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Kingsley Folk School

Kingsley Folk School fosters community through folk arts education, offering workshops and events that promote creativity, connection, and compassion. Their mission is to empower individuals and enrich lives through shared learning experiences.

Would you love a painting of your beloved pet? Why not try it yourself!With assistance and guidance from local artist, Andy McQuillen, we can make it happen! Provide us with a (well-lit, close cropped) photo, Andy will draw the outline for you, and you fill in the rest! It&rsquo;s a relaxing, two-hour session to honor your companion. (One pet per painting).&nbsp; About the instructor:Andy McQuillen is a Mesick based artist, musician and Kingsley Local Brewing bartender. He has been painting pet portraits for over 20 years and loves to inspire people&rsquo;s innate creativity! Cost: $35/person, materials included

Pet Portrait Painting

Join us in a exploration of the season of late summer and the earth element through the ancient Daoist practice of Qigong. &nbsp; &nbsp; Based on the natural rhythms of nature qigong allows us to connect with our internal energy and the energy of the natural world we are part of. &nbsp; &nbsp;Through gentle movements/flows, breath work and meditation we begin to cultivate and move energy and circulation in our bodies helping to strengthen our muscles, joints, bones and spirits. &nbsp; &nbsp; We will learn about the Five Phases, yin and yang, the importance of intention, how to develop more balance and and health in our lives while focusing on the organs of Earth and the Late Summer Phase. We will have fun as we tune into our own life energy! We recommend having breakfast before the workshop. This class is very approachable for all experience and mobility levels. &nbsp; &nbsp;The class is done standing, or in a chair ,and does not require any special equipment or ability. Lunch will be provided and will correspond with the Season of Late Summer and the &nbsp;Earth Element. About our instructor:&nbsp;Flora Biancalana has been practicing qigong for over 13 years and has been teaching qigong for over 10 years. &nbsp; &nbsp; As a retired family practice physician she has concentrated her study of qigong with the Five Phases and Organ Networks. &nbsp; &nbsp;As her teacher Mimi Kuo Deemer quotes &ldquo;Qigong, the steady shaping and cultivation of nourishing life energy&rdquo; for health and healing. &nbsp; &nbsp;

Qi Gong Workshop - Late Summer & Earth

Shape a wooden spoon from start to finish 🪵 in this hands-on class. You&rsquo;ll learn how to read the grain and simple finishing techniques while working with hard wood. This class combines traditional techniques like learning to use the creative process to select a section of wood with more modern tools to speed up the process of creating your own wooden spoon. Robert has decades of experience in many forms of carving and will be happy to answer questions participants have about other methods, and is excited to show folks how easy making your own wooden spoons can be with simple tools and materials you likely already have at home.&nbsp;No experience is needed&mdash;just curiosity and a willingness to learn.&nbsp;Bring work gloves if you wish and carving tools if you have them (though not necessary).&nbsp;Taught by Robert Fish, experienced carpenter and woodworker who has lived and worked in Northern Michigan his entire life.&nbsp;

Wooden Spoon Making

Explore the medicinal and edible properties of local wild plants while tuning into your body through corresponding yoga poses and flows for each plant.&nbsp;This unique offering is led by herbalist Sierra LaRose of Bear Earth Herbals and yoga instructor/herbalist Molly Moore of Daughter Corn Farm.&nbsp;The yoga poses and flows will be done while standing, so no need to bring a mat. All poses can be adapted for a wide range of mobility and ability.&nbsp;This event is outdoors so please dress for the weather. Bring layers!Hot tea will be provided at the class.&nbsp;

Herb and Yoga Walk

This workshop is just in time for Father&rsquo;s Day and each participant walks away with their own foot stool! This would be a great class to attend with dad or you can surprise him with a hand built stool as a father&rsquo;s day gift! Build your own hardwood slab foot stool and learn some basics of woodworking, safe tool use, and simple construction principals.&nbsp; Taught by Robert Fisher, local carpenter with many decades of experience in a wide variety of skill sets including large scale construction, instructing builders, carving, lathe work and custom woodworking. &nbsp;

Hardwood Foot Stool Building Workshop

🎉Join us for our 3rd Annual Folk Day! Learn new folk skills at a variety of free workshops, be part of community and help us grow at Kingsley Folk School&#39;s fundraising event. &nbsp;🎉 Every registration to this event will bring us closer to achieving our mission. Together, we can create a brighter, more compassionate world for all. Thank you for supporting our mission, your support is invaluable.

