Class Offerings
Earthcraft Skillshare will have you feeling warm in the glow of a community, slowing down and grounding into the work of our ancestors.
All About Burial Shrouds
Michael Shofield
A shroud is a natural fabric covering used in natural burial or in cremation. Shrouds represent one of the oldest, simplest, and most accessible forms of caring for our dead. In this workshop, we will start by personalizing a shroud together as a community. While the plant-dyed shroud is cooking, we will talk about the history of shrouding and how shrouds can be incorporated into end-of-life plans. We will practice different ways to wrap a shroud (on dolls and then on one another), and we will discuss the practical aspects of how shrouds can be used in cremation or natural burial. Participants will leave with their own mini-booklet helping to detail how to use shrouds and how to begin making end-of-life plans filled with personalization and meaning. ​
Archery from Pre-history to Today
Jen Davis
Discover a broad, historical span of archery tools and techniques, with an opportunity to try each if them. From long bows to crossbows and lots of things in between.
Awakening Sound Healing​
Shelley Touloupas
Join Awakening Alignment Sound Healing each morning at 7:30 to get ready for your day. We will allow space for people to come & go, do a bit of movement & breathwork or just relax. Listen to & feel the sounds of crystal & Himalayan singing bowls, flute, drum etc. There will be a few instruments for hands on experience. Bring your mat, blanket or chair. All ages are welcome.
Blacksmithing
John Sarge - Tillers Staff
This session will provide an introduction to the fundamentals of smithing: basic hammer skills, heat treating, forge welding, and identification of “found” steels. Safety, tools, techniques, and materials will be reviewed. With an anvil for each student, there will be an opportunity for hands-on learning with superb coaching.
​The Art of Invisibility
Badger
Join me for a sensory meditation and an introduction to the philosophy behind bird language, the art of invisibility, scout skills and being a part of the web of nature and what it can feel like when you're accepted. As a group we will practice and learn physical skills like fox walking, owl eyes and why these tools are important. Use intuitive senses to witness the layer of invisibility that comes from belonging.
Bundle Dying with Plants
Zerah Hernadez
In this class we will use dye flowers, kitchen scraps, leaves and herbs to create a bundle dyed silk bandana scarf for you to take home. You will intuitively layer your plant materials to create a naturally eco-printed scarf that is as unique as you are. Zerah will guide you through the process, explain mordanting, pre-treating and color shifting techniques for plant dyeing so you can experiment at home with your own plants and kitchen scraps. We will also discuss different methods for extracting colors and making a dye bath or eco-print at home.
Drum Making
Asher
Rhythm is an ancient technology used by humans throughout history to communicate, connect, and heal. Frame drums are one of the oldest instruments having been used in ritual, ceremony, and celebration for thousands of years.
Flintknapping & Spears
Clay Wykes
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Flintknapping on-going demo catering to participants skill level from beginner to advanced
Plus Spear Chuckin Fun With Clay Will have materials to make Several types of Atlatl Throwers and Darts that are shorter for kids ....Material Fee $5 to $20
Intro to Carving- Hair Sticks
Melissa Alcorn
Hair sticks are a perfect way to introduce carving and techniques but feel free to bring any carving- related questions.
Beginner Rib Basket Weaving
Jenna Gray- Shomler
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Learn the basics of rib basket weaving while creating your own beautiful and functional basket. In this beginner-friendly workshop, participants will be guided step-by-step through the process of constructing a simple rib basket from start to finish. No prior basketry experience is necessary.
Participants will leave with a completed basket and a foundation for further exploration of this traditional craft.
Material Cost: $5 per person, payable during class.
Class Size: Due to the hands-on nature of the workshop and limited materials, class size is limited to 15 participants.
Pasta Making
Michael Murray
A seasonal pasta class showcasing a variety of pastas and preparations focused on seasonal, local producer, and foraged ingredients. The sessional will be interactive demonstration and could include some hands-on pasta making for attendees.
Medicine Doll Making
Lauralina Melendez (Ro)
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Medicine Doll Making is a journey within where we travel in time to meet your younger self, we forgive, we encourage, we let go, and together we co- create a doll that represents your all knowing self. We will learn/polish up on handsewing skills, and will be using natural fibers, dyes and treasures from the earth. Each participant will take home their doll.
The Joy of Sharing Music Together
Karen & Kal Vander Weele
Join in an acoustic jam session with us!
Creek Adventures
Jen & Kira, Friend of the Woods
Ages 5+ or with adult
Come and escape and dive into some good old-fashioned wild play! Our creek and woodland space is an open invitation for children (and families) to splash, build, climb, imagine, and explore—led entirely by curiosity and a sense of adventure.
Grown-ups are welcome to join in, watch from a comfy spot, or simply enjoy seeing their children light up in nature.
Community Sauna
Mike Bouve
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Community Sauna is a space where you can allow your mind and body to relax and unwind. The heat helps to release and open up and the steam cleanses. Being in this space with neighbors and community members strips away the labels and social structures that separate us, creating more space for authentic connection. When you add in the contrast of cold plunge/rinse it deepens the practice and increases the energetic and physical impact of the sauna.
