Curious about relief woodcarving? This relaxed, hands-on class is for you! You’ll get an 8”x10” basswood block and use of all the tools needed to learn the basics of relief carving. With step-by-step guidance from the instructor, you’ll practice making cuts on the back of the board and then carve your very own piece on the front. Kevin’s approachable style and years of experience make it easy to learn and fun!

A full day of making soap. We will cover the myriad ways to add herbs for your soap, as well as how to make a creamy, moisturizing farm-fresh bar of goat milk soap. This class will cover the qualities of the herbs we can add, for their healing and moisturizing qualities and 3 approaches to soap making: hot process, cold process, and hand milling. In addition to making soap, we will learn to felt soap as well as add loofah sponges for exfoliation as well as additional nourishing skin qualities. This is a comprehensive soap-making class, that will offer a foundation for making soap with the best ingredients from the field, forest, and farm. Participants will leave with many bars of soap to cure at home, a recipe guide and skills for a lifetime.

Become a part of the hallowed Wisconsin tradition of deer hunting and learn how to take advantage of an abundant local source of all-natural meat. Local hunters will harvest a number of healthy deer for the class and students will learn how to skin and de-bone the animal, as well as how to identify, process, and preserve steaks, stew meat, and meat for grinding…

Join home cheese maker and traditional food aficionado Linda Conroy for this fun class. We will begin the day making cultured milk and cream products including kefir, yogurt, and piima (a Scandinavian cultured cream). We will then transform these into fresh cheeses, like paneer cheese, feta, and mozzarella. Everyone will take home cultures, cheese, rennet, and recipes. The class includes a lunch full of delicious homemade cheese.

Explore the creative possibilities of this traditional skill as you design and complete a coiled basket using pine needles and sweetgrass. Herbalist Linda Conroy will guide and instruct you on how to coil and stitch a simple basket as well as integrate other materials into your basket, such as black walnut hull, pine cone, beads, and more.

This one-day course is a beginner-friendly introduction to the rich traditions of willow basketry. Students will explore the fundamentals of crafting a classic round basket, working with cured willow to learn essential techniques such as creating a round base, twining, staking up, waling, bordering, and finishing. While the hands-on focus is on working with prepared materials, the course also includes discussion on how to process and prepare willow for future projects. Each participant will complete a small to medium-sized basket and receive detailed informational materials to support their continued learning and independent practice in the art of willow basketry.

Immerse yourself in a full day of woolly goodness and the wonderful world of fiber arts! Learn how to spin your own handmade yarn, the process of taking sheep wool from farm to fiber, and how to hand dye beautiful fibers for spinning or felting.

We will cover the basics of how to prepare raw wool for spinning– washing, carding, storage, etc. You will become familiar with the amazing variety of fibers that can be used and the work, time and care needed to go from sheep to finished garment or product. The class will include lots of hands-on learning and overviews of different methods and techniques such as skirting, scouring, picking, and carding all using local Wisconsin wool…

After enjoying the Basics of Clawhammer Banjo with Brennan Henry, students will leave with a fresh perspective on playing their banjo in an old-style! Topics will include the history of banjoes, fundamentals of strumming and drop-thumbing, music theory for the banjo, advanced techniques for playing up-the-neck, alternative tunings, and being able to play fast reels, great waltzes, and more.

Coptic Bookbinding was developed by the Egyptian Copts in the 2nd century A.D. and represents the earliest known form of a true codex. This multi-section, non-adhesive binding features an exposed spine which reveals the decorative, braid-like sewing of the binding -- commonly known as a chain stitch. These books lay flat when opened, making them easy to write in and an ideal candidate for journals and notebooks. This class will include a brief introduction to material considerations and each participant will bind a book to take home.

Office Hours is the Driftless Folk School’s soon-to-be-launched virtual hangout with a featured DFS instructor in an informal, open forum. Monthly sessions will feature a different theme drawn from the instructor’s area of expertise - from fermentation to foraging, sewing to raising chickens. There’s no presentation or slideshow. Just a one-hour window for you to satisfy your curiosities, connect with others in the DFS community, and soak up some knowledge. Whether you pop in to get one question answered, or stay the whole time, Office Hours is your space to go deeper, get inspired, and stay curious.

We are offering our first Office Hours session free of charge! Bring your curiosity (and your good graces!) as we bring this vision to life for the very first time…

Using the warm, red metal my Bodewadmi (Potawatomi) relatives call “miskwabik” (copper) and basalt hammer stones from the shores of G’chi gamii (Lake Superior), we will hand-forge bowls on wooden stumps. In a process called “sinking”, or hammering on the inside, we will anneal the metal in a wood fire and form our richly colored, beautiful vessels using the power of our own muscles. Come join us in this elemental journey of copper, fire, water, and stone.

This class is a skill building workshop in the use of the most common and basic tools for bushcraft and woodland building: axe, saw, and knife. Proper use, technique, safety, maintenance, and sharpening these tools will be covered, along with a discussion of trees and wood types. Participants will get hands-on experience using these tools as we do some actual making and building with them. The emphasis will be on building good habits, skills, and knowledge in the actual outdoor-use environment.

These majestic and powerful animals are rarely seen at work in the developed world, but in many places they remain essential sources of power for food production, freight and everyday living. In this class you will learn how oxen are traditionally driven in the western world and have the opportunity to practice driving a trained team…

In this class series we will learn to make two classic soups: congee and dal. We will discuss several variations of each, including how to make them with or without meat, gluten-free and dairy-free. Making soups is the gateway to cooking, as many key aspects of cooking are leveraged, including sautéing, boiling, marrying and proper use of herbs and spices. Students will take home a quart of each soup…

Join herbalist Linda Conroy for this fun experiential class. We will learn about herbs that can be applied topically to heal the skin, to relieve pain and heal sprains and strains. We will make infused oils, salve, lotion, poultices, topical sprays, washes, and much more! Everyone will leave with recipes and remedies that we make in class.

