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.”

Experience Level: Beginner

Learn a variety of hand embroidery stitches and create a unique craft item at Embroidery 101: Summer Flower Sampler on Saturday, July 12 from 12 to 4 p.m. in The Studio.

Instructor Billie Theide will introduce students to the history of embroidery and samplers and help them learn about transferring designs to fabric, different threads and yarns, and creating a variety of stitches, as well as how to finish and care for embroidered samplers.

$95/person. Register here by July 3. 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 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

Billie Theide is a former chair of the Crafts Program at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where she is Professor Emerita. Theide is a metalsmith, jeweler and ceramicist. Her work is in public art collections around the world including the Smithsonian, Museum of Arts & Design in New York City, Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City and the Racine Art Museum, among others.

She is the recipient of a Visual Arts Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and five Artists Fellowship Grants from the Illinois Arts Council. Theide has been recognized for her excellence in teaching and is a Distinguished Member and Past-President of the Society of North American Goldsmiths.

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

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.

Experience Level: Beginner

Gather with your fellow dulcimer musicians and create some music at Mountain Dulcimer Jam Sessions on Saturday, July 19 from 10:30 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 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.

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!