While these classes are most commonly associated with professional development skills, there are a lot of fun, enjoyable classes that students can take to pick up practical skills, new hobbies or just spend an evening enjoying themselves or spending time with friends over the internet. These classes are great because no commute is involved, and you can take the courses from anywhere, giving you many opportunities to expand your horizons without needing to leave your home.
Read on to learn about just a few of the course offerings from schools like Love & Make, Home Cooking New York, The San Francisco Wine School, CourseHorse Experiences, The Art Studio NY, Fit4Dance, Kissin Improv, UW Botanic Gardens, Los Angeles City College and The Good Food Project.
Homecrafts at Love & Make
Located out of Houston, TX, Love & Make is a crafting and home goods education center that aims to teach students how to make their own artisanal bath and body goods from the comfort of their homes. Rather than spending money on mass-produced soap, shampoo and other toiletries, students will save money and learn how to tailor their soap and other bath products to their own skin. Several of Love & Make’s most popular classes are taught online in virtual classrooms, meaning students from all over the country can learn to make their own bath products and candles at home. Students will need to gather their own supplies, but Love & Make offers easy-to-use kits that can be purchased and shipped to students as part of their enrollment in the class.Â
Love & Make offers a very popular Virtual Melt & Pour Soap-Making Workshop in which students will learn how to make their own soap using the traditional melt-and-pour technique. Students will learn how to prepare fat and oil for the process of soap making, and they will learn the techniques that artisanal soap makers use to create visually and sensorially appealing bars of soap. As part of this class, students will learn how to add herbs, oils and other supplements to their soaps (with an understanding of what those different additives do to the finished bar) and how to color and shape their soap to create fine handmade gifts. Students will also get a glimpse into the history and science of soapmaking, and armed with this knowledge, students will be ready to start making homemade soap on their own schedule. This is a brief course, and once you have gotten a hang of the basics, you’ll be able to start experimenting with your own soap making projects, and you’ll never need to buy mass-produced soap again.
Another one of Love & Makes more popular online offerings is the Virtual Candle Making Workshop. In this program, students will learn traditional DIY candle-making techniques and the art behind artisanal candle-making. Students will work to create their own soy wax candles, and they will learn the processes of coloring and scenting the candles. The class utilizes a candle-making kit provided to students by Love & Make, but students interested in observing the class can also enroll. This class aims to teach students how to make their own candles at home and how these can be part of beautiful home decor or given as thoughtful artisanal gifts. Students will learn the history of candle making and the practical concerns of creating different kinds of candles in this one-hour online workshop. Once students have learned the basics of soy wax candle making, they will be prepared to start experimenting with other methods of candle making and creating their own personal supply of artisan candles.
Finally, Love & Make also offers a popular Virtual Bath Bomb Making class that will teach students how to make their own mineral-infused bath bombs. Making bath bombs at home can be tricky, and this course will guide students through preparing and mixing the necessary ingredients. As with the other classes offered by Love & Make, the course is based on its own DIY kit available for students to purchase, but the lessons taught will prepare students to start making bath bombs using other materials and techniques. In this course, students will receive expert instruction from artists familiar with the process of creating bath bombs who will teach students the fine art of creating, balancing and supplementing homemade bath bombs. You can use these practical bathroom products in your home or give them as fine, handcrafted artisanal gifts.Â
Home Cooking at Home Cooking New York
If you are interested in learning a fun, practical skill that can save you money in the long run, learning to cook at home is a great way to do so. Home Cooking New York offers various online cooking classes that will help students learn the art of home cooking without needing to leave their home kitchen. One of the challenges of learning to cook is learning how to work with the limitations imposed by the space you have to work with, so learning online can be a good way to get comfortable cooking as you will outside of the classroom. Home Cooking New York offers a range of classes, including courses that aim to teach general cooking skills, specific recipes and samples of regional cuisines and styles.
