Classes for Fun?

[mgrace]

Have you taken any classes for fun? Photography, pottery, a language class for traveling? I'm thinking of taking a class, but I can't seem to narrow it down. ;) So, what cool classes have you taken?

[HeatherFL]

I take some cooking classes. I love it. :) It's fun, I meet new people and it gives me some "me" time.

I also started going to a new gym and taking abs and gluts classes, pilates, step, spinning and so on. I'm also meeting new people and getting into shape!

~H.

[JuliaK]

I haven't gotten to do it yet but I want to take a sewing class one of these days. It would be nice to learn how to do more than sew a button on.

[maxandmolly]

I've thought about doing a pottery class-I'd love to hear from someone who has. Photography always struck me as too expensive a habit to get in. (Especially when I already have a couple of those!) Have you thought about going to your local craft store or bead shop? I know Michael's does a variety of classes, and my local bead shop does classes, too. It might be a way to get exposure to something before deciding to spend more on a local community college class.

[AHammer]

I would love to take a pottery class! I never have had the time to take "fun" classes. This summer I FINALLY truly have nothing going on. I'm done with grad school, no wedding to plan, no work stuff to do. I am probably going to sign up for a class or two at the local community college.

eta -- in college I took archery. three times. I had to take so many "PE" classes and I was darn good at archery, and it was fun even at 7AM.

[PG-rated]

I tend to take movement-based classes: kickboxing, martial arts, different forms of dance. Or language - I was taking Spanish up until the new year. I would probably be interested in a cooking class, but until we have a kitchen bigger than our closet, I'm not going to bother.

[KrissyCat7]

The two best classes that I took for fun were:

Hula dancing and Sign Language.

[SweetRed]

I love taking continuing ed classes! I've taken a few great cooking classes, including a phenomenal one in Indian cooking. I've taken an American Sign Language class. Italian. Kickboxing. Art Appreciation for Dummies. Walking Tour of Beacon Hill Gardens. Financial Planning for Women. Community Chamber Ensemble. And those are just the ones I can think of for now.

The one I really want to take soon is a basic landscaping class offered through the arboretum. My yard desperately needs it :o

[Janey]

I took wheelthrowing and loved it. I actually took it as a college course and kept going with it. I made myself my first set of dishes when I moved out of my folks' house. I still have some of them, and the serving pieces. Also, they'd have student sales at the end of the semester, and I'd make enough $ from selling pots to pay for the class (and more!).

Advice if anybody decides to take a wheelthrowing class: Try to find one at your local community college. They're likely to have a pretty good studio (cone 10 gas reduction kilns are cool), and they will also probably have extra studio time if you need to go in on off hours and trim some pots before they get too dry, or whatever.

[looch]

I've taken pottery, knitting, yoga and ballroom dancing for fun at our local high school continuing education program.

[mmeblue]

I've taken quilting classes at my local quilt shop, and DH and I are just about to finish up our second year of Koine Greek.

[phoenics]

I take fencing. Foil and epee.

[Rosebud]

I'm about to take a floral design class. Many florists offer them, actually. I passed by a really pretty shop and just stopped in and asked if they'd teach me their tricks.

I'm also planning to take French lessons this year at a local language school.

[MsRo]

I take cooking classes mostly; seafood specifically, though I'd like to branch out. :)

[snowzilla]

Best class I've taken so far was a tarot card class. A friend convinced me to sign up, and it was a blast.

I'm about to embark on a series of photography classes - I'm really looking forward to it.

Janey, I'm a total dork, because when I first read "wheelthrowing", all I could picture were people standing around throwing wheels of various sizes, and I totally didn't get it. :o

[Katy]

I"ve always wanted to, but I never got around to it. We've got an upcoming blog post about life-long learning.

[EJH]

I took tap ... nice to get back to what i used to be very good at.

I'd love to take a cake decorating class and a cooking class sometime.

[tenofcups]

Tarot card reading, astrology, jewelry making, ballroom dance, yoga, self-hypnosis. I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones that stand out.

[snowzilla]

Tarot card reading, astrology, jewelry making, ballroom dance, yoga, self-hypnosis. I'm sure there are others, but those are the ones that stand out.

My hubby signed up for a ballroom dance class when he was in college - he figured he might meet girls. He lasted two classes, and dropped out. :p

The other class I'd like to get around to trying is a cake decorating class. I just don't think my waistline would hold up well to the take-home assignments. ;)

[Myra]

I only take fitness classes now, but I have taken intro German and advanced French. The French class was part of a free program--I don't know if this is still available, but for those of you in Philly--for years, South Phila High School offered free language classes on Saturday mornings for Philly residents. They had an amazing variety of languages--Japanese, Cambodian, Vietnamese, etc. Anyone know if the program still exists?

