Needham Community Education

Fine arts and crafts

If you enjoy Magic The Gathering and/or Yahtzee, you will LOVE Dice Throne, which combines the best of both games into one. Dice Throne is an action-packed dice and card game combo where you choose a hero, shuffle their deck, upgrade your abilities, roll some dice, play some cards, and maybe even activate your Ultimate Ability. Once you've mastered the basics of Dice Throne, join up with your buddies and take on Dice Throne Adventures, a cooperative campaign-style board game that uses the basic rules of Dice Throne, but requires you and your teammates to work together against the game itself. Adding elements of Dungeons and Dragons into the game, your team will crawl through several dungeons fighting minions and finding loot along the way. Eventually, your team will find the Boss Portal, fight other Fallen Heroes, and even the Mad King himself. Does your team have what it takes? Only by working together and playing as a team will you be able to defeat the Mad King and find out. Click here to view a brief video showcasing the exciting world of Dice Throne Adventures!

If you enjoy Magic The Gathering and/or Yahtzee, you will LOVE Dice Throne, which combines the best of both games into one. Dice Throne is an action-packed dice and card game combo where you choose a hero, shuffle their deck, upgrade your abilities, roll some dice, play some cards, and maybe even activate your Ultimate Ability. Once you've mastered the basics of Dice Throne, join up with your buddies and take on Dice Throne Adventures, a cooperative campaign-style board game that uses the basic rules of Dice Throne, but requires you and your teammates to work together against the game itself. Adding elements of Dungeons and Dragons into the game, your team will crawl through several dungeons fighting minions and finding loot along the way. Eventually, your team will find the Boss Portal, fight other Fallen Heroes, and even the Mad King himself. Does your team have what it takes? Only by working together and playing as a team will you be able to defeat the Mad King and find out. Click here to view a brief video showcasing the exciting world of Dice Throne Adventures!

Embark on an exciting journey into the world of disc golf with our two-session introductory class designed for beginners eager to discover the thrill of this dynamic sport. Whether you're a curious first-timer or someone looking to build a solid foundation, this course will provide you with the essential skills and knowledge needed to enjoy the game. Bring the whole family (children must be 10+ years old)! Session 1: Disc Golf Basics and Techniques The first session kicks off with an exploration of the basic principles of disc golf. You will be introduced to the rules, equipment, and etiquette of the game. Get hands-on experience as you learn the fundamentals of proper grip, stance, and throwing techniques for both putting and driving. Session 2: We’ll apply the skills you gained in session one to a real course. Borderland State Park, on the Sharon-Easton line is one of the top courses in the area. It is a course with four different layouts and we will break into foursomes and play the shortest layout.

DYI, home, garden and skills classes

“We need to remember that we are all created creative and can invent new scenarios as frequently as they are needed.” ― Maya Angelou Spend a morning savoring the wonder of summer flowers, meadows and woodlands, and creating art from your experiences. When you draw closer to nature through art, you also draw closer to yourself. You uncover an innate connectedness that is part of being human and being creative. Engaging our various ways of knowing with, mind, body, and spirit, and incorporating elements of forest bathing and expressive arts, you'll work with simple materials and methods to reflect upon and create from what you are noticing in nature and yourself. Registration includes all supplies and tools for the workshop. No previous art experience is necessary.

Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) is an imaginative, social experience that engages players in a rich fantasy world filled with larger-than-life heroes, deadly monsters, and diverse settings. As a hobby game, D&D is an ongoing activity which connects players with friends on a regular basis. The D&D game is a fantasy game of your imagination. It is part acting, part storytelling, part social interaction, part war game, and part chance. You and your friends create characters that develop and grow with each adventure they complete. Use math, reading, and problem solving skills to become a hero of might and magic in this glorified board game. Join our knights to stop evil and save the world!

Longer days and warmer weather call for a picnic, the perfect way to take a break from it all, enjoy nature, and improve your well-being. Picnics are also an opportunity (or an excuse) to gather with family and friends in a casual setting and enjoy a no-fuss meal under the sky. In our cooking class, you’ll learn to prepare picnic-friendly dishes inspired by the Eastern Mediterranean region, where the weather is mild and eating outdoors in a social setting is a big part of everyday life. We will focus on simple, tasty dishes that are easy to make, travel well, and can be eaten cold while sitting on a blanket, often without utensils. The menu will include pita bread, cauliflower and eggplant tahini, veggie stuffed pastry, lentil salad, and halvah cookies. This in-person class is a combination of demonstration and hands-on experience. We will spend the second part of the afternoon outdoors (if the weather permits), enjoying what we have prepared, engaging socially, and sharing more picnic dish ideas.