3rd Annual Folk Day

Celebrate mindfulness with a truly meaningful and hands-on experience at our Native American Medicine Wheel Workshop. &nbsp;Inspired by traditional Indigenous beadwork and craftsmanship, this special workshop initiates participants to learn more about authentic techniques and materials passed down through generations. This workshop is the perfect way to connect with a rich and vibrant heritage and craft a handmade gift straight from the heart.&nbsp;About our instructorsWhite Feathers Daughters is a collective of bead artists descended from Rita Gasco Shepard, a citizen of the Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians. &nbsp;The work of White Feathers Daughters has been featured in the &ldquo;Kindred&rdquo; Art Exhibit shown at the Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey, and the Michigan State University History Museum in East Lansing. &nbsp;Leading the class will be Sydney Kay, the granddaughter of Rita, and a third generation beader. &nbsp;Assisting will be Regina Brubacker-Carver and Stella Kay, both daughters of Rita.

Native American Medicine Wheel Beading Workshop

Join us in a exploration of the season of summer and fire through the ancient Daoist practice of Qigong. &nbsp; &nbsp;Based on the natural rhythms of nature qigong allows us to connect with our internal energy and the energy of the natural world we are part of. &nbsp; &nbsp;Through gentle movements/flows, breath work and meditation we begin to cultivate and move energy and circulation in our bodies helping to strengthen our muscles, joints, bones and spirits. &nbsp; &nbsp; We will learn about the Five Phases, yin and yang, the importance of intention, how to develop more balance and and health in our lives. &nbsp; &nbsp;We will have fun as we tune into our own life energy! This class is very approachable for all experience and mobility levels. &nbsp; &nbsp;The class is done standing, or in a chair ,and does not require any special equipment or ability. Lunch will be provided and will correspond with the Summer and Season of Fire. Flora biancalana has been practicing qigong for over 13 years and has been teaching qigong for over 10 years. &nbsp; &nbsp; As a retired family practice physician she has concentrated her study of qigong with the Five Phases and Organ Networks. &nbsp; &nbsp;As her teacher Mimi Kuo Deemer quotes &ldquo;Qigong, the steady shaping and cultivation of nourishing life energy&rdquo; for health and healing. &nbsp; &nbsp;

Summer and Fire - A Qi Gong Workshop

Fly Fishing with Craig Schaaf - Aquatic Entomology and River Reading

Songwriting with Seth Bernard

Fly Fishing Casting Basics

Cheesemaking 101 Class

Registration is required for each participant of the class.&nbsp; In the case of cancellation of the class a full refund will be issued.&nbsp; Individual cancellations are non-refundable. Please dress for the weather and communicate with KINGSLEY FOLK SCHOOL if you are unable to attend the event.&nbsp;

Tincture Making Class

Sustain Kingsley Folk School for decades (or centuries) to come by being a sustaining member! Membership helps keep traditional folk skills, crafts, and stories alive through hands-on workshops and shared learning. Membership perks:<ul fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Annual Members Appreciation gathering with a farm to table meal&nbsp;</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">10% off all classes and workshops&nbsp;</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">Kingsley Folk School swag</li></ul> &nbsp;Choose the membership that fits you and help us pass these traditions forward, one class and one conversation at a time.

