If you like learning, check out some of our DIY posts.
*This post was originally published in November of 2019. We’re republishing it now, because the new year is the perfect time to set a 2020 resolution to learn something new. It may be a new skill from CreativeBug (see our tip below for a free account!), or it may be that you want to learn some new science from a Coursera class. The sky’s the limit!*
When I was an undergrad, my university had a vibrant life-long learning program. Do you know what I’m talking about? It was geared towards older individuals that wanted to take classes, but we’re in a degree program. Maybe they’d take a History of Jazz class one semester and then a paleontology class the next.
Every time I saw an life-long learning student/senior citizens on campus, I was JEALOUS. College was stressful, but I loved learning, and I would daydream about how much fun it would be to take classes without the heavy workload or the stress of grades.
Well, I just realized this summer, that my time has come!
Coursera
This past summer I signed up for my first Coursera class. BUGS101!
It was all about bugs, and I loved every carefree moment of it. Since my kiddos love bugs, I thought it would be a great idea to take this class so that I’d be better informed when we’re out on bug hunts. You know, the cool mom with random bug tidbits. So, so cool to the 4 and 6 year-old crowd.
The class was organized so that each week I’d watch a few online lectures. Some weeks there would be a couple of activities to do. These weren’t graded, but meant to help review the info. At the end of the week’s lectures there was a 10-question quiz. You had to get higher than an 80% to continue on to the next week’s lectures.
I completed the lecture along the time-line specified, but you can move through the lectures at a faster or slower pace.
The whole experience was so awesome, and I can’t wait to take more classes. When you’re scrolling through the course catalog, you can see what the class is about and the approximate number of hours required.The snapshot above shows the info for the Mountains 101 course.
The Bugs 101 course that I took was 13 weeks long with less than 2 hours of video lectures each week, but there’s a wide variation in the time commitments for courses. The Introduction to the Arctic Climate class is just four weeks long. And the Paleontology: Early Vertebrate Evolution class has just 4 hours of videos.
All of the classes I’m interested in on Coursera are free to take, BUT if you’d like a certificate after completing the course, there is a fee for that. They also have options to do “specializations”, professional certifications, and degree programs, all of which have fees.
CreativeBug
The other online resource I’ve been loving right now is CreativeBug. Have you tried it?
CreativeBug offers a WIDE variety of creative classes, from sewing and knitting, to printmaking and jewelry skills, to baking and canning. There’s so much variety!
I particularly love that some of my favorite online crafters offer classes. There are classes by Arounna of Bookhou and Cal Patch and the ladies from Fancy Tiger Crafts. I just used Fancy Tiger’s free pattern for the one hour shirt, and they offer a CreativeBug class that walks you through the pattern.
CreativeBug is a subscription site, BUT some libraries offer free access with your library card! Luckily, the Boulder Library system participates in this program. You can find their full list of participating libraries at this link.
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Guys, this whole life-long learning thing is SO MUCH FUN! Do you have a favorite online resource for learning? If so, I want to hear about it in the comments. xo