10 & 24, June 7 & 21, July 5 & 19, Aug. 2, 16 & 30 and Sept. 13 & 27 in The Studio and outside at the beehives.  

Instructor Maggie Wachter will provide an overview of seasonal influences, followed by a peek inside the hives to observe honey bees at work. Traditional and Flow Hives will also be discussed. Each two-hour session may be attended as a standalone or combined with any or all other classes. 

$200/person* for the entire series or $30/class at the links below. Registration will close April 9 for the entire series or three days before each subsequent class. All sales are final. 

*Students should wear loose-fitting long sleeves and pants, close-toed shoes and bring a protective bee veil and unscented rubber gloves.  

— April 12 
— April 26 
— May 10 
— May 24 
— June 7 
— June 21 
— July 5 
— July 19 
— Aug. 2 
— Aug. 16 
— Sept. 13 
— Sept. 27 

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

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.

Experience Level: Intermediate 

Take your creativity outside at Plein Air Painting on Friday through Sunday, Sept. 4-6 from 12-4 p.m. outside and in the Studio. 

Plein air painting can feel overwhelming at first — easels, changing light, color mixing, wind, and trying to paint outdoors all at once! This workshop is designed especially for intermediate painters who want a supportive introduction to painting outside. If you have had some drawing and painting instruction, and are ready to continue increasing your skills and understanding, this workshop will be a great fit for you.

We’ll concentrate on the core skills that make plein air painting easier and more enjoyable. Students will learn how to set up their materials efficiently, simplify what they see, mix clean natural color, and recognize strong value relationships in the landscape.

We’ll work through short studies and practical exercises to build your confidence in handling paint and observing. You’ll also watch demos to help you understand the approach and decision-making process for creating a successful piece. This workshop is ideal for artists who are new to plein air painting or who want to strengthen their foundational painting skills in a relaxed environment. You’ll come away with all the tools you need to continue to explore the countryside, brush in hand!

All mediums are welcome.

$170/person*. Registration will close Aug. 28 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final. 

*Click here for a list of supplies. 

Experience Level: Beginner 

Spend your morning among the flowers at Floriography Bouquet Workshop on Saturday, Sept. 5 from 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in Evergreen Lodge. 

Florist Ava Porter will teach students the basics of floral design using the Victorian language of flowers to create living masterpieces of fresh flowers with special meanings. Students will go home with a custom vase arrangement. 

$80/person. Registration closes on August 22 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final. 

Experience Level: Beginner

Assemble a whimsical frog suncatcher at Intro to Stained Glass: Frog on Thursday, Sept. 10 from 5:30 to 9 p.m. in The Studio.

Led by Kari Keller, students will learn the basics of stained glass! Students will learn how to cut glass, grind, foil, and solder while they work to make a fun, whimsical frog suncatcher. This class is sure to get your hands working and creativity flowing. Take your frog with you to display in your home or gift to a family member or friend!  

$100/person*. Registration will close Sept. 3 or when capacity is reached. All sales are final.

*Students should wear closed-toe shoes. Safety glasses and gloves will be provided.

Experience Level: Beginner 

Learn the skills of improvisation, including scene creation and team dynamics at Improve Your Improv on Thursdays, Sept. 10 through Oct. 15 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Music Barn. 

Instructor Kyle Tasch returns to The Farms to teach this popular course, which will be jam-packed with improvisational fun that uses both short-form games and long-form scenes. 

Students will be performing as much as possible to emphasize the mechanics needed to act out an entertaining and meaningful scene on the spot with no lines. There are many elements of improv that are not only useful on stage, but also in everyday life, wherever you might be put on the spot! Students who have already completed this class are welcome to join again. Beginners and those experienced in improv are all encouraged to join! 

$100/person for the entire series or $25/class. Registration will close on Sept. 8 for the entire series or two days before each subsequent class. 

— Sept. 10
— Sept. 17  
— Sept. 24  
— Oct. 1
— Oct. 8  
— Oct. 15