Fox Wire Farm Alpacas is excited to announce that we are launching a series of fun-filled and informative classes, workshops, and activities for kids, teenagers, and adults! We are currently in the planning phase, and as classes are developed and scheduled, they will be posted here on our website and on our Facebook and Instagram pages, so please check back frequently.

Classes and workshops will include arts & crafts; environmental, botanical, and wildlife studies; and hands-on, day-on-the farm working sessions with the various animals, including our wonderful alpacas! Our offerings will be organized by age group, and some will present opportunities for adults and young people to work together, while exploring a particular skill or subject matter.  Most classes and workshops will be four hours long; however, some of the on-the-farm activities involving our animals may be as long as six hours.  All materials needed for any class or workshop will be included in the registration costs; however, in some instances, participants can expand their experimentation with certain arts & crafts classes by bringing additional materials from home if they choose.

The following is a listing and brief descriptions of classes currently under development:

  • Felted Animal Fun:  Inspired by our farm animals and your own imagination, participants will learn the basics of needle felting while creating a small felted animal sculpture from our own alpacas’ fiber.
  • Cardboard Loom Weaving:  Make a small purse, cell phone case, or spirit bag using alpaca yarn from our farm using a cardboard loom you construct.
  • Basket Weaving with Alpaca Rovings:  Take virgin alpaca rovings and create rug quality yarn, that will be used to create a coiled basket. Premade dyed alpaca rug yarn is available to add some color to the natural color yarn you will make.
  • Navaho Stick Weaving:  Take a short hike through our woods and select the sticks you will use to create a Navaho stick loom, on which you will weave a small wall hanging that incorporates found objects, beads, and alpaca rovings and yarn.
  • Spinning with a Turkish Drop Spindle:  This is a two-part course.  The first class focuses on learning to spin a single ply of yarn from our alpaca fiber, using one or more colors of rovings.  The second class then teaches you how to create multi-ply yarn which can then be used for knitting, crocheting, or weaving projects.
  • Plein Air Watercolor Painting:  Enjoy the great outdoors, while exploring and painting the many beautiful landscapes and water views around the farm.  This class is for beginners, as well as experienced watercolorists, and will focus on experimenting with different techniques to capture the essence of what you see and how you paint.   Participants will be encouraged to explore both realistic and abstract approaches.
  • Knitting Fox Wire Footies:  This is a beginning knitting class to learn how to knit a basic footie pattern using our incredibly soft alpaca yarn.  To reinforce the toe and heel of your footies so they last, you will learn to knit in horsehair gathered from the tails of our horses.
  • Pine Needle Basket Weaving:  Using Loblolly pine needles gathered on our farm, create a coiled pine needle basket of your own design.
  • Sketching Animals:  Spend some quality time with our animals while you explore sketching approaches.  Emphasis will be placed on basic drawing techniques and capturing the spirit of the animals in addition to their physical appearance.  We will work in both black and white and in color using a variety of dry media.
  • Animal Photography:  This class goes beyond the selfies our guests often take when on a tour, allowing participants more quiet time with animals of their choice to capture their personalities while observing them up close and personal during their daily routine.  Participants must provide their own camera.
  • A Day on the Farm:  This activity is a great opportunity for parents and kids to explore what living and working on a farm is like, while getting up close and personal with our animals.  Activities include collecting and cleaning eggs, feeding and watering various animals, learning to “muck a stall”,  grooming equines, harvesting and sowing fodder in our hydroponic barley house, as well as learning firsthand about the care of our alpacas.  Groups are kept small so participants can be given individual attention and guidance.  A picnic lunch is provided.

If you are interested in any of the classes described above, please contact Tamera Myer-Mams at 757-741-2776, Ext. 340.  If you would like to teach a class for us or have an idea for a class that would be related to our farm and its environment, please review the job description for TEACHERS  and contact Tamera with the information as noted.