Students looking to learn basic cooking skills will want to consider a course like Knife Skills 101. Learning to use a knife properly is essential to learning to cook well. Not only is there an obvious safety component to being comfortable working with knives, but it will also speed up your cooking ability (thus making takeout less appealing). Some foods change greatly based on how well ingredients are chopped, diced or sliced. In this course, students will learn how to choose a proper knife and sharpen, store and hold your knife. Then, students will be guided through preparing a vegetable minestrone soup that will see them cutting and chopping various vegetables, learning important techniques that they can start applying elsewhere in the kitchen. Students will be provided with a list of ingredients to prepare before class. Students must supply a sharpening tool, like a sharpening stone or a hand-held sharpener.
If you are interested in learning more about the practical side of cooking, you’ll want to consider the Supermarket Seminar: What to Eat + How to Grocery Shop. This course is an online lecture designed to help students feel less lost when attempting to shop for the ingredients that go into their home cooking. The challenges and time-consuming nature of shopping can cause students to abandon home cooking before they even start. This course will alleviate some of this concern as students learn important tips and tricks for grocery shopping. Students will learn the differences between various branding terms, like GMO-free, organic, certified humane and grass-fed, and they will learn how to shop for fresh produce, meat, eggs and dairy products. In addition, students will learn about the various fats and sugars utilized in many of the products they regularly purchase at the grocery store. This will help students make better, healthier decisions about the food they consume and how they start cooking at home. Finally, students will learn the fine art of meal prep, including how to prepare for the process before the shopping trip begins. This class is an ideal place to learn how to ensure that your home cooking plans go off without a hitch and that you are saving money and eating healthy.
If learning new recipes is more up your alley, you should consider a course like the How to Make a Great Paella class. This saffron-centric Spanish dish has become increasingly popular in the States, and it makes for an excellent entree for a family dinner or even a party. In this course, students will receive a recipe for paella, and they’ll get step-by-step instructions and hands-on experience preparing the dish. This 90-minute course covers the basics of cooking and preparing the rice and proteins in the paella and plating the impressive dish. Students will have the option to prepare a chorizo and mussel paella, a shellfish allergy-friendly version without the mussels, or a vegetarian version that adds cucumber and artichoke hearts. This course aims to teach students the basic steps of paella preparation and arm them with the tools to modify the dish to suit their own tastes and needs. Paella is a versatile dish that can be prepared using a variety of vegetables and proteins, so learning this recipe is a good way to add a new meal to your repertoire.Â
Wine Tasting Classes at The San Francisco Wine SchoolÂ
The San Francisco Wine School is the largest wine school in the United States, and they have made it their mission to open up the world of wine to students of all skills levels, regardless of whether they aim to become professional sommeliers or just want to have a more nuanced experience the next time they visit a vineyard. A part of this mission is the expansive nature of their online course offerings, which aim to bring the world of fine wine to students’ homes. In these classes, students will have the opportunity to have a tasting kit shipped to their homes or they can source the wines themselves. Either way, the classes will provide students with guided tasting experiences that help them better understand the finer points of wine and wine tasting. These courses are beginner-friendly introductions to various aspects of wine tasting and are a great way to pick up a fun, sociable new skill from the comfort of your home.
Some of the most popular options offered at The San Francisco Wine School are regional courses covering wine production in certain nations such as their Intro to Italian Wines course. In this course, students will learn all about the major wine regions of Italy, home to one of the world’s oldest and most robust wine making traditions. In this course, students will learn the history of Italian wine and the major differences between Northern and Southern Italian vineyards. This course will introduce students to six representative wines, including Piedmont's Barolo & Tuscany's Brunello, famous for their accessibility and flavor. This course offers an introduction to the rich cultural heritage of Italian wine, making it an ideal place for students to begin their wine-tasting journeys. The San Francisco Wine School also offers versions of this course covering Spanish Wines, French Wines, and California Wines.
Another popular entry point into the world of wines is by style. For example, The San Francisco Wine School offers a Chardonnays of the World course that introduces students to the subtle flavors and characteristics of this popular style of wine. Students will learn what makes a Chardonnay a Chardonnay and how different climates and regions approach the style. Chardonnay is the most commonly grown wine grape in the world, and every vineyard has a subtly different approach to the process. This course will give students an overview of these differences as they sample six Chardonnays. Students will be attentive to the climate in which the grapes are grown and the aging process that leaves noticeable flavors in the wine as it ferments. This course will provide students with the knowledge and experience they need to start detecting the differences in the flavor profile of other Chardonnays. It will also prepare students for learning about other varieties of wine in classes like their Zinfandels of the World or their Rieslings of the World classes.