[vancouvergirl]

Currently it's yoga and French.

[Weddings by]

Janey, I'm a total dork, because when I first read "wheelthrowing", all I could picture were people standing around throwing wheels of various sizes, and I totally didn't get it. :o

:D Ha ha! I thought the same thing. :D

Almost all of the classes that I took were for fun, but I love school. :D Those that I took that others might consider fun classes are pottery, creative writing, sign language, photography, and Japanese.

My very favorite part of college was probably tutoring E.S.L. and reading classes.

[am_81]

I took many, many dance classes for several years -- jazz, modern, hip-hop. Basically whatever classes the community college in my area offered that worked with my schedule. I'm hoping to go back to school this fall, so "fun" classes will probably be put on hold for a while (although I find school "fun" in general, so I dont mind). I am currently taking Pilates and Step at my gym and hoping to add Yoga to the rotation soon.

[Neen]

I take yoga classes.

I started to take a class here and there at the University I work at, just for the intellectual stimulation. I ended up entering into a degree seeking program in organizational leadership & supervision. If all works out right, I should graduate in December 09. (I already have a B.S. in speech pathology).

[Lindsan]

I was much more ambitious last year. I took up pilates. I stuck to it for about three months but it was fun. I also took a part time internet course in webpublishing at the university. It was way too much work for me since I work full time but I did pick up a little. I have all the materials and books, I just never did the final assignment so I never got a grade. Oh well.

This year I am completely lazy. I would like to take a photography class, perhaps an advanced class in Photoshop, and maybe a quick, small one in scrapbooking. Perhaps I might actually get my behind in gear after the summer?

[shopaholic]

I used to take dance classes but have since stopped last fall.

I have been interested in the cake decorating (wilton) courses and yoga but I have been too busy/lazy to look into either one.

[jesseybell]

I love taking classes, but haven't taken any in a while.

I've taken quilting, photography and a few cooking classes. I want to take photography again and French.

I also took graphic design classes for a few years - I was very close to getting my "certificate" in graphic design.

[MsPeachy]

The county I used to live in had a fantastic CE program. My favorite was a fiction writing class. It was taught by a published author and I took it with my BFF so it was a great way to be creative and spend time with my friend. I'm bummed the cty I live in now doesn't offer the same variety of stuff.

[Lizard]

I've taken Floral Design, a local class on Perennials, and because I loved those classes so much I'm starting a for-credit Horticulture class in about 2 weeks. Also, DH and I took ballroom and swing dancing classes for 2 years, it was a LOT of fun. I kinda wish we still did it, but it's hard with a newborn.


I take fencing. Foil and epee.

Awesome! I want to take fencing so bad, but the class times never work out for me.

[camberne]

I am currently taking ballroom dancing classes. My husband and I do it together, but the group classes have LOTS of singles that are in them. Our last group class was Cha-Cha (which is my favorite so far), but our current group class is a Salsa class that has over 25 people in it!

I'm going to be taking a cake decorating class in the next month or so... it's currently being developed.

Oh, and I just got back into taking voice lessons. I sang professionally (side-job) for several years but have since stopped. I had a ruptured appendix with several complications two and a half years ago and gastric bypass surgery with complications 9 mos ago and my lung capacity and stomach muscles are in horrible shape... so I'm trying to get everything back into order so I can start singing at events again.

In the past, I took a public speaking course so I'd be less nervous speaking in a crowd. Even though I perform both vocally and theatrically, I got terribly nervous when I have to give a speech of any kind. I still do, but it's not as bad.

When I first took up photography seriously, I took private lessons (if you could call them that) from a photographer. No charge. He just gave me assignments and reviewed and criticized my work. It was a great experience. A couple of my first pictures with him are still my favorites!

I took riding lessons for a while, but my arthritis prevented me from going too far with that. As soon as I started jumping, my hips and left knee demanded that I stop.

[jh124]

I took flower arranging and loved it! We took ballroom dancing for about six months.

[mgrace]

All of you have taken very cool classes! I've taken several dream analysis classes, which I found fascinating. I'm thinking of taking photography, cooking and French classes. I've thought about cake decorating, too. I just really need some creative outlets.


