Adult Workshops
Double the fun! Bring a friend and take $25 off individual workshops!
All 2026-27 Workshop Dates and registration now live!
WE BELIEVE IN A RECIPROCAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COMMUNITY AND SKILL BUILDING, FINDING THAT COMMUNITY ENRICHES THE ADOPTION OF NEW SKILLS AND SKILLS ENRICH COMMUNITY.WHETHER YOU JOIN US FOR A SINGLE WORKSHOP OR ONE OF OUR EXTENDED EARTH SKILLS PROGRAMS, WE WELCOME YOU INTO OUR COMMUNITY AND HOPE YOU WILL TAKE WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED BACK TO YOURS.
Fall Wild Edibles
Ages 18+ | Sep. 26th 10am – 4pm, 2026
Locations: Meeting at 4-H Acres 418 Lower Creek Rd Ithaca and traveling by van to various locations to harvest plants then returning to 4-H to cook and end our day.
Our ancestors relied on the wild plants growing all around them to provide food and medicine. Come spend the morning exploring some of our favorite local foraging areas. We will get to know the Fall staples as well as some of the more obscure and delicious treats sprouting around Ithaca. Then we will take our catch home to try out a few recipes and share a wild feast.
Skills Covered:
- Foraging safety and harvesting ethics
- Identifying local wild edible plants.
- Harvesting, processing and storage.
- Open fire cooking
- Tool use including: digging sticks, carving knives, nut and apple grinder, cider press.
Cost: $100 ($103.00 with credit card), includes a $50 non-refundable deposit
Natural Archery 101
Ages 18+ | Oct. 10, 2026, 10am-4pm
Locations: 4-H Acres, Lower Creek Road, Ithaca, NY
What is “Natural Archery?” Come find out in this immersion into the world of archery as it was practiced for thousands of years. Together we will learn instinctive archery techniques and form using handmade wooden bows and arrows. We will take a tour through the skills of natural bow and arrow making and learn about the local plants that can be harvested to make these amazing tools.
This workshop provides hands-on instruction and practice in the use of traditional handmade archery equipment. Shooting a bow should be natural and fun. Our experienced instructors will help you learn instinctive archery in a low-pressure accessible environment where success starts with the first shot.
After some shooting practice we will have hands-on demonstrations of the process of making bows and arrows from local natural materials. Out in the woods we will identify some of the best local trees and shrubs for bows and arrows. Then we will visit our willow gardens where we can grow hundreds of arrows per year.
Participants will leave with a solid foundation to go further in traditional archery. And if natural bow and arrow making spark something in you, please check out our Bow Making Weekend where you can make your own natural archery bow.
Skills Covered:
- Instinctive shooting with natural archery equipment.
- Identifying local natural materials used to craft archery equipment
- Traditional wood working techniques used in bow and arrow crafting.
- Tool use including draw knives, carving knives, saws, hatchets scrapers, tillering sticks, and batoning.
Cost: $125 ($128.75 with credit card), includes a $50 non-refundable deposit
Survival Shelter Day
Ages 18+ | Saturday Nov. 7th, 2027, 10am-4pm
Locations: 4-H Acres, Lower Creek Road, Ithaca, NY
Shelter is considered the most important survival priority. We all need a warm, dry, safe place to rest and weather the storm. Every animal instinctively knows how to find or build the shelter it needs, so what would the most fundamental human shelter look like? What is the human “nest?”
This workshop provides hands-on instruction and practice in the building of an all weather shelter that can keep you warm and dry no matter what. It can be built without tools or rope from common natural materials in almost any environment. Get prepared for the unexpected or ditch the tent on your next wilderness adventure with this deep dive into survival shelter.
Cost: $100 ($103.00 with credit card), includes a $50 non-refundable deposit
Skills covered:
- Choosing good shelter locations
- Identifying local natural materials used to build shelter
- Building an all weather survival shelter
- Tool use including: carving knives, saws, hatchets
Willow basket basics
Ages 18+ | Saturday Dec. 5th, 2026, 10am-4pm
Locations: 4-H Acres, Lower Creek Road, Ithaca, NY
The woven willow basket is among the most beautiful and useful of containers. They are strong, light weight, and versatile. Willow baskets have been shaped into everything from cradles to coffins and are just as amazing now as they were to our ancestors.