Finally, students can enroll in online blind-tasting classes covering specific wine varieties such as the Blind Tasting: Thin Skinned Red Wines class. In this class, Master Sommelier David Glancy will guide students through a blind taste test of six representative thin-skinned red wines that cover various regions and styles. The course aims to help students understand the unique flavor profile of these red wines and help them become more attentive to the subtle differences created by regional variations in the grapes and wine-making processes. This is a hybrid online and in-person course, so students taking the class online will be viewing and engaging with the live classroom attendees. By the end of the course, students will be able to articulate the differences they find in the flavor profiles of the six wines, and they will understand what causes those differences even though all of the wines are of the same style. Students who enjoy this course may also want to enroll in similar classes like the Thick Skinned Red Wines or the Aromatic White Wines course.
Virtual Team Building Activities at CourseHorse Experiences
Sometimes, you’ll find yourself looking for a group activity you and your friends or coworkers can participate in online. CourseHorse Experiences offers a wide range of different online group team-building and leisure activities for groups of participants to enjoy. These can be as simple as professional-run group escape rooms and trivia events, or they can be as elaborate as instructor-led lessons in everything from home gardening to painting or calligraphy. These courses can be customized to fit the needs of your group, and CourseHorse can run events for as few as four or as many as five-hundred attendees. CourseHorse also makes set-up effortless, as they will ship all of the necessary materials right to your attendees' homes, meaning that all they will have to do is show up ready to participate in whatever event you’ve scheduled.
Smaller groups (or larger ones) might be interested in spending an evening working through a virtual escape room such as Virtual Escape Room: Murder Mystery or Virtual Escape Room: The Final Frontier. These events feature carefully and professionally designed mysteries that teams of players must work together and solve before time expires, mirroring the structure of a real-world escape room without requiring anyone to leave their homes. Large groups will be broken up into smaller teams and work alongside one another and a referee to solve puzzles and uncover the secret behind the mystery you are working through. This can make for an enjoyable evening experience or a productive team-building exercise since the event encourages teamwork and lateral thinking. Plus, there are dozens of challenges to choose from, so you can keep coming back to experience different and compelling events with your friends or team.
Groups looking for a more hands-on experience for their evening event may want to consider something like CourseHorses’s Virtual Terrarium Workshop. This is one of the most popular large group events offered through CourseHorse and will see students building their own indoor plant terrarium. CourseHorse will ship participants a glass terrarium and a collection of succulent plants, mosses and decorative rocks that they can arrange and build into a beautiful mini-ecosystem that fits on their desk or shelf. Not only will an expert instructor guide participants through the process of building their terrarium, they will also provide them with advice on how to expand the terrarium with new plants and even animals. This event is a great opportunity for groups of friends and coworkers to come together and create something unique that they can put on display.
CourseHorse also offers various art and craft classes for groups to participate in such as the Virtual Watercolor Workshop, Virtual Acrylic Painting Workshop, Virtual Clay Hand Building Workshop or Virtual Calligraphy Workshop. These are just a small sample of the various art and craft classes offered through CourseHorse, but regardless of what session you set up for your participants, you can be assured that an expert instructor will be there to guide them through the process of learning a new creative skill. The courses all take place in a welcoming and supportive environment, and these classes are designed to be beginner-friendly, so participants will get hands-on experience and leave the course with a completed project, regardless of their prior experience level. CourseHorse takes all of the hassles out of getting the event set up and they will ship the necessary supplies, including canvas, paint, brushes, and clays (depending on the session) right to your participants, so all they will need to do it open the box and be ready to start working on a vibrant art project.
Art Classes at The Art Studio NY
If you are interested in learning a creative new skill or just want a bit more time to practice your existing creative hobbies, you may want to consider enrolling in an online painting class offered through The Art Studio NY. Experienced instructors teach these online art classes and aim to provide students with beginner-friendly spaces to start expressing themselves in a creative medium. In these classes, students will be able to work on art projects from the comfort of their home studio space (whatever that may look like), and they will be able to engage with their instructors and classmates directly over programs like Zoom. Not only does this provide students with the feedback and assistance that they need, but an online art class can provide students with the necessary accountability they need to keep working on their projects even when things seem to have stalled out.