Sustain Kingsley Folk School for decades (or centuries) to come by being a sustaining member!Membership helps keep traditional folk skills, crafts, and stories alive through hands-on workshops and shared learning.Membership perks:Annual Members Appreciation gathering with a farm to table meal 10% off all classes and workshops Kingsley Folk School swag Choose the membership that fits you and help us pass these traditions forward, one class and one conversation at a time.

Kingsley Folk School's Memberships

Somewhere along the way, many of us stopped playing, or limited our sense of play as our responsibilities rose. Life has a way of filling in around the gaps that play leaves when busyness, complexity, and stress arise.And yet if we give it a moment, something in us still remembers the absorption of following something interesting, the ease and resilience of a body that&#39;s moving just for the pleasure of moving, the particular delight that comes from slowing down.Embodied play and creativity give us a way through the complexity we find ourselves in as adults.&nbsp; This workshop offers us the chance to reconnect with the playful, present one within us. We&#39;ll use movement, reflection, and a variety of approaches to reconnect with the joy, creativity and presence that play can offer. We&#39;ll tinker a bit with the one in us that might restrict or limit play, and give permission to the one who is seeking the resilience and capacity that play can bring. We&#39;ll slow down to discover what play might really feel like to us, now. Research tells us that play is not frivolous &mdash; it is biological. It builds capacity, supports resilience, and activates the very chemicals in our bodies that help us feel more alive, connected, and present. This workshop draws on that science lightly, weaving awareness of our own inner experience into the play itself.Play returns us to a source of energy and resource we can draw on in parenting, in the workplace, and in the face of challenge. You&#39;ll leave with new insights on what play means now, and practices for fueling a sense of play that can support you, even in the midst of complexity. We hope you&#39;ll laugh as you try (no need to get play right), and leave feeling the essentialness of play in your bones. No experience necessary. No particular fitness level required; there will be options for folks with varied access to movement and to connect with play in a variety of ways. Just a willingness to show up, slow down, and remember something your body already knows. What you can expect to leave with:<ul fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;"><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">The opportunity to reconnect with play as an adult, and an honest exploration of what gets in the way.</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">A richer awareness of what play feels and looks like in the body &mdash; and what signals tell us we&#39;re open to it or closed off from it.</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">A practice to carry forward: a way of returning to play, curiosity, and presence when the world speeds back up.</li><li fr-original-style="" style="box-sizing: inherit;">A clearer sense of the value and role of play in a complex world &mdash; and what it makes possible in our daily lives.</li></ul> About the Instructor: Shani Feyen is an educator, facilitator and coach who is committed to remembering what it&#39;s like to play in order to be in full service to the world. She remembers flooding the sandbox and digging holes in her parents&#39; backyard to create her own mini golf course (which they did not love), and has gotten shushed in the workplace for laughing too loudly.She believes that play, curiosity and creativity are no longer &quot;nice to have&quot;; they are essential commitments for anyone who wants to show up more fully for themselves and others at home, in community and in the workplace. She facilitates professional development around emotional and physical intelligence in the workplace.&nbsp;

RECESS - Play Workshop for Adults

Join us at Boone Holler Farm in Kingsley for a hands on Fire by Friction workshop followed by an immersive and inspiring garden tour.&nbsp;Learn all you need to know to make fire with nothing but a carving knife, shoestring and your hands! Instructor Boone Scharp will lead us in learning how to harvest and create the materials needed for making fire by friction and we will have the opportunity to practice and hopefully get our own embers glowing and growing with this process.&nbsp; What to expect 🔧 With guidance from our instructors, you&rsquo;ll coax a coal to life, while learning the stories and traditions behind this skill. By the end, you&rsquo;ll leave with practical knowledge, confidence, and a deeper connection to shared human heritage. This class is held at Boone Holler Farm in Kingsley - 6474 Marsh Road Kingsley, MI 49649

