Hobbies & Crafts   

This acrylic class is for the absolute beginner as well as more experienced painters. We will follow step-by-step instructions to create our paintings while also learning why and what we are doing. Paintings will be completed over several class sessions. All materials are provided.

Five different art projects, five different instructors. Come create with us and have fun!

Explore the world of beading while designing your own bracelet. Get to know the tools of the trade and the different types of materials available for jewelry making. All tools and materials will be provided during the workshop.

Explore the world of beading while designing your own bracelet. Get to know the tools of the trade and the different types of materials available for jewelry making. All tools and materials will be provided during the workshop.

Explore the world of beading while designing your own bracelet. Get to know the tools of the trade and the different types of materials available for jewelry making. All tools and materials will be provided during the workshop.

This class is for both beginning and experienced birders. Through observation and the use of your binoculars, field guides, and birding apps, class participants learn to identify birds in their natural habitat. We will meet once a month at different birding locations for field trips that may involve up to 2 miles of walking.

This class is for students who have taken the "Birding in the Chico Area" class more than once. We will not cover birding basics and will spend more time in the field. We will meet once a month at different locations for field trips that may involve 2-3 miles of walking.

Collage is a creative medium accessible to people of all artistic skill levels. We'll explore the world of collage by using different papers and techniques. There is no wrong way to create a collage. It is simply a matter of layering color, texture, and patterns. And it's fun!

California's temperate climate allows an amazing array of plants to be grown locally. Edible gardens, pollinator gardens, native gardens, contemplative gardens, and demonstration gardens are some of the many varieties to tour. Inspired by the successful model of the "Arts & Eats" OLLI class, "Garden Gourmands" will focus on touring the art of garden landscapes combined with eating locally. Join Master Gardeners as we explore different area gardens followed by a no-host lunch at various local eateries to enjoy the bounty of Butte County.

Join us for a half-day adventure to Clotilde Merlo Park in Stirling City. This privately owned garden park with an abundance of plants, trees, and pollinating insects along with a fish-filled pond, is a lovely 20-acre gem situated at 3500' elevation. Bronze statues dot the landscape with numerous references to the historic activities in and around Stirling City. Opportunities for photos abound and depending on the weather, we may see the start of fall colors. After touring the Park, we will enjoy our bring-your-own picnic lunches.

Golden Beaver Distillery is one of only a few distilleries in the country that use primarily rice. Learn about the unique process distiller Kris Koenig uses and how it sets Golden Beaver apart from other distilleries. You will also have the opportunity to taste whiskey, with surprising flavors of the season.

Did you know the Magna Carta, US founding documents, da Vinci's and Rembrandt's drawings, Bach's musical scores, and many other important historical documents were written with oak gall ink? We'll explore a brief history lesson, make our own ink samples from California's endemic valley oak galls (oak apples), and take a short stroll through the riparian forest, discovering how galls are created each spring by California gall wasps. We'll look for other types of galls and gall-inducing species. Each participant receives their own ink sample.

An herbarium is a collection of preserved plant specimens. This class offers a unique hands-on learning experience as an introduction to the art and science of mounting plants. The class will cover how herbarium specimens are mounted, handled, processed, stored, displayed, and repaired. It is useful, but not necessary, to have visited an herbarium before.

The Upper Butte Basin Wildlife Area, Llano Seco Unit hosts massive numbers of Pacific Flyway migratory birds in November. Taking our sketchbooks, binoculars, field guides, and cameras, we'll meander along the 1/2-mile walking trail and stop at two observation platforms allowing us to observe and quickly sketch bird poses and behaviors. We'll identify key species: green-winged teal, American wigeon, northern shoveler, mallard, pintail, bufflehead, snow geese, white-fronted geese, swans, ring-necked ducks, sandhill cranes, and raptor species.

Dive into the world of jewelry fabrication and discover how to create your own sterling silver rings! This is an introductory class on silver soldering where you will learn how to hammer, torch, and polish metals into your very own ring. All tools and materials will be provided during the workshop.

