Carolina Bamboo, LLC

Classes

We teach bamboo anatomy, culture, music and art classes to children and adults. We often have class dates available on our homepage or on our Events Calendar for public (individual ticketed) open classes. We would love to come to your school, workplace or organization! We have worked with schools, libraries and other organizations using our group rate.

For group pricing inquiries please email: Aa***@************oo.org

CLASS #1:  Bamboo Culture (using bamboo)
In this class, the knowledge required to use bamboo efficiently will be covered. We will cover the best
practices for harvesting, curing, treating, and preserving bamboo. The appropriate tools for making use
of bamboo will be shown, discussed, and their uses will be demonstrated. The different types of temperate bamboos will be introduced, and students will have the opportunity to feel, see, and work with the different temperate genus and species available to us in the Carolinas. Some simple techniques for using bamboo around the house, garden, or farm will be discussed and presented. There will be ample opportunity for students to ask questions about particular projects they may have in mind for using bamboo. Students will walk away with a good general understanding of how to effectively use bamboo as a natural resource.

CLASS #2:  Bamboo In the Landscape
In this class we will focus on the growth habits of bamboo. Anatomy and physiology will be discussed in great detail. We will cover the challenges involved with bamboo species identification. Bamboo growing requirements and habits will be covered. We will discuss how to maintain a grove for optimal bamboo health. Best practices for containing and controlling bamboo’s spread will be discussed and taught. The differences between the native and exotic bamboos will be examined. Students will walk
away with a good understanding of how to maintain a bamboo grove for optimal health and containment.

CLASS #3:  The History and Culture of Bamboo
This is a PowerPoint lecture-style class on the history and culture of bamboo. This class will take students on a 10,000 mile view on the controversies and benefits of bamboo as a natural resource as well as a plant in our landscapes. We will discuss the history of bamboo as it applies to the Americas and the Orient. The place bamboo holds in the future of human development and culture will be explored. We will delve into the many differences between bamboo and trees. Bamboo charcoal and biochar will be examined in great detail. Students will walk away knowing more than they imagined there was to know
about bamboo. Class attendees will hopefully develop an appreciation of the beauty, history, importance in human
development, as well as the many uses of the bamboo plant.

CLASS #4: Kids Love Bamboo!

This class will be devoted to teaching children about all things bamboo. Children naturally love the magic of bamboo. In this class they will have the opportunity to get to know bamboo as a natural and free resource for creating. We will provide various and sundry bamboo specimens for crafting. Kids will have the opportunity to make creations such as jewelry, small structures and characters and will walk away from class with their own bamboo walking stick. We will also give the children the opportunity to fill their own bag full of bamboo pieces to take home and play with. This is a fluid class that can be tailored to whatever the children desire to do with bamboo. We can build something useful, craft, or just appreciate the beauty and natural usefulness of this precious resource.

CLASS #5: The Sound and Music of Bamboo

In this class, we will explore the sounds we can make with bamboo. We will use bamboo as percussion and wind instruments and create our own “Bamboo band!” We will listen to the sounds of a live shakuhachi flute and identify the sound of bamboo in popular music. We will record our own bamboo song and listen to it over the loud speaker to celebrate our music together.

CLASS #6: Bambrooms! Primitive Broom Making

Learn how to make a primitive broom using bamboo canes and branches. You will learn how to easily cut branches from the cane, leaving no “catchy-grabby stubs” behind! We will learn a basic wrapping and binding technique used by ancient cultures. Decorate your broom with provided ribbons and embellishments. Create a unique broom that is both useful and decorative. You’ll be swept away with how easy it is!

CLASS #7:  Eating Bamboo (Seasonal)

That’s right!  Bamboo shoots are edible!  We will teach class participants the best way to harvest and prepare bamboo shoots for the table. Bamboo shoots are high in protein and packed full of the power that will be needed to grow a full bamboo cane. You will go home with delicious, exotic food to share you’re your friends and loved ones.

CLASS #8:  Bamboo Sheath Leaf Dolls (Seasonal)

Have you ever seen a corn husk doll? Each spring, new bamboo shoots drop their sheath leaves as the cane hardens and grows.  These leaves are very similar to corn husks in texture and can be used to create a doll.  Come learn how to create a primitive bamboo sheath leaf doll for decoration and a study in the forgotten arts of agriculture. 

CLASS #7: Bamboo Wands & Walking Sticks

Begin your outdoor adventures by decorating one of our locally harvested, cured and treated bamboo canes! We will provide a selection of canes to choose from. Will you create a useful walking stick or instead choose to put a little magic into a bamboo wand? With a large selection of crafting items to choose from, you can decorate your own unique masterpiece while learning a little about how other cultures use bamboo in their creations.

CLASS #8: KuBoo Basket Weaving

In this class students will learn how to make a circular basket from wildcrafted kudzu and bamboo.  Aaron McCarty, Owner of Carolina Bamboo, will provide cured and fire treated bamboo splits for incorporation into the kuboo basket.  These splits will have been through four splitting techniques.  Masa Wari, Hira Wari, Habatori, and Mentori.  These techniques are traditional Japanese techniques that Aaron learned while apprenticing with Keiji Oshima.  Aaron will give a short demonstration of the first two splits starting with a whole cane of bamboo so that students will better understand the work and skill that goes into producing these hand splits.  

Students will be taught how to hand strip whole kudzu vine.  This will give students the opportunity to incorporate their own work into the basket.  Processing kudzu vine is simple and only requires the use of hand pruners and a small knife.  The kudzu will have been harvested locally from the wilds of Spartanburg County.  In the event students do not want to, or are unable to acquire this skill in the time allotted, they will be provided with pre-stripped kudzu vine (prepared by Aaron). 

The kuboo basket dimensions will vary based on student proclivity and aptitude.  Students can expect to walk away with a completed kuboo basket of a minimum of 6” diameter by 5” tall and a maximum of 12” diameter by 8” tall.  A simple handle fashioned of kudzu vine and a fire treated bamboo internode/node combination can be added.  

The skills involved in making a kuboo basket require decent hand eye coordination as well as healthy hands.  Most important is the willingness to practice dedication, discipline, determination, and patience.  Anyone with these qualities can create a kuboo basket successfully.  

CLASS #9: Bamboo Rainsticks

In some indigenous traditions, rainsticks were believed to have the power to influence weather patterns and ensure the prosperity of crops. Bamboo has a long history of being used for this purpose. We will provide the bamboo, tools and baubles for you to unleash your creativity into this ancient tradition which has a strong history in meditation, music and a connection to nature.

Option #10: The “FinBuoy Boo Games”

This exciting new “Survivor” style event incorporates an array of games and challenges created to utilize bamboo for fun! We will retrieve, collect, stack, destroy, gather and group bamboo to compete against our competitors. Bamboo can be flexible yet firm and provides an excellent way to use one plant to achieve challenges and problem solve solutions. This program was designed to showcase the usefulness of bamboo as a free source of entertainment when combined with imagination and a little friendly competition.

Visit our homepage for more class opportunities! For pricing inquiries or to book your group class or event, please email: Aa***@************oo.org

Consultancy

If you need help with bamboo in your landscape, our consulting services are available on-site starting at $300. We can manage and install a beautiful bamboo garden on your property or discuss ways to manage and control your existing bamboo.