The one I really want to take soon is a basic landscaping class offered through the arboretum.
I would love to take a landscaping class! I've always wanted to be a landscape architect, but have zero skills required for the profession. I should look into a fun class. :)

[jenn0074]

I haven't really taken any, but I would love to take a photography class.

[KeliAnn]

I just finished a basic sewing class, and now I'm itching to take more - maybe draperies or upholstery? I would love to learn how to knit, too.

[amberfiddles]

i just finished a basic sewing class and like keli i'm already ready to take another one!

i take ballet classes 2x a wk (pointe and technique). i hadn't taken any dance before and i started about 3 yrs ago and i've been doing it on and off since but really started going regularly in sept '05. i love it! it's such a great stress relief and i always leave feeling much better than when i went in.

[BooeyJ2]

My DD and I go to a "Parent-Toddler" workshop twice a week at a local college.

It's a great program where they do arts and crafts, music time, story time, play time, etc and the parents switch off days and meet with one of the teachers and learn things about parenting and stuff.

We both have fun there and the best part is that it's FREE :)


I would LOVE to take a photography or cooking/cake decorating type class though!!

[Niobe]

I take fencing. Foil and epee.

That's so cool! I've been searching for a good fencing class/school in my area. I've wanted to take classes since high school, when I learned basic swordplay for theater.

I've taken classes on screen printing, bookbinding, jewelry making, modern dance, block printing, and cutting mats/framing. I want to take yoga, belly dancing, and photography as well as fencing. Maybe a cooking class too, I'm a terrible cook.

[Emilie]

I have taken cooking, photography, tai chi and belly dance! They were all a lot of fun.

I have been looking at more classes to take now that we are in a city with a big university again - now I just need to decided what to take!

[boilermaker]

I've taken several different fitness classes, as well as an interior decorating class, a photoshop class and a basket weaving class.

I actually have it on my to do list to find an adult dance class to help me get back in shape after baby (not a couples one...more like contemporary dance or something along those lines).

[jenjunum]

I have taken photoshop & illustrator through a university, yoga at my gym and I'm currently taking a 20-week professional cooking class (4 hours/week). I absolutely adore the cooking class- I think I'm about 5 weeks in. I had been putting it off because it's pretty expensive but I'm so glad I started it. I love my teacher (a chef/owner of a restaurant). I love being around people that enjoy the same things I do. After the class is over I'm going to take their professional baking class and then the 2nd series of the professional cooking class (which focuses on different regional menus each week). I'll probably continue to take many, many classes and perhaps eventually go to culinary school (I hope).

[jenjunum]

I meant to add that all of MIT's classes are going online. They're free (you're not an actual member of the class). Not all of them are online now but I believe all of them will be soon. I think it sounds really cool and I'm planning on checking some of them out.

http://ocw.mit.edu/index.html

[snowzilla]

There is a wine tasting course offered at one of our local colleges that looks fascinating (and mouth-watering for the wino in me). You can actually take a full sommelier course, but it's expensive, and the location of the college (way on the other side of the city) puts it on my "maybe someday" list.

I forgot that I also took a health food cooking class, wayyyyy back in high school. We made some pretty interesting dishes!

Ok, and, I can't believe I'm admitting this, but it got great laughs when our MCs told the story at our wedding... :rolleyes: Hubby and I signed up for a beginner's breakdancing class about seven years ago. We made it through one class. The instructor's idea of "beginner" breakdancing moves included such easy moves as headstands, and stalls (something that requires major upper body strength). We looked and felt like total idiots. We ended up calling CE to withdraw from the course, and ended up getting a full refund, as half of the registrants ended up quitting after the first class. At least we knew we weren't the only fools in the room that day. :p

[emmasart]

I took a couple of semesters of belly dancing, which was a ton of fun and great exercize. Way more fun than walking on the treadmill for 2.5 hours a week! :) I've also taken a bunch of art classes, like drawing and fashion design, but i don't count those since I went to art school for about a year. :)

I took a free swing dance class with DH which was fun, except we had to take turns dancing with everyone else and there were some really sketchy guys there... One kept rubbing/caressing my back every time I was partnered with him... ew! Needless to say, we didn't go back.

I'd love to take some voice lessons or take some acting classes, or take some more dancing classes. Cooking classes always sound like fun. And maybe I'll go back and take some more art classes.

[mgrace]

I'm bumping this back up.

[Adaya]

Glad this is bumped up b/c I forgot about the MIT classes.

I finally got my act together and joined a dancing school. Right now, I'm just doing belly dancing and hip hop, but my ultimate goal is to take hip hop tap sorta like what Savion Glover does. I have been DYING to take this class, but I wanna lose a few more pounds first and get used to the school and the "vibe" there. So I'm thinking maybe by the middle of the fall or so.