Join herbalist Linda Conroy for this fun hands-on herbal medicine-making class. During this day-long class, we will make a wide array of remedies that you can add to your home apothecary. We will make syrups, oxymels, throat sprays, gargle, tinctures, lozenges, infusions, tea, salves and much more. Everyone will leave with recipes, remedies that we make in class and instructions on how to work with each herb.

Come bask in wonder at the beauty of the night sky! Orient yourself in place by learning how to find the directions using the stars. Place yourself in time by learning the histories and mythologies of the stars that humans have been drawing, speaking, and writing for tens of thousands of years. We are of the first generations who know so very little. But the stories are not forgotten!! With a green laser pointer in hand, Megan will trace the constellations, teach star names, and show how the different celestial bodies move through the night, the seasons, and years. We'll see the Scorpion, the Swan, the Dragon, and so much more.

"Chip Carving" is an ancient form of wood-surface decoration. It can be applied to wood surfaces both practical and decorative. Examples can be seen on jewelry, Christmas ornaments, boxes, furniture, door frames, spoons and more! In this class each student will have guided practice, then choose/create a traditional Rosette pattern to complete their own Chip Carving artwork.

Spend a day creating a generous market-style basket with a strong handle—perfect for carrying the bounty of the fall season. Using durable rattan reed, you’ll weave a large rectangular basket with rib or spoke-made handles. Personalize your piece by choosing from a variety of colors to add decorative stripes. All materials and tools will be provided. While prior basket weaving experience is helpful, it’s not required—beginners are welcome!

Fall is an abundant time of late fruits, regrowth of some wild greens, some roots and nuts, and big windfall mushrooms (like hen-of-the-woods!). We will cover close-to-home zones like yard edges and fencerows, as well as some deep forests and wetlands. We will survey, sample, and discuss usage and storage of these fine wild foods that can richly enhance our pantries before the big cool down.

In this beginner-friendly mushroom foraging class, we'll explore the autumn woods together in search of edible and medicinal mushrooms. We'll discuss mushroom identification techniques, accessible tools, and practical foraging tips. We'll be on the hunt for fall mushrooms like hen of the woods/maitake, honey mushrooms, lion's mane, lobster mushrooms, chicken of the woods, shaggy manes, hedgehog mushrooms, puffball mushrooms, oyster mushrooms, and more! Come prepared for off-trail hiking and uneven terrain. As with any foraging class, the abundance and variety of mushrooms we find in the woods is entirely up to mother nature! Being prepared for uncertainty (and for surprises!) is all part and parcel of wild foraging.

This class is designed to help folks more effectively move through the woods for improved success in observing and approaching wildlife. Our wild neighbors are of course adept at these abilities, but by increasing our understanding and our awareness of wild movement (and with lots of practice), we can learn to play this game better - i.e., develop better detection abilities and observe more wildlife in action. Our day will involve lessons, activities, play, and silent observation components. This class is highly relevant for anyone wanting to see more wildlife in nature, including trackers, photographers, and hunters. No prior experience is necessary.

Elevate your cooking skills in this dynamic class designed to inspire dishes that cater to omnivores, vegetarians, vegans, and those with gluten or dairy restrictions. Using the versatile stir fry technique, we will create three distinct dishes: a vibrant, vegan curry-inspired dish, a flavorful Provence-inspired vegetarian dish, and an Asian-inspired dish featuring locally sourced, grass-fed meat—each served over a bed of rice.

Raising a few chickens can be the easiest way to grow your own meat. Chickens are easy to start and relatively cheap to raise. They have a short lifecycle and can be kept on a small plot of land. To bring this process to a happy conclusion, however, the would-be poultry grower must be ready to butcher as well.

This half-day class will teach the basics of chicken anatomy and meat sanitation and provide hands-on experience with killing, scalding, plucking, and gutting. Plus, you’ll go home with your own freshly butchered chicken, ready for the oven!

Learn the history and basics of electricity, and electrical theory, including Ohm's Law, amps, volts, and watts, and how they are calculated in simple home wiring jobs.

The class will also learn about wire, wire sizes, and some basic home wiring, including how to properly wire a switch, an outlet, a light, and a circuit breaker. The class will also get to safely explore a circuit breaker box, including the use and wiring of circuit breakers, and proper grounding, including placement of the ground wire and the ground rod.

This class is for anyone, including absolute beginners.

In this hands-on canning class, we'll cover the fundamentals of safe and effective canning, including how to properly sterilize jars and lids, and how to create a tight, reliable seal. We will explore the art of processing vegetables and fruits into delicious, preserved goodies. You’ll learn how to use a squeezo/foley mill to separate pulp from seeds and skins, and how to use pectin for delicious jams and jellies. We’ll discuss the importance of achieving the right balance of pH with ingredients like apple cider vinegar and sugar. Depending on the group's interests, we may make and can salsa, marinara, fruit jam, or dilly beans. Each student will leave with a jar of their own creation to enjoy at home.

Want to learn to sharpen your tools? No experience needed. Taught by Jon Anderson of Star Hill Timberworks, this workshop is designed for beginners. In this hands-on workshop, we teach you to sharpen your knives, axes, chisels, and auger bits. The techniques work just as well on mower blades, scissors, shovels, hoes, etc. You will use traditional and modern sharpening methods to hone and polish the edge. All sharpening equipment and materials are provided.