Fire by Friction Workshop

Join us in an engaging, hands-on class where participants explore poetic expression through writing, collaboration, and optional peer feedback. We will experiment with form, language, different media, and voice while exploring our own style as poets. We will be exploring our minds in various ways through writing prompts such as blackout and object poetry, as well as ekphrasis and a collaborative piece, all within a supportive and thoughtful workshop setting. There will be prompt resources to take home to keep the magic alive! Materials to Bring: (optional) bring an old book you don&rsquo;t mind blacking out, a notebook, a personal item important to you, and a writing utensil.&nbsp; About our instructor:Maddy Weist is a writer and poet with a strong passion for the community that comes from a creative space. She is a graduate of Northern Michigan University with a Bachelor of Science in Multimedia Journalism and English. She has since come back home and works for the Record-Eagle Newspaper in Traverse City. She regularly writes poetry and non-fiction. Cost: $35/person

Poetry and Freewriting

We proudly present our second annual Herb Fest!Join us for a fun filled day of exploring herb-tastic activities, classes, and local vendors. Share in an allergen friendly, herbified lunch. Offerings include an Herb and Yoga Walk, Herbs for Pain and Inflammation, Make Your Own Herbal Remedies Station, and so much more! Full 2026 Schedule coming soon! Located at the Kingsley Folk School Farm5022 Walton Rd Kingsley, MI 49649September 21st 9am-4pm Cost: $100/person includes materials and lunch

Herb Fest - 2nd Annual

Join us in a exploration of the season of Autumn and the Metal element through the ancient Daoist practice of Qigong. &nbsp; &nbsp; Based on the natural rhythms of nature qigong allows us to connect with our internal energy and the energy of the natural world we are part of. &nbsp; &nbsp;Through gentle movements/flows, breath work and meditation we begin to cultivate and move energy and circulation in our bodies helping to strengthen our muscles, joints, bones and spirits. &nbsp; &nbsp; We will learn about the Five Phases, yin and yang, the importance of intention, how to develop more balance and and health in our lives while exploring the Metal Phase within the Five Phase Daoist Practice. &nbsp; &nbsp;We will have fun as we tune into our own life energy! We recommend eating breakfast before the workshop. This class is very approachable for all experience and mobility levels. &nbsp; &nbsp;The class is done standing, or in a chair ,and does not require any special equipment or ability. Lunch will be provided and will correspond with the Season of Autumn and the Element of Metal. About the instructor:Flora Biancalana has been practicing qigong for over 13 years and has been teaching qigong for over 10 years. &nbsp; &nbsp; As a retired family practice physician she has concentrated her study of qigong with the Five Phases and Organ Networks. &nbsp; &nbsp;As her teacher Mimi Kuo Deemer quotes &ldquo;Qigong, the steady shaping and cultivation of nourishing life energy&rdquo; for health and healing. &nbsp; &nbsp;

QiGong Workshop - Autumn & Metal

Michigan&rsquo;s Medicinal Mushrooms is 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. You&rsquo;ll learn the basics of anatomy, taxonomy, safe use, and research-backed health applications. Each species includes foraging and identification guidance with field samples for hands-on learning. Additional topics cover traditional use, survival, and bushcraft. Resources for continued study and dedicated Q&amp;A time are included. This workshop is ideal for those who want to advance their natural medicine journey with fungi and learning to forage for personal use. About the Instructor:Tyler Davidson is a board-certified holistic health coach and nutritional therapist with over a decade of experience helping people reverse chronic disease. Specializing in the therapeutic use of functional mushrooms, he combines modern research, hands-on foraging experience, and practical strategies to restore health and vitality.He is the founder of Elden Medicinals, where he crafts small-batch, wild-foraged mushroom extracts, and the author of Wild Healing with Medicinal Mushrooms, a comprehensive guide to foraging and therapeutic use in the Midwest and Northeastern United States.

Kingsley Folk School

Events

Events

RECESS - Play Workshop for Adults

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Fire by Friction Workshop

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Poetry and Freewriting

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Herb Fest - 2nd Annual

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QiGong Workshop - Autumn & Metal

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Michigan's Medicinal Mushrooms

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Kingsley Folk School's Memberships

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