This workshop provides hands-on instruction and practice in the weaving of a beginner level basket or tray. We will learn how to forage and grow willow and how to prepare it for weaving. We will cover a range of weaving techniques that will allow participants to continue on their weaving journey.
Cost: $125 ($128.75 with credit card), includes a $50 non-refundable deposit
Skills covered:
- How to obtain and prepare willow for weaving including Identifying, foraging, cultivating, harvesting, drying, soaking and mellowing.
- Willow weaving techniques such as twining, randing, 3 rod wale and rims
- Weaving a small basket or tray
- Tool use including: carving knives, clippers and bodkins
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Winter Tracking Workshop 2027
Ages 18+ | Jan. 22 6 – 8pm and Jan 23 9am – 3:30pm, 2027
Locations: TBD
Instructor: Jed Jordan (see bio on our people page)
Whether tracking for the first time, blowing the dust off your neural search images, or looking for an adventure with other aspiring trackers and mentors – this weekend workshop will get you on the path!
Long-time tracking instructors Jed Jordan and Jason Hamilton will review the foundations of mammal track identification, and then guide you through some of the best tracking hot spots our area has to offer. You and other participants will practice the art of seeing and identifying the clues left behind by all the creatures out there, with instruction and coaching for all experience levels. This workshop will also demonstrate replicable teaching methods for anyone looking to teach tracking to others.
Includes one evening of indoor instruction and a full day of field studies in multiple wildlife areas. Grab your thermos and bag lunch and come join the fun!
Winter Tracking Workshop 2027:
$125 ($128.75 with credit card), includes a $50 non-refundable deposit
Matchless Fire Magic
Ages 18+ | Feb. 27th, 2027 10am – 4pm
Locations: 4-H Acres 418 Lower Creek Rd Ithaca
What lights your fire? Come with us to learn the ancient art of friction fire. In this workshop we will use the bow drill to light our maple boiler and kick off the first harvest of the season. While the sweet sap bubbles, our mentors will guide you through the fundamental human skill of friction fire. Each participant will go home with their own bow drill kit and the skills to master matchless fire magic!
Step by step instruction from experienced mentors will make the practice of friction fire accessible and fun! Use provided bow drill kits to learn the skill then dive deeper by carving your own kit and learning how to identify and harvest local natural materials to reproduce this craft or teach others in your community.
Skills Covered:
- Identifying and harvesting local natural materials to build a bow drill set.
- General Carving skills and safety. Specific wood working techniques to complete the bow drill project.
- Bow drill friction fire techniques.
- Tinder selection and preparation.
- Basic fire building skills.
- Tool use including carving knives, saws, hatchets and batoning.
Cost: $100 ($103.00 with credit card), includes a $50 non-refundable deposit
Atlatl Day!
Ages 18+ | Saturday Mar.27, 2027 10am-4pm
Locations: 4-H Acres, Lower Creek Road, Ithaca, NY
Long before the bow and arrow appeared, our ancestors perfected a powerful tool that allowed them to hunt huge ice age beasts. The atlatl has been used all over the world to throw spears many times faster and farther than by hand alone. In this workshop we will collect materials and learn the skills to make and use this ancient hunting tool.
Participants will leave with a handmade atlatl and dart set and the skills to use it. We will focus on self-sufficiency so you can go on to reproduce this project on your own or teach others in your community.
Our crafting time will be spent around the fire at our adult camp or indoors if the weather is too cold. Atlatl history, hunting, tree lore, natural history all may be topics of conversation while our hands are busy.
Skills Covered:
- Identifying and harvesting local natural materials to build an atlatl and dart set.
- General Carving skills and safety. Specific wood working techniques to complete the atlatl project.
- Wrapping and attaching wooden foreshafts.
- Heat straightening the dart shafts
- Fletching (applying feathers) to stabilize the dart in flight.
