Every summer, the Folk School offers Little Middle Folk School, an opportunity for youth ages 7-17 to discover Appalachian culture and take part in hands-on programs in dozens of arts and crafts.
Every summer, the Folk School offers Little Middle Folk School, an opportunity for youth ages 7-17 to discover Appalachian culture and take part in hands-on programs in dozens of arts and crafts.
NOTICE: There are NO local discounts for Little Middle. If you need housing during Little Middle, please contact our Registration department.
Visit Configio and Create An Account
Configio is our new online registration system for all Folk School classes. Visit the registration portal and register for an account using your email address. You will receive a confirmation email once your account has been created.
Apply Children as “Participants”
Within your accounts menu bar, choose “Account” in the top navigation menu then “My Account.” In the dropdown menu, select “My Student / Participant” and then choose “+ Add New Participant.”
It is important to note the number of “participants” you add to your account must equal the number of Little Middle tuitions in your cart when checking out. For example, if you add three children now, you need to register all three children for Little Middle to complete your order.
When Registration Opens, Enroll Your Littles and Middles
We will post a link on this webpage taking you to the Little Middle Configio listing when enrollment opens. You will sign in to your Configio account and choose the number of children you want to sign up for Little Middle. Please keep in mind that you are only allowed to register four students in total.
Process Your Order and Checkout
Once you’ve registered all participants, proceed to Checkout. Your order is not submitted until it has been processed and you have received a confirmation email with a receipt.
Choose Class Preferences & Edit Guardianship Information
After paying your total Little Middle tuition, you will receive a confirmation email with a link to edit each participant’s profile. There, you will be able to choose the classes that your Little or Middle would like to take and you can update their guardianship information.
*NOTICE – Please keep in mind that classes are not filled on a first come, first serve basis. You will be notified of your child’s class schedule prior to the start of Little Middle.
Limited scholarships for Cherokee and Clay County residents are available. To be eligible for scholarship assistance, fill out our SlideRoom application using the link below. Scholarship applications are now open and will close on Friday, March 31.
American Indian Arts – Instructor Billy Whitefox – Learn to make fun Indian art like jewelry, leather cuffs, and more. Spend time in nature and learn about American Indian art and culture.
Basketry: A Tisket, a Tasket, Let’s All Make a Basket – Instructor Penny Morgan – Discover how to weave three simple yet practical baskets: a pencil holder, a small flat basket, and a small basket with a handle. Amaze your friends and family with your wonderful baskets.
Beads: Beaded Bugs and Flowers – Instructor Lynn Ann Miller – Learn to make beautiful, 3-D flowers and bugs with wire and colorful glass beads. Start by making a fly, then try creating daisies, geckos, beetles, spiders, or any other plants and critters you can imagine!
Book and Paper Art – Instructor Paige Davis – Let’s get crafty with paper! We’ll create papier-mâché animals, colorful origami cranes, a collage of fantastical landscapes, and even your very own book.
Clay: Beginning Clay – Instructor Patricia Montoya Donohue – Discover the endless possibilities of hand-building! Learn how to shape and mold clay into beautiful bowls, animals, ornaments, and even a wind chime.
Felting: Needle-felt Gnome, Fairies, and More – Instructor Dedra Davis – Use colorful wool roving and felting needles to create miniature, nature-inspired creations such as gnomes, fairies, forest animals, mushrooms, and more! Leave with the knowledge to make your own small, needle-felted sculptures.
Gourd Art: Magical Gourd House – Instructor Linda Vanderlaan – Did you know that you can make a nightlight from a gourd? Learn how to transform a gourd into your own glowing hobbit or fairy house to light up your room at night!
Knitting: Knitting Ninjas – Instructor Emolyn Liden – Explore the wondrous world of fiber art. Learn to knit with your hands and on knitting needles to create chains, necklaces, headbands, and maybe a flower. Use all kinds of yarn, fiber, buttons, and more to finish your projects.