Students new to painting may want to consider The Art Studio NY’s Beginner’s Intro to Watercolor Painting course. In this class, students will receive guided instruction on the relaxing and creatively fulfilling world of watercolor painting. Students will receive step-by-step guidance on the processes needed to turn a creative vision into a reality, and students will participate in live painting demonstrations to help them become familiar with certain techniques, strokes, and styles. Students will learn to create basic textures using watercolor, layer different paints on top of one another and create vibrant and evocative images, including representational and abstract paintings. Students will also learn the basics of compositional theories to help them make more informed decisions about how to create their creative vision. This is a relaxed and welcoming course open to students of all skill levels, and you can be assured that you will leave the class knowing more about the world of art and watercolor painting.
If you want an even more laid-back way to spend an evening painting, consider The Art Studio NY’s Paint and Sip: Beginner’s Acrylic Painting course. This live online painting course will provide students with expert instruction on Acrylic painting in an accessible, judgment-free environment. Students will be encouraged to experiment with the medium and explore their own creative impulses. Over the course of the sessions, students will learn basic painting techniques such as layering and texturing their designs, and basic composition skills, including how to work with light and dark colors and how to mix paints properly. Students are also encouraged to relax and enjoy the evening with a glass of wine, bottle of beer or other hot beverage that will make learning to paint more enjoyable. Students must supply their own canvas and paints to participate in the course.
Anyone looking to jump-start their artistic endeavors and find more ways to spend their time nurturing their creative impulses will want to consider enrolling in Beginners Art Journaling, a five-session online course that introduces students to the technical process of art journaling as a creative exercise. Art journaling is regularly sketching, painting or drawing into an art journal to keep your creative mind active and prepare more complex projects for completion. Art journaling is more than just keeping a sketchbook, it is an opportunity to start experimenting with different styles and techniques, planning long-term projects, or just keeping yourself working on a project regularly. In this class, students will learn the basic practices of art journaling, explore basic artistic techniques and styles, and start experimenting with their own creative interests. Students will also be held accountable for their work, requiring them to keep journaling over the five weeks of the class.
Fitness Classes at Fit4Dance
Like many people, you might find it difficult to dedicate the time and resources to regularly go to the gym or work on your physical fitness. This can negatively affect your health, and online training studios like Fit4Dance understand this. Fit4Dance offers a handful of live, online fitness courses that students can easily slot into their own schedule to stay active in a guided learning environment. These dance fitness classes are a perfect way for students to learn routines they can use at their own leisure and help prepare them for more intensive aerobic workouts or physical activities. These exercises are designed with dance fitness skills in mind, but anyone can benefit from the courses. Students only need to bring their own mats and have enough space to participate in the live online demonstration of these dance fitness techniques.Â
One of Fit4Dance’s most popular courses is its Virtual LitFit course, which teaches a style of fitness dancing closely related to Zumba. This high-energy, fast-paced style of fitness dancing is designed to help students learn routines that they can perform in a wide range of different genres without the help of direct supervision. The courses last under an hour, but the high-intensity work routine will leave students feeling the effects almost immediately. These are beginner-friendly classes, but they aim to help students acclimate to the dance fitness style, so they don’t offer explicit step-by-step instruction for new students. As such, students are encouraged to attend multiple sessions to become more comfortable with this style of exercise. This course offers students a wonderful entryway into the world of dance fitness, so students interested in learning how to exercise at home without the need for expensive equipment, should consider enrolling in a few sessions.
Students looking for something less intense may want to consider enrolling in a Virtual Mindful Stretching session. This is a forty-five-minute, guided stretching class that will introduce students to the proper techniques for loosening tight joints, relaxing muscles, and preparing for more intensive workouts and physical activities. This slower jazz and R&B inspired dance fitness style will allow students to alleviate tension all over their bodies, with special attention paid to the joints and lower back. The course concludes with optional brief meditation sessions for students to cool down and focus on themselves after stretching. Like the LitFit course, this class is beginner-friendly but moves quickly, so students may want to enroll in multiple classes to give themselves time to acclimate to the stretching style before attempting the exercises on their own.
