Fall/Winter 2010 Classes and Workshops

The start of the Spring/Summer 2010 FreeSkool term is imminent, and there are already a number of super classes and workshops lined up and lots carrying over from last term.  If you are interested in participating in a class, you can read the details below and get in touch with the facilitator for more information or to give them a heads up that you are planning to attend.  Hamilton FreeSkool is always up for helping to setup and promote new classes and events, so if you have a skill or idea and would like to share and learn with others--send us an e-mail to hamiltonfreeskool@gmail.com and we'll help get ya started. 

Class List:

• Flow Circus
  
• Arts and Creativity
  
• Spanish
  
• Jam Jams
  
• Qi Gong
  
• Tour De Freskool
  
• Vegan Baking II
• TED:  The Class
  

(Facilitators!  If your class is missing from this list, or on the list but no longer continuing, or some of the information below is incorrect, please get in touch!)

Flow Circus

Facilitated By: Hamilton's Flow Crew, hamilton.flow.circus@gmail.com

Time and Location: Meet up every other Sunday at 11:30 am, 195 Catharine St. North-- we move to the park calling our name from there. Send us an email and we'll add you to our email list to coordinate meet-ups. (Upcoming dates: August 22nd, September 5th, and then stay tuned for an indoor location)!

Want to improve your coordination, balance, and over-all physical ability?!?

Then join us on sunny Sundays for Circus fun! You can expect to see such circus-y things as Poi, Slack-lining, and good ol' Juggling, and hula-hooping! What are these things you say? Well....

Poi is a form of dance and a performance art. Weights on the ends of tethers are swung through rhythmical patterns. It is rooted in the culture of the Maori people of Aotearoa (aka New Zealand), who dance with poi