Dive into the world of jewelry fabrication and discover how to create your own sterling silver rings! This is an introductory class on silver soldering where you will learn how to hammer, torch, and polish metals into your very own ring. All tools and materials will be provided during the workshop.

Dive into the world of jewelry fabrication and discover how to create your own sterling silver rings! This is an introductory class on silver soldering where you will learn how to hammer, torch, and polish metals into your very own ring. All tools and materials will be provided during the workshop.

Knitting with others is a wonderful learning environment. This class is designed to give knitters who have mastered the basic stitches of knit and purl a chance to work on a project of their choosing while we chat and share ideas online with other knitters. All levels of ability are welcome! Gale contributes to the class by offering tips and suggestions for patterns, yarn, and tools based on her years of knitting experience.

Join us to play games, socialize, and have fun. We have Rummikub, Qwirkle, Sequence, Mexican Train, card games, and more, from the well-known to the obscure. Bring a game to share or just show up and have fun.

Join us to play games, socialize, and have fun. We have Rummikub, Qwirkle, Sequence, Mexican Train, card games, and more, from the well-known to the obscure. Bring a game to share or just show up and have fun.

California Master Gardeners provide educational outreach from University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) offices throughout the state. The mission of the Butte County Master Gardeners is to extend research-based education and technical assistance throughout the non-commercial gardening community and to foster successful gardening practices by helping individuals make informed decisions about plants, pests, and the environment, with an emphasis on sustainability. Join us as we address a wide range of fascinating subjects.

This class is for people who already know how to play the A-G chords. We play and sing 3-, 4-, and 5-chord songs by Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, the Everly Brothers, and other musicians from the '50s, '60s, and '70s. The class is mostly to practice feeling comfortable with playing guitar while singing. There is some instruction on more advanced guitar playing. Bring a guitar, ukulele, or other stringed instrument, or you're welcome to come just to sing along with the class.

Sing and/or play popular gospel songs. Bring your voice, guitar, violin, cello, harmonica, squeeze box, or other instrument and join a group of people singing and playing for fun. This is not meant to be religious. It's just a place to enjoy great music. Join us!

Sharpen your drawing and watercolor skills as we paint and sketch together on a variety of subjects. The purpose of this class is to provide a supportive community for those who work to keep their journal practice alive. We will share ideas and sometimes our favorite art materials, the ones that make this practice all the more fun. With seasonal sights available to us as examples, plan on some brilliant pages in your sketchbook.

Join us for a relaxed, welcoming eight-week art series designed for beginners and anyone returning to creativity. Using a single sketchbook throughout the class, you'll build a simple, enjoyable creative habit – one page at a time. Each week explores a new approach: gentle drawing, marker basics, watercolor, watercolor pencils, colored pencils, smartphone photography for inspiration, and maintaining your sketchbook practice. No experience or perfection needed – just curiosity. By the end, you'll have a sketchbook filled with your artwork. Please bring the same sketchbook each week.

Start your Tuesday with music and songs. Join us in a fun, informal sing-along. Bring your voices and/or musical instruments. The operative word is "fun." If you like music, you will like this class. All levels welcome!

This watercolor class is for the absolute beginner as well as more experienced painters. We will follow step-by-step instructions to create our paintings while also learning why and what we are doing. All materials are provided.

This class is an introduction to watercolor. We will focus on learning the basics of technique, color mixing, blending, and familiarizing ourselves with the medium of watercolor. Some classes will be dedicated to techniques; in other classes we will be creating finished works. The class will help you to feel more confident in your watercolor practice. All materials are provided.

Bend, twist, texture, and hammer various wires to build your own earrings! Add bead embellishments or style it your way with wire coils. All tools and materials will be provided during the workshop.

Bend, twist, texture, and hammer various wires to build your own earrings! Add bead embellishments or style it your way with wire coils. All tools and materials will be provided during the workshop.

Bend, twist, texture, and hammer various wires to build your own earrings! Add bead embellishments or style it your way with wire coils. All tools and materials will be provided during the workshop.