Fit4Dance also offers specific training courses, like their Virtual Triple S class. Drawing off of techniques utilized in Pilates and Barre, this course will teach students the techniques commonly utilized in full-body stretching routines. The program runs for 30 minutes in the morning, making it an easy and accessible way to start learning advanced stretching and muscle toning techniques that can fit into almost any schedule. In addition, working out in the morning can help give you the energy you need to get through the day. This class focuses on muscle toning stretches, but the skills you learn in this class will be invaluable for incorporating into other exercise regimens and dance fitness routines. This course is slightly more advanced than some of Fit4Dance’s other offerings, so students may want to consider enrolling in a few sessions of other virtual fitness classes before enrolling in this one if they don’t have any dance fitness experience.
Improv Classes at Kissin Improv
Learning a performing art can be a difficult but rewarding experience, particularly for students trying to do so online. Enrolling in an improv class, like those offered through Kissin Improv, can be a good way to learn a sociable performing art skill without leaving your home. The courses offered through the school are fully online and aim to take advantage of the digital workshop space. With courses taught by improv actors with thousands of live shows worth of experience, students enrolled in this course can be comfortable in the knowledge that they are receiving improv training that aligns with the kind of work that professionals use to practice their craft. If you have ever wanted to learn real, professional improv skills, there is no better way to get started than by enrolling in an online course.
Students who are new to the world of improv should consider enrolling in one of Kissin Improv’s Improvise, Socialize, Revitalize classes. This virtual training session allows students to get live practice by participating in commonly held improv games and exercises with the guidance of a professional instructor who can explain theories and best practices to students. The course operates on a drop-in model, meaning that each session will cover different aspects of improv and encourage students to work together in unique ways. This makes the course an exciting, low-stakes way to practice improvisation skills and meet new people with similar interests. Students who enroll in this class will receive guided instruction and assistance on their technique and style and the course aims to be as inviting as possible for new students who are just learning the basic techniques of improv.
Owing to the structure of this course, Kissin Improv also offers a package course, in their Improvise, Socialize, Revitalize (4 Session) class. In this course, students will receive four sessions worth of improv training and exercises, allowing them to practice their skills with various instructors and performance groups. Over the course of the four sessions, students will learn essential improv skills like developing character and responding to developments in the scene, and they will start to develop their own voice as performers. This is especially useful since each class will likely have the students working on different exercises with a different cohort of classmates. Each session lasts for one hour, so students won’t have to be worried about losing their focus and energy from spending too much time on a Zoom session.
Kissin Improv also offers students the chance to enroll in Private Virtual Improv Coaching classes for students looking for a more focused way to develop their improv skills or become more comfortable with the medium. In these one-on-one online coaching sessions, students will work directly with an experienced improv instructor on lessons tailored to fit a student’s needs. While the main courses primarily focus on theatrical improv, students can also take these classes to work on their presentation and public speaking skills, ESL skills or just to help make them more comfortable thinking on their feet. If you are interested in performance improv, you can rest assured that your instructor will be someone with years of experience in the improv scene, and they will be prepared to help you develop your own voice and talents. The sessions last 50 minutes each and are designed to give students the one-on-one attention they need to start feeling confident in their abilities as they move forward to more advanced improv courses and venues.
Gardening Classes at the UW Botanic Gardens
Whether the summer months are approaching or you are looking to prepare for the next growing season, gardening is a popular hobby that many people engage with for therapeutic, practical or artistic purposes. Students looking to learn the essential skills they need to succeed at home gardening can enroll in a wide range of classes offered at the UW Botanic Gardens. These gardens, maintained by the University of Washington, are among the largest in the country, housing over 20,000 plant species over 230 acres of land in Seattle’s University District. Combining the lush affordability of the garden's resources with the teaching resources of the University of Washington, these online classes are an ideal way to learn practical gardening basics online.