- Atlatl throwing technique.
- Tool use including carving knives, saws, and fire.
Cost:
$125 ($128.75 with credit card), includes a $50 non-refundable deposit
Bow Making Weekend (tent camping available)
Ages 18+ | 2027
Friday April 30th- 5:30-8:30pm
Saturday May 1st- 9:00am-5:00pm
Sunday May 2nd- 9:00am-5:00pm
Locations: 4-H Acres, Lower Creek Road, Ithaca, NY
The traditional wooden longbow is legendary for its power and accuracy. For thousands of years all across the globe, the longbow has built nations, fed families, protected homes and provided sport for people of all descriptions. Today this elemental tool continues to earn its singular place in history as a form of functional art that is just as effective and beautiful now as it was in the hands of our ancestors.
This weekend workshop will dive deep into the art of wooden bow making. With more than 30 years of experience, our instructors will guide you through the bow making process from identifying and harvesting a good “bow-tree” through final tillering and shooting your finished longbow. Using traditional techniques and simple hand tools you will craft a custom wooden bow suitable for hunting or target archery.
Building your first wooden bow from raw tree to full draw in less than 20 hours is an ambitious and challenging project. It is physically and mentally demanding. Our primary goal will be to complete a fully tillered shooting bow. If time allows you may be able to stain, finish and apply a leather handle. One arrow will be provided. All finishing steps as well as sources of materials and arrows will be covered so you will be leaving with the skills and knowledge to continue your natural archery journey on your own.
There is really nothing like shooting a beautiful bow that you crafted with gratitude from living wood. Come with us as we follow our ancestors into the adventurous world of natural archery!
Our Basecamp and main teaching location will be 4-H Acres 418 Lower Creek Rd Ithaca. Tent-camping is available and includes indoor bathrooms, a shower, and an outdoor kitchen with refrigeration. A pre-camp email will give details of where we will meet and what to bring.
- Making long bows from harvested trees
- Identifying local bow wood species
- Learning the basics of archery using the instinctive aiming method
- Hand tool use: hatchet, rasp, scraper, carving knives, saws.
- Bow string making using the Flemish twist method.
Cost: $325 ($334.75 with credit card)
Bird Language
Ages 18+ | May 22nd, 2027 10am – 4pm
Locations: 4-H Acres 418 Lower Creek Rd Ithaca
Discover the birds around you on a whole new level in this beginner-friendly workshop focused on understanding the unique “language” of birds. Through guided listening, identification techniques, and hands-on practice, participants will learn how birds communicate through calls, songs, and behavior. Whether you’re brand new to birdwatching or looking to deepen your connection to the natural world, this workshop offers an engaging introduction to tuning in, interpreting, and appreciating the beautiful voices of the birds around you.
Survival out in the wild depends on having sharp senses and intense attention to the world around you. Birds are always listening, always watching and always relaying important survival information to each other. This weekend we will learn about the five categories of bird communication and then head to the field for a group “bird sit.” Group observation and mapping will help us decode what we hear and find out what the birds are saying, maybe even what they have to say about us.
Cost: $85 ($87.55 with credit card)
Skills covered:
- Five voices of the birds
- Group and individual “bird sit” journaling routine
- Awareness, observation, and movement techniques to see and hear more in the woods
- Identifying common birds by voice and field marks
Wild Fibers
Ages 18+ | Jun. 5th, 2027 10am-4pm
Locations: 4-H Acres, Lower Creek Road, Ithaca, NY
A string is a marvelous thing. From the thread that makes up your shirt, to the giant ropes that allow ships to cross oceans, cordage is one of the most useful and overlooked inventions in history. This weekend we will get to know a variety of local fiber plants and learn the skills to turn them into cordage. Join us in the woods and fields to harvest, process and weave our own strong cordage using traditional techniques. Work as a team to become a human rope machine and maybe even win the Cordage Olympics!
Skills Covered:
- Identifying and processing a variety of local fiber plants
- The “reverse wrapping” technique for making cordage.
- How to turn family and friends into a human rope machine
Cost: $100 ($103.00 with credit card)