Magic: Fun with Magic – Instructor Tom Payne – Entertain and amaze others with close-up magic using cards, coins, rope, rubber bands, and other common objects. Learn the secrets to making things seemingly vanish and reappear.
Music: Play the Ukulele – Instructor Marvin Daniels – Let’s all sing and play together on the ukulele. Learn tuning, simple strumming patterns, and enough chords to play songs.
Mosaics: Marvelous Mosaics – Instructor Jeannette Brossart – Let’s play with color and shapes. Create a paper mosaic, a necklace and pendant, or even a suncatcher—the possibilities are endless!
Painting: Painting, Drawing, and Mixed Media – Instructor Ashley Johnson – Want to improve your drawing and painting skills? Learn about mixing colors, watercolor, drawing, and mixed media techniques!
Puppetry: The Magic of Puppets – Instructor Claire Ritzler – Become a puppeteer as you make your own moving mouth-hand puppet. Create a character, develop a story, and participate in a performance.
Unique Offerings: Dramatic Movement and Games – Instructor Bridget Esterhuizen – Build collaboration and movement skills through theatre improv games. You’ll learn to listen and partner with your whole body and creative self!
Artist Books: Play with Colors and Paper – Instructor Sigrid Hice – Design colorful paste papers for book covers by combing and twisting a variety of gadgets across paper. Learn various paper folds that will become unusual, sculptural books, such as the origami accordion book, the secret room book, and the spiral book. Let your imagination fly across the pages by drawing, collaging, or writing in your very own handmade treasures.
Blacksmithing: Blacksmithing , a.k.a. Happiness – Instructor Julie Clark – Spend a week playing in a coal fire. Use a hammer, tongs, and anvil to smash, bend, and twist metal into functional and artistic items.
Baskets: Painted Paper Baskets – Instructor Nancy Hinds – Play with color as you paint pieces of paper, then cut them into strips to weave baskets. You will make several different sizes in any color you can imagine.
Clay: Beginning Pottery – Instructor Linda Mabry – This week, it’s all about birds! Learn how to make unique birdhouses, birdfeeders, and birdbaths from clay using wheel throwing and hand building techniques. Decorate and glaze your projects to take home and share with the feathered friends in your backyard.
Cooking: Frozen Summer Treats – Instructor Susannah Thompson – Ready, set, freeze! Beat the heat with some tasty summertime treats. Learn to make (and eat!) popsicles, sorbet, ice cream sandwiches, and other summer classics sure to help cool you down.
Dance: Jingle! Hop! Skip! – Instructor Nick Kelischek – Wear bells, bang sticks, wear colorful costumes, and have fun learning Border Morris dance, an ancient dancing style from England. This is one of the famous dances performed yearly at the Folk School Fall Festival.
Enameling: Colorful Copper Enamel – Instructor Kay Patterson – What happens when you combine glass and copper? Make copper shapes by cutting, heating, hammering, and forming. Then, learn ways to apply colorful powdered glass and fire the copper pieces in a hot kiln to create glistening bowls, magnets, jewelry, and even a bookmark.
Jewelry: Become a Jewelry Designer – Instructor Terry Hale – Embark on a jewelry-making adventure! Start with simple wirework and quickly move on to making pendants, earrings, chains, and more using precious metals, beads, gemstones, and crystals. Master the basics, then use what you’ve learned to bring your original ideas and designs to life!
Music: Learn to Play the Ukulele – Instructor Virginia Mattox – There’s nothing quite like making your own music. Ukulele is a fun instrument that’s easy to learn and can go anywhere you want to take it. Learn the basics of strumming and moving between chords as we play and sing a variety of songs.
Painting: Fantasy Landscapes – Instructor Suzy DesLauriers – Learn how to paint beautiful landscapes with watercolor. Create a colorful painting of mountains and skies and add your creative ideas of castles, flying dragons, and imaginary creatures.