Students interested in learning how to get their garden ready for the summer month should consider the UW Botanic Gardens’ Gardening with the Seasons: Summer course. In this online session, students will learn the fundamental techniques they need to learn for basic gardening upkeep during the summer months. This includes lessons on weeding, pruning, and watering plants, controlling pests and using seasonal containers for plants. Students will receive live demonstrations of important gardening techniques, and they will learn the kinds of skills they need to ensure that the summer months are as painless as possible in terms of garden maintenance. This course is part of a larger series by the UW Botanical Gardens aimed at helping students keep their gardens vibrant and healthy all year. Students may also want to consider enrolling in the Gardening with the Seasons: Fall course to complement their training in this program.
One common reason for building your home garden is to grow your own fruits, vegetables, herbs and aromatics for consumption. This can be a great way to relieve stress and save money but it requires care and attention. To help students, the UW Botanic Gardens offers a Natural Pest and Disease Control for Edibles course. In this class, students will learn the science behind natural pest control and the practical skills needed to keep your garden free from invasive insects and diseases. This class aims to help students learn sustainable gardening techniques that don’t rely on harmful chemicals or pesticides and ensure that the food their garden is producing is fit for consumption. Students will also learn how to detect issues early in the process to prevent problems before they arise. Students will learn how to identify common soil issues and detect signs of disease in their plants. By the end of this course, students will have a thorough understanding of how to keep their gardens, and by extension, themselves and their families, healthy.
Students interested in the artistic and aesthetic aspects of gardening should consider enrolling in the Basics of Permaculture Design course. This course, which is taught by experienced landscape designers who are responsible for the beauty of the UW Botanic Gardens, will teach students the foundational skills they need to create sustainable gardens that are themselves works of living art. In this class, students will learn how to assess the energies of a given landscape (to know what plants are most likely to thrive), maximize the sustainability of a collection and incorporate common permaculture design patterns, like keyholes, mandalas and circle beds. This program will provide students with the practical tools and knowledge to start creating evocative landscapes and permaculture designs for themselves and their clients.
Acting and Performing: Los Angeles City College
If you are interested in learning a creative, performing art, online training is more readily available than ever. More and more avenues are becoming available for students to express their creative talents, particularly as social media has made producing content so much easier. Students interested in learning more about the fine arts of performing may want to enroll in one online training seminar at Los Angeles City College. These courses aim to provide students with focused performing arts education from some of the city’s finest acting, signing and improv instructors. These classes won’t replace a professional arts education, but if you are looking for a fun chance to develop a new skill or you are looking to start down the path to creating your own creative content, these classes can be an ideal way to spend a few evenings.
Students who want to learn acting skills should consider enrolling in the Los Angeles City College’s Acting for Film and TV program. In this four-session live online training program, students will learn the basics of contemporary acting techniques in a welcoming and accessible environment perfect for craft newcomers. Students will practice acting techniques and styles, and they will receive constructive feedback on their performances from experienced acting coaches. In addition, students will learn the basics of navigating the industry such as how to read a script or prepare for an audition. Students will have the opportunity to work with partners and participate in elaborate scenes that can prepare them for more elaborate acting challenges. There are recorded components of the course, so students will need to be comfortable acting on camera as a component of this course.Â
If voice-over work is more to your liking, Los Angeles City College also offers an Introduction to Voice-Over course, which covers all of the major aspects of contemporary voice acting. In this course, students will learn the art of voice acting as a distinct field of acting, and students will get practical experience working on voice-over exercises and vocal training practices. Given the ubiquity of voice acting, students will learn all of the different fields that regularly employ voice actors, including things like film and television production and digital and radio advertising, audiobooks and podcast production and even things like instructional videos for companies and organizations. This course offers students the opportunity to start learning a practical, creative skill that can jump-start their own content creation dreams or just position them to find some work on the side by freelancing.
Beyond offering lessons for students looking for traditional acting work, Los Angeles City College offers online training programs for various performing arts, including their Singer’s Workshop. This five-session course allows students to train their vocal skills with experienced singing instructors. The course is designed with beginners in mind and will teach students basic vocal training exercises, sight-reading music, scales and simple melodies. Students will be able to receive focused feedback from experienced singing instructors, and they will have the opportunity to perform either as soloists or as part of a group. The course is entirely taught online, so students can work from their homes on their own equipment, which means that they should come to the course with the technology they need to start signing for a live audience.