Yoga
Alicia Nieboer
Drop in for an all-levels yoga session designed to complement the standing, sitting, and deep thinking we'll be doing throughout the workshops. Together, we'll explore breathwork and gentle movement to help us reconnect with out bodies.
Foraged Instruments
Kat Pfeiffer
Foraged instruments is a wonderful journey of exploration & imagination! Along with recycled materials and fun treasures, Kat will bring all sorts of natural & safe items for you to create and amplify with an amazing instrument inspired by nature! We will take a nature walk in the woods to find all sorts of gifts already provided (fallen & grounded- not alive and thriving). We will also share a medicine song as well as create our very own with our new instruments! Bring an open mind and excited hands to try something new and perhaps never created before!
Greenwood Spoon Carving
Joey Traynor
This class will begin with building the fundamental skills associated with carving knives. Proper, safe technique and conscious effort will be heavily emphasized. We will work through skill building projects like carving a basic spreader or spatula, and will conclude with carving a classic cooking spoon. We will discuss wood grain, function, design, and tool selection amongst other things. This class is open to beginners and those with prior experience as the projects can be scaled to the skill level of the participant.
Friction Fire
Asher McLaughlin
Creating and tending fire is one of the most uniquely human things there is. I feel that getting closer to fire by starting it in this ancient way re-connects us to nature, our ancestors, our bodies, community, and ourselves. Come feel this joy and re-connection and spin a fire into existence with just a few sticks and a stone.
I will start with a demo and go over some fundamentals. Then, everyone can grab a set and play with it themselves. Most of this class will be a "bow drill open mat" where you can learn hands-on with some coaching. Bow drill sets will be provided and for sale at the end of class.
Please bring a knife if you have one!
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Hunting as Sacred Practice
Jen Davis
Taking any life form into our bodies, to literally become our bodies, is maybe the most sacred and intimate act we can participate in. From our past and into our future, hunting is a sacred
practice that is a healing and reintegrating experience of nature.
Hand Broom Making
Morgan Pell (Tillers)
​Students will use a single bundle of broomcorn to make a flat stitched whisk and a small pot scrubber. This class will not include plaiting as flat stitching takes quite a while for beginners.
Michigan's Medicinal Mushrooms: Therapeutic Use & Foraging
Tyler Davidson
An interactive workshop led by Certified Michigan Mushroom Expert, nutritional therapist, and holistic health coach Tyler Davidson, exploring the healing potential of fungi native to Michigan. Additional topics cover traditional use, survival, and bushcraft.
Intro to Simple Leather DIY Projects
John Brown
If you choose to make a sheath, please bring your own knife or multi-tool. You are also welcome to bring any specific accoutrements for adorning your project. I will provide all necessary leather, lace, thread, tools, wood beads, and handmade antler buttons and toggles.
Each class is limited to eight participants, ages 10 to adult (younger children are welcome if accompanied by a guardian). There is a $20 material fee, payable via cash, Venmo, or PayPal. I hope to have a few extra kits available if time permits, along with items available for purchase.
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- A shoulder carried "possibles" pouch
- A smaller belt pouch
- A knife or tool sheath
Hand-dipped Beeswax Candles
Aurora Rosewood
During the knowledge share you will dive into the wisdom of the beehive and unfold the relationship humankind has built with the honeybee throughout time, to understand why 100% beeswax is the healthiest wax to burn, to the traditional candle making technique.
Fee-$15 Includes leaving with 2 taper candles.
Lift Up Your Voices!
Janice Marsh-Prelesnik
Throughout time people have sung chants and songs while working in the fields, kitchens, waulking, keening, at birth/death, and all life in between! Join me in a community song!
Making Huaraches Sandals
Yadira Ayala
We will make Mexican-inspired sandals. I will talk about the Raramurí and their efficient biomechanics and lifelong barefoot/minimalist running in huaraches.
Rolling Herbal Incense Cones
Jamie Crawford
How to prepare plants for incense, and make incense dough and rolling cones. You will get to pick out a few herbs and make your own cones. Materials fee. Attendants leave with about 20 cones to take home.
Introduction to Harvesting Roadkill Deer
Gabrielle Sorgenfrei
​Introduction to harvesting roadkill deer for crafting and consumption
I will discuss how to identify freshly hit deer, spot internal damage, fill out salvage tags, and how to test for CWD. I will bring crafts made from roadkill deer, as well as various references.
Foraging Plants for Natural Dyeing
Lori Evesque
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This 2-part class will consist of a walk of the property to find, identify, and harvest plants which can be used for natural dyeing in our bioregion. \We will talk about natural mordants, how to create them, safe disposal, etc. We will talk about a broad range of plants that can be used outside of those available for today’s class due to seasonality and other aspects of the plants growth. Emphasis will be on ethical harvesting to maintain the plant’s populations.
Part 2 (afternoon class) will consist of preparing dye baths, discussion of mordants, preparing yarn and fabric samples, dyeing fibers, and after treatments. We will talk about safety, equipment, precautions, etc to make sure your dyeing experience it successful as well as safe. We will dye with 3 dyebaths using materials foraged in the morning. A broad range of colors are available from a combination of foraged and home grown dyes, without relying on dyes imported from far away. Using these dyes gives you the artistic satisfaction of finding your own colors!