Photography: Capture Nature Through the Lens – Instructor Liz Domingue – Enhance your knowledge of the natural world and your photography skills as you explore the flora and wildlife of the Southern Appalachians with a naturalist. Learn basic techniques of nature photography while heightening your observation skills and enjoyment of the natural world.
Woodburning: Drawing with Fire – Instructor Terez Hjetland – Did you know you can draw with fire? Learn the basics of woodburning and use patterns or draw your own designs to create beautiful works of art on wood, paper, and leather.
Woodturning: Fun with Wood – Instructor Steve Cook – Learn how to turn a piece of wood into beautiful artwork using a lathe spinning tool. Create a rolling pin or small baseball bat, yo-yos, spinning tops, and even items for the kitchen. Leave an expert in the basics of woodturning and tool safety.
Woodworking: Log Cabin Bird Feeder – Instructor Dave Kaspar – Build your very own birdhouse! Along the way, learn how to use a bandsaw, a small pin nailer, and how to give wood an old-timey look. Leave with a handmade home for your flying friends!
Little Middle will take place from Monday, June 17 through Friday, June 22 in 2024. Registration will be available via Configio, our online class registration system. Be sure to register early, as these spots are filled on a first-come, first-serve basis. Space is limited and we usually reach capacity with a waitlist.
Before registration opens, create your Configio account and add children as “participants” so you can register as soon as applications go live.
Limited scholarships for Cherokee and Clay County residents are available.
Applications will open in Spring 2024. Check this page for more information!
For families interested in coming to the Folk School as a group, there are several opportunities for adults this week:
Interested in Dance?
Join us for Dance Callers’ Week, an annual offering for adults during Little Middle! This class for beginning to intermediate callers offers a supportive environment designed to help students discover their strengths and explore new ideas.
For those who want to dance while the kids are in class: join the dance callers for two 90-minute practice sessions of contra and square dancing each day with wonderful live music accompaniment. No previous experience is necessary. It’s fun and great exercise, too!
Volunteer for Little Middle
Apply as a vonteer and help assist our instructors in delivering this special experience to kids.
Enjoy the Folk School
Bring your unfinished craft projects and gather with new friends to share ideas. Nestle in a rocking chair and read a book. Explore nature trails and our historic campus. There are many ways to relax and rejuvenate in these mountain surroundings.
In town for Little Middle? Visit downtown Murphy and check out a new Folk School experience, Olive’s Porch. The location at 27 Peachtree Street features classroom space, a retail shop showcasing the work of Appalachian artists, and a studio space dedicated to the Artist in Residence program. Named after the school’s co-founder Olive Dame Campbell, Olive’s Porch features short workshops focused on traditional Appalachian crafts, music, dance, and community topics designed for locals and visitors. We also host a variety of discussions, demonstrations, artist markets and other community events.
For only $173, you can help foster a child’s learning and creativity. By providing a scholarship for our week-long Little/Middle Folk School, you can help kids learn about Appalachian culture and explore fun and educational art and craft classes.
Margaret Radcliffe is teaching two Knitting classes next month at the Folk School: My First Sock (Feb. 28 – March 2 / Weekend) and the Easiest Sweaters in the World (March 2-8). Come learn new techniques to take your garment knitting to the next level (or the first level if you are new to socks and sweaters). I chatted with Margaret about Knitting, the Folk School, and what it is like to write about Knitting. Enjoy our interview!
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The following is a post by local blogger, Tipper Wilson Pressley. Visit Tipper’s blog, Blind Pig & the Acorn about all things Appalachia.
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The Folk School recently completed Little Folk School and Middle Folk School–“Little Middle” or “L/M” as it looms on our planning calendars. There were 284 students: 156 Little (age 7-12) and 128 Middle (age 13-17), mostly locals, in 26 classes with 30 amazing teachers and a 37-member volunteer crew.
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Please contact our Programs Department for more information around Little Middle.
Mailing Address
One Folk School Road
Brasstown, NC 28902