Working with new materials has never been this fun or vibrant! In this workshop, you will learn how various art supplies, when used with acrylics, can enhance your paintings, including sand, glass beads, gloss, matte, crinkle etc. The mediums will enable you to add texture and work colors together. The instructor will provide demonstrations and opportunities for students to experiment with the mediums for effects including, building up surface, impasto, texture, gloss, matte, embedding objects into paints, and more. You will love experimenting with these exciting art supplies and you will discover tips on how you can develop your own unique painting approach. All supplies will be provided for this class; students are welcome to bring their own art supplies or small table easel.

Food of India spans from very simple to very stylized, rich and exotic, pleasing the palate of the poor and the elite simultaneously. The British were so enamored by the richness and variety of Indian Cuisine that they have claimed some of the dishes as part of their national cuisine. Let’s recreate some of the time tested, exotic recipes. We will learn to make Vegetable Tikka Masala (Paneer tikkas or cubes in a rich, spiced gravy with nuts, carrots and green pepper), Shreekhand (a dessert made with thickened yogurt, saffron, cardamom and almond-pistachio medley), and finally Green pulao (basmati rice cooked with cauliflower, potatoes, and peas with a cilantro chutney base), Come, explore this exotic cuisine with Shruti Mehta. A $20 ingredients fee is payable to the instructor in class.

Humanities and science programs

Bonjour! Join this welcoming and lively French conversation class led by an enthusiastic native speaker. This is your chance to learn, practice and improve your conversational French in a relaxed, fun yet structured setting. You will also have the chance to increase your knowledge of French history and culture and discuss topics that will surely raise passions. Isn’t this what French is all about? This program is for those who have taken French classes and/or have strong skills in speaking and listening. We will review advanced grammar topics including object pronouns, compound tenses, and subjunctive, with assignments to practice your skills throughout the week. Note: Students will need a free downloadable copy of the Grammaire Progressive du Francais Intermediaire. If you miss a class, you may view the recording or schedule a half-hour private lesson with the instructor ($35, purchase at nce.reg.eleyo.com or by phone with NCE).

This relaxed French conversational class will allow the opportunity for Conversational French and French Café students to gather, with Barry, for in-person evenings of engaging conversation during their class intersession.

For Barry Bridgelal's French and Italian students.

Needham's very own cooperative and friendly version of Color War! Explore a variety of mental & physical games. Activities may include problem-solving and logic challenges, Escape the Room-style activities, obstacle courses, target games, cricket, scavenger hunts, and more—we may even work in a game of Quidditch. You will participate individually, and as part of a team, in a variety of cooperative games and friendly competitions. You won’t want to miss this fun-filled week! Repeat students welcome. The excitement never ends and the games and challenges change continuously so we encourage students to enjoy this class for as many weeks as they’d like. You can double, triple, even quadruple the fun! Note: Weather permitting this class will take place outdoors for most or all of each day. Please dress accordingly and bring sunscreen and a water bottle.

Learn how to make your own beautiful jewelry, ornaments, and sculptures using gemstones, gem chips, and beads on wires. We will create projects such as a miniature 3D bonsai tree with bead and gem leaves, a bird’s nest pendant, a suncatcher/dreamcatcher, and a wire-wrapped sea glass bracelet. Working with the natural variation in real stone materials always yields a beautiful result. At the end of the week you’ll be proud of what you’ve made and how much you’ve learned! No prior experience necessary. Each project is designed to be completed by a novice and is carefully chosen to make a piece of art that is worthy of display and/or gift giving. Returning students welcome! Students who joined us for this class during Summer 2022 are encouraged to join us again and further their craft with more advanced variations of our projects.

This class is perfect for players who already know the basics of the game and are looking for the opportunity to increase their speed and confidence while familiarizing themselves with the new card. Instructor Sharon Katz will move around the room, offering advice on which hand to pick and game strategy. The four tables will be labeled by speed: 35-40 minute game, 25-30 minute game and 20-25 minute game.