North House Folk School

“Family Weekend had several hundred participants come into the Blue Building to create projects both individually and together as families,” Youth and Family Programs Manager Susan Ferguson said of the event. “The energy and enthusiasm was high. It was a delight to watch these participants, young and old alike, jump into craft and leave feeling satisfied and successful. Many said they would be back next year to join us again for our drop-in family activities.”

Nearly 400 visitors participated in two days of these free drop-in craft activities, including making a handprint moose and felting an acorn necklace. Other Family Weekend activities at North House included cider pressing, s’mores making, outdoor games, and a contra dance with live music by Andrew Norcross, Heather Brown, and others, with Sarah Cagley calling. 

One student’s comment underscored the energy of the weekend: “Instead of summer, MEA weekend is our new tradition to vacation up North!”

Local North House Instructor Cooper Ternes co-taught a Woodworking for Families: Tool Tote Construction class with Tim Heil, guiding parents and children through basic skills. 

"It was a privilege to teach classes for Family Weekend. I particularly enjoyed seeing parents and children learning together. It was fun to watch parents and siblings help each other be thoughtful, and deliberate with their project," Cooper shared. “Taking care with a simple project is such an antidote to frenetic and attention-sapping life. It was great to see kids in our class settle into this."

Caleb Mattison, another local instructor, led a Baking for Kids class during Family Weekend.

“We all know that what we are exposed to as kids can impact the rest of our lives. In today's world, kids need to know that we can still build things with our own two hands. We can experience the satisfaction and pride of pulling a made-from-scratch golden calzone out of the oven and knowing exactly how it got to look the way it looks,” Caleb said of the importance of connecting kids with hands-on learning.

In addition to the delicious, freshly baked treats that his young students brought home from class, Caleb shared his perspective on the deeper takeaways from craft learning experiences, remarking, “I think one beautiful thing about crafting is how it connects us to the objects around us, and maybe none more so than food. That connection in turn leads us to care more about the world around us because we are in greater connection with it. And caring more for the world is only going to make this world a better place.”

Visit North House’s online Programs Calendar for upcoming activities for kids and families, including Winterers’ Gathering from November 17-22!