Seed Stewardship: Sourcing Seed for Your Garden
Lexie Schroeder Kobb
In exploration of the ancestral skills of seed stewardship and growing plants. We will discuss sourcing seed for your particular garden needs and related considerations. We will be sharing both seed and seed stories. Topics we will explore include: What questions to ask when buying or gifted seed - How to read a seed package when purchasing seed - Where to find free seed - Collecting and growing your own seed - Now that the seed is in your hands, what's next? (Students are encouraged - but not required! - to bring seeds and/or stories to share.)
Healing Voices
Cortney Collia (Gitchi Aanakwadkwe)
We will explore harmonics and the human sound, those that resonate in our bodies to create healing. Participants will learn a variety of chants and songs from various healing modalities from the instructor. After some story and time for reflection together as a class all participants will create a healing song/chant.
Plants Have a Voice!
Janice Marsh-Prelesnik
Listen to the amplified sounds of plant music generated through the Plants Play machine. Here’s how it works: two electrodes are placed on a plant. They pick up vibrations in the plant which are sent to a synthesizer. The rhythm and space between pitches come from the plant. Can you imagine what an Oak might sound like? Or a sunflower?
We’ll interact with plants we’re listening to and see what happens!
Natural building
Larissa Toulupous & Ondrej Peka
Join us for this hands on introduction class to natural building with a focus on straw bale building principles and techniques. We will introduce the student to common tools used in general straw bale building as well as methods of clay stucco application. A proportion of the class will include retrofitting techniques using straw bale infill method to retrofit a light wood frame construction.
Forged with flare: The copper hair pin Workshop
Samantha Barrett
Step into the role of metalsmith for the day in this hands on Class! You'll learn the ancient art of cold forging to transform heavy gauge wire into a stunning, functional French hair pin.
We will cover
Shaping and hammering, texturing & refining.
Whether your a beginner or seasoned maker, you'll leave with a handmade treasure ready to secure your hair with artisan flair
Hair Braiding
Jamie Crawford
HAIR TENT ALL WEEKEND
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Jamie will go over basic and French braid techniques.
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Kid Friendly!
She will also have yarn to practice on.
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Wonderful way to kick off a weekend of sleeping in the woods and learning protective hairstyles to help hair grow longer and stronger.
Knots & Lashings
Rodney Cole
Knots, Lashings, Cordage Management, Rope Making, and Paracord Projects.
Tracking & Sensory Awareness for Kids
Jen and Kira, Friend of the Woods
Ages 5+ or with adult
Long before books and screens, people learned by watching the land. In this playful, hands-on class, kids will step into the old ways of seeing—learning how our ancestors read tracks, listened deeply, and felt at home in the natural world.
Through gentle games, stories, and exploration, we’ll discover animal footprints and signs, practice moving quietly through the woods, and awaken our natural senses of sight, hearing, and awareness. Children will learn how trackers use curiosity, patience, and respect to understand the lives of animals and the rhythms of the land.
This class isn’t about being fast or loud—it’s about slowing down, paying attention, and remembering skills humans have carried for thousands of years. Kids leave with a deeper sense of belonging outdoors and simple tracking skills they can practice wherever they wander
Tracking
Abi Fergus
Learn to notice and identify the tracks and sign left by the other animals we share ecosystems and watersheds with. Tracking is ancestral to all people and helped shape humans in our evolution as we learned to travel, eat, and cloth ourselves in new habitats and geographies as we followed and learned from other animals whether wolves or deer. We will learn to identify tracks and sign with foot morphology, context clues, track patterns, and measurements. We will also learn to turn our attention to environmental factors like the weather, wind, lighting, and soundscape.
Turkey Call Making
Jen Davis
You can make your own turkey call, 2 ways: using recycled materials (old film canisters, and more) or assemble one from a wooden turkey call kits (for a small material fee)
Flint-Knapping Demo
Various Knappers
Learn the ancient process of taking flint and turning it into an arrowhead.
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Open Pit.
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Kids hours will be posted. There re many sharp objects so must kids will need adult super vision,
Plantwalk and Edible ID
​Rachel Mifsud
Plant walk with a pillar of the plant world in this region! Even the seasoned forager will be sure to find out new ways to use the edible landscape. Led by the founder of Great Lakes Foraging Gathering and Owner of "Will Forage For Food."
Weave Your Own Rattle
Michael Shofield
Rattles are among the oldest known ritual instruments, dating back thousands of years to many different regions around our globe. You'll learn to weave a rattle in this workshop and go home with your very own.
Wiigwaas zhiishiigwan
Roger LaBine and Cortney Collia (Gitchi Aanakwadkwe)
In this workshop we will talk story about the zhiishiigwan and it's significance to the Anishinaabe people. We will show you how to make your own shakers out of Wiigwaas (birch bark). If you have something of significance to you that you want to put into the shaker to make a sound unique to you please feel free to bring that to the workshop. Otherwise there may be some options provided for you. All the birch bark for this has been hand harvested in a good way by the instructors.