Baking Classes at The Good Food Project
The Good Food Project is an online cooking school aiming to make culinary training as accessible and inviting as possible. Their goal is to ensure that students become more confident in their culinary skills and can return to their home kitchens with the training they need to start cooking like professionals. The Good Food Project offers a wide range of cooking classes for inexperienced students or simply looking to expand their culinary knowledge. Some of The Good Food Project’s most popular courses center on teaching students the art of home baking. Many students have fond memories of cakes, cookies and other baked goods, and they want to learn how to replicate those recipes in their home kitchens. These classes are an excellent way to get hands-on experience baking at home with the guidance of an experienced culinary instructor.
One of The Good Food Project’s most popular classes is their French Style Macaron Step-by-Step Class. Macarons are a notoriously difficult cookie to get right since they are so delicate in their preparation, but even novice bakers can master the art of the macaron with a bit of training and patience. In this course, students will be walked through the process of making macaron dough, preparing the flavoring agent, piping the cookies and baking them to perfection. In this step-by-step tutorial, students will learn all of the subtle steps you have to take to ensure that your macarons come out of the oven perfectly done and delicate yet edible. Once you’ve learned the basics of making these French desserts, you’ll be ready to start experimenting with more advanced macaron techniques, and once you’ve gotten this cookie down, you’ll feel ready to tackle almost any other kind of baking challenge.
Students looking for another baking experience can enroll in The Good Food Project’s New York Style Bagel Workshop. New York City is known for its elaborate bagel baking tradition, and students who want to learn how to create an authentic New York-style bagel can enroll in this course for hands-on guidance and instruction. Students will learn to mix, proof, shape, boil and bake delicious New York Style bagels from scratch (using a list of ingredients that the school provides), and students will flavor and season the bagel by adding different kinds of butter and mix-ins, including berries and raisins. Once students have completed their bagels, they will learn how to properly apply toppings in the New York City tradition. Instructors will help students find the proper spread and ingredients that will make the bagel a perfect addition to their breakfast.
If you still want an option for breakfast, but are craving something sweeter, you may want to enroll in the Cinnamon Roll Workshop to learn how to create this delectable baked treat. This class will teach students how to hand make the dough, roll it into the proper shape, add various ingredients and toppings and bake the cinnamon rolls to perfection. During this course, students will learn how to fill their cinnamon rolls with traditional brown sugar and cinnamon filling and how to prepare a rich cream cheese glaze for their completed dish. Students can also enhance their cinnamon rolls with additional toppings or ingredients, including orange zest, raspberry jam, Nutella, sauteed apples, or pecans. Once students are comfortable with the basic recipe they learn in this course, there is no limit to the number of different ideas they can experiment with when they complete this course and start making their own batches of cinnamon rolls.
Why Take an Online Course?
There are many reasons for students to enroll in any of these fun, accessible online courses. Many of these classes offer students the opportunity to learn new skills and develop new hobbies that they may have never considered before, and many of the classes teach skills that are practical as well as pleasurable. For example, learning home cooking can be a great first step if you want to save money on your food bill. Likewise, learning to garden can be a good way to grow your own herbs and aromatics. If you are looking to develop new artistic skills, there are a plethora of different courses available, all of which give you the opportunity to learn from experienced instructors from the comfort of your home art studio. You can even start to learn new skills that you can parlay into side projects or creative endeavors. At the end of the day, these classes are also a fun way to spend a few evenings without leaving your home, making them a good, low-stakes way to try and learn new skills in a comfortable environment.
Online courses also offer the advantage of letting students take classes anywhere in the country. For instance, most students wouldn’t be able to attend a gardening class at the UW Botanic Gardens physically, but if you enroll in an online class, it doesn’t matter if you live in Seattle or Des Moines, so long as you have an internet connection. Similarly, these classes make it much easier for students to avoid the hassle of scheduling classes around local availability, and they have the added bonus of cutting out the hassle of a commute. The drawback to online classes is that very few courses provide students with the materials they need for the class (though some, like CourseHorse, do offer this as an option). This means that there may be some hidden costs to the course and a bit more legwork on your part to get the necessary materials in order.