With both humor and knowledge, two local attorneys and estate planning specialists will address the fundamentals of estate planning. Essentials: Estate planning is for everyone, not just the wealthy or elderly. Learn how to plan for incapacity with tools like health care proxies, advance directives, and powers of attorney. Discover strategies to avoid probate court and its costs, and understand how trusts can protect assets, reduce taxes, and simplify estate administration. We’ll cover how to reduce capital gains taxes for your heirs, and examine Massachusetts estate tax laws, learning how to minimize this “death tax”—often by as much as $150,000 to $300,000. Prepare for Long-Term Care: This class builds on the foundational concepts of Estate Planning Essentials. As we get older, many of us wrestle with important questions: Do I want to age in my current home or move to a new living environment? What will my health needs require? What can I afford? What resources are available to me to help accomplish these goals? This class will focus on leveraging both human and financial resources to provide for your best possible life and care. Learn about various long-term care strategies and the pros and cons of each. We will discuss reliance on family members for care needs, reverse mortgages, long-term care insurance, public benefits through MassHealth, various estate planning techniques (using wills, trusts, and lifetime gifting), protecting assets for children and other heirs, and pulling together a team of advisors to help you navigate your long-term care goals.

Planning for a loved one with a disability comes with unique considerations and opportunities. This session introduces strategies to create a secure, meaningful future. Learn how to structure a Special Needs Trust to protect benefits, manage taxes, and allow family contributions. Explore selecting the right trustee, including the potential role of siblings, and how to build oversight and support into the plan. We’ll also cover non-legal tools, such as assembling a support team and creating a “memo of intent” to guide future caregivers. Designed for parents, caregivers, and family members who want to ensure their loved one thrives.

Enter a world of imagination with a week of awesome themes that spark your creativity and get you moving. Dive under the sea on a treasure hunt, create mini midway games for a carnival, craft animal masks, design a cape to wear as you complete a superhero training course, and more. Every day is full of hands-on fun, imaginative adventures, and active play.

Discover your singing voice in a fun group setting by learning the basics of healthy vocal technique. Get the tools and strategies you need to understand how your instrument works and how to use it properly for a lifetime of healthy singing. Learn how to warm up your voice, match pitch, manage your breath, and maintain a consistent vocal tone. We’ll practice a variety of songs in contemporary styles and leave time for personal attention. Our instructor believes that everyone can sing—even you.

Form your own architectural firm and start imagining the skyscraper of your dreams. From the mathematical calculations every good architect must make to the history of how the elevator revolutionized Manhattan, you’ll learn about key elements of architectural design and engineering. Create a stunning blueprint that considers sustainability, transportation, and green spaces. Then bring your vision to life with a LEGO model. Present your architectural masterpiece to your peers and showcase why your tower will be the defining structure of the 21st century.

Discover Boston’s largest park on a guided walk through its scenic trails, rolling hills, and striking Olmsted-era architecture. Designed in the late 19th century by Frederick Law Olmsted, Franklin Park is the crown jewel of the Emerald Necklace, a chain of parks linking over a dozen Boston and Brookline neighborhoods. The walk will highlight the historic Playstead, the park’s wild corners, the ruins at Schoolmaster Hill, and other hidden gems.

Get a fun, hands-on introduction to Artificial Intelligence. Explore basic AI concepts like facial recognition, pattern detection, and machine learning using Scratch and Google’s Teachable Machine. You’ll train simple models with images, build interactive games and animations, and watch your creations respond to real-world inputs. You’ll develop skills in logic, problem-solving, and creativity while discovering how AI is shaping our world.

Learn to hand sew three-dimensional “puffies” out of felt—everything from food, animals, shapes, and even emojis. We’ll sew and stuff our puffies, then embellish them with sparkles and embroidery. Create your own designs or find inspiration from the class.

Create a fabric collage that can embellish a canvas bag or article of clothing, or become a finished piece to hang or frame. We’ll review basic stitches, explore new techniques, and draw inspiration from the work of others while considering texture, color, and stitch choices. Start with a simple layout and make it your own, adding lace, buttons, beads, and other embellishments. Beginners and experienced stitchers are welcome.

How would Cinderella go to the ball if the fairy godmother never appeared, and what would her sisters do? We’ll create and collaborate as an ensemble as we reimagine our own versions of classic tale-as-old-as-time stories. Learn what a good story needs, practice creating interesting characters, and play theater games. We’ll make our own costumes, props, and set pieces out of recycled materials we find at home to bring to life our remixed tales.

PLEASE NOTE: The class fee is for one adult and one child. 
Please register under adult’s name only. Dates and price incorrect in print catalog, online information is correct. Sharpen your swords and your minds, strap on your adventuring boots, and journey through a fantasy realm full of elves, dwarves, magic, goblins, and (of course) dragons and dungeons. Learn the fundamentals of the classic tabletop role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons, using a customized, streamlined version that focuses on fun over rules. Discover how to create and role-play characters, work as a team, and respond to challenges created by the Dungeon Master. Will you complete your quest? Everything needed to play is provided. Adults and children will each play their own characters. New and returning students are welcome. Ages 8+

Step into the magical realm of folklore and mythology. Invent and design your own fantastical worlds and the creatures that live there. Bring your wildest ideas to life by making beautiful artwork with drawing, painting, sculpture, and printmaking. This is a fun, open-studio class where you’ll choose what you want to create and which materials to use. It’s your imagination, your creations!

Bring your love of make-believe to life by writing and illustrating a magical story. Explore dragons, kingdoms, witches, and more while learning how to structure a plot, pace your story, and use vivid language and illustrations that captivate your readers. Draw inspiration from a variety of fantasy works as you create characters, worlds, and adventures that make your audience laugh, cry, or cheer.

Celebrate the season with the freshest ingredients from local farmers markets. We’ll start with a vibrant soup of mixed greens, new potatoes, and fragrant herbs. Then we’ll make a delicious French asparagus tart and roasted salmon with a creamy Italian-inspired sauce made from fresh spinach and peas. Finish on a sweet note with a classic strawberry-rhubarb crisp made from just-picked fruits.

Step into the world of fashion using paper, paints, and unexpected materials. Explore color, proportion, and fashion history as you bring your ideas to life with miniature paper creations. By the end, you’ll have your own tiny wardrobe of original designs to show off.

What’s on the menu? Your favorite foods, made from art supplies. Brainstorm breakfast, lunch, and dinner ideas, then bring them to life using colored pencils, felt, fabric, and air-dry clay. Sketch tasty treats, transform drawings into soft felt creations, and sculpt realistic (but definitely not edible) foods like donuts or ramen. Wrap up by designing a placemat to display your mixed-media meal.