[phoenics]

This thread just reminded me that I need to go back to fencing - my butt is drooping, lol.

[PG-rated]

I take yoga, and in the fall I'm taking an academic course on public policy advocacy (non-credit). In the past I've taken dance, kickboxing, shaolin kempo, and Spanish. I'd love to start up the Spanish again, and I'm considering an improv class sometime in the future.

[TOMama]

Before marriage I took a ton of classes at the local art center, adult school & community college-- latin dance, pottery, tile painting, mosaic, spanish, yoga. . .

My favorite was pottery. Not quite like Ghost, horrible for the hands/nails, but neat to create something that you could potentially use. I still have some bowls & plates around that I use or have out for decoration. However, a lot of the stuff I made is heavy and would probably make a good anchor :p.

Mosaics was also fun and good if you like to get out some aggression.

[am_81]

I took many, many dance classes for several years -- jazz, modern, hip-hop. Basically whatever classes the community college in my area offered that worked with my schedule. I'm hoping to go back to school this fall, so "fun" classes will probably be put on hold for a while (although I find school "fun" in general, so I dont mind). I am currently taking Pilates and Step at my gym and hoping to add Yoga to the rotation soon.


I posted earlier in this thread. I got into school so "real" classes have kind of taken over my life, but I'm still attempting to attend Pilates Mat and Pilates Strength (pilates w/weights) whenever I can fit it in (and am not too exhausted). Yoga is still an option and my gym is starting a Saturday Hip-Hop class next week, so I'm definitely looking into that. I also want to take salsa and belly dancing classes through "community education," but I dont think I can fit it into my study schedule.

[Mentul77]

I needed a few extra hours to be a full time student so I took some photography classes and LOVED it! My favorites were the darkroom classes. I had a black and white darkroom class where we actually developed the negatives and then printed the pictures (in black and white you actually move the developing pictures through the chemicals manually, very cool!). In my color developing class we got our negatives processed at a local lab and then we printed our pictures (in color you actually run them through a processing machine that has the chemicals in it).

The black and white was fun because you got to learn how the process works and the color class was fun because you get to figure out how to balance colors so that people don't turn out green or pink. You get some really crazy colored pictures while you're trying to balance!

I would suggest a basic photography class for anyone who wants to know how to take more than just a point and shoot picture. Most get into what the settings on the camera actually do (fstop, aperture, etc.) and how to compensate for different conditions.

One thing with photography though, the local community college where I took my classes just got rid of their darkroom and has basically gone to all digital classes. If you are looking for actual film experience you may have to look around to find a darkroom class which I think is really sad. Digital classes are important but to someone who loves photography the actual smell of the chemicals and being able to work in a darkroom is so much more rewarding.

[LeslieR]

I took a "Make Friends With Your Sewing Machine" class this summer. That was awesome. I was so hooked on sewing after that. I want to take an adult beginner sewing class next and then maybe branch out into some beginner quilting classes.

I've also always wanted to take a photography for dummies type class but have never gotten around to it.

[TOMama]

I would suggest a basic photography class for anyone who wants to know how to take more than just a point and shoot picture. Most get into what the settings on the camera actually do (fstop, aperture, etc.) and how to compensate for different conditions.


I definitely want to take a photog class. My DH bought us a nice camera last Christmas but I've only used it a handful of times-- I'm intimidated by all the settings & options. Instead I grab my handy dandy point & shoot camera :o. Hopefully someday soon!

[jennylou]

I took a Wilton cake decorating class over the summer. I'd have loved to take course II but the night didn't work out for us (and, I ended up being OOT for half of August, so there's that too). I would like to take the next class, but don't know if or when I will. I liked that it was a short commitment, and I liked that I knew what I was doing every week on "my night", so I definitely recommend taking a class to any SAHMs!

Must decide what to do with "my night" again soon - otherwise it's easy for it to disappear. :)

[artist]

I will be participating in an anti-racism 12 week series starting this week. I took some business of art workshops last year.

I might be taking a stain glass/mosaic 2 session class soon. I'd like to take a yoga class. I am interested in possibly relearning Spanish. I'd like to learn more software.

Mostly I'd love to TEACH art classes to OTHERS! This afternoon I met one of my friends for coffee and helped her with her art homework. Basically it was a bunch of discussion questions about the recent Picasso exhibit. I realized how fun it was to help my friend with her homework.