Special Skills and Lifestyle Courses
Baking and Cooking
Instructors:
Section 1: Grades 6-8, Sat: 2PM-2:45PM EST
Prerequisites: Access to an oven, pans, stovetop, and basic cooking/baking cookware.
Get ready to make some yummy food! In this course, students will be able to learn the basics of baking and cooking required to become an expert in the kitchen. We will be learning different techniques and recipes that are derived from a range of cultures. We will make various foods yet still cover all of the classics of the food world. The students will also be able to requests certain foods as well. The course will accommodate all dietary restrictions. Be ready to have fun and make good food!
Introduction to Baking
Instructors:
Section 1: Grades 6-8, Mon, Fri: 4:30PM-5:15PM EST
Prerequisites: None
Get out your mixing bowls and preheat your oven! This course is designed for anyone interested in learning how to bake anything from a basic chocolate chip cookie to an extravagant fruit tart. In the Art of Baking, students will learn a range of various baking techniques, including how to properly measure ingredients, whip cream, knead dough, and frost a cake to perfection. We will create several new recipes, and students will be able to suggest what they would like to learn how to make. With Carly Gelles, our baking instructor, you will be baking up a storm in no time. Get ready for some delicious treats!
Introduction to Plant-Based Cooking
Instructors:
Section 1: Grades 6-8, Wed: 5PM-5:45PM EST
Prerequisites: Access to a stovetop, oven, pan/pot, and general cookware
"Plant-based" is way more than just lettuce on a plate. This course introduces the world of plant-based eating through a delicious handful of recipes. If you want to: learn different ways to swap out animal products and craft beautiful, satiating, and most importantly, tasty meals that will impress both you and your family, then this is the course for you. From creamy pastas to not-your-average tacos, join Olivia in your kitchen to cook up something new.
Intermediate Chess
Instructors:
Section 1: Grades 2-8, Mon: 5PM-5:45PM EST
Prerequisites: Knowledge of how to play chess (How the pieces move, basic rules)
Chess is a wonderful game that teaches many different life skills. Themes such as problem solving and pattern recognition prominent in chess can be applied to academic subjects such as math and science. This course will cover vital principles of chess such as tactics, piece development, central control, etc. Additionally, the class will look at elementary endgame positions and themes like king activity and the value of passed pawns. Finally, we will look at famous games (such as the Opera Game) to teach opening and middlegame principles with a focus on piece activity and king safety. The course is perfect for students who know the basics of chess and are interested in further developing strategy and skill.
Advanced Chess
Instructors:
Section 1: Grades 3-8, Tues, Thurs: 4PM-4:45PM EST
Section 2: Grades 3-8, Tues, Thurs: 6PM-6:45PM EST
Prerequisites: Please attempt as few or many of these linked puzzles as you’d like (more instructions on the comment on the site); these puzzles illustrate the difficulty of the class, so if you don’t feel confident in most of them, it may not be the best fit. Puzzles: https://lichess.org/study/s1HWSqMD
Chess is a wonderful game that teaches many different life skills. Themes such as problem solving and pattern recognition prominent in chess can be applied to academic subjects such as math and science. This course will cover more advanced concepts of chess such as common attacking and defending patterns, theoretical endgames, pawn structures, positional play, etc. To teach these themes we will look at many famous games played by chess greats such as Kasparov, Fischer, Tal, Botvinnik, and more. I will also present many puzzles and endgame studies throughout the course in order to train calculation.
Dungeons and Dragons
Instructors:
Section 1: Grades 6-8, Fri: 4PM-4:45PM EST
Prerequisites: None
In this course we will learn the ins and outs of playing dungeons and dragons, a game all about critical thinking and role play. Students from grades 6-8, will work together to overcome challenges in a fantasy world.
Health and Fitness
Instructors:
Section 1: Grades 6-8, Wed: 5PM-5:45PM EST
Section 2: Grades 6-8, Thurs: 5PM-5:45PM EST
Prerequisites: None
Do you want to learn how to build muscles and grow abs? Would you like to maximize your energy and feel motivated? Or do you just want to learn how to train at home? If you answered yes to these questions, then Health and Fitness is right for you! Health and Fitness is a course that will assist students in improving their lifestyle by learning more about healthy diets, the sciences behind them, and how to stay fit and energetic. While playing games and covering a plethora of lessons such as "The Best Ab Workout" as well as topics like “Good and Healthy Smoothie Recipes” and "What Proteins Do For Us," every class includes an on hands demonstration on how to make healthy recipes they can use at home!
Beginner's Rubik's Cube Solving
Instructors:
Section 1: Grades 4-5, Tues, Sun: 6PM-6:45PM EST
Prerequisites: None
This course offers students knowledge on how to effectively solve a Rubik's cube in under 5 minutes! Furthermore, taking this course will enlighten a student's knowledge on the basics of the cube. Not only that but increase their motor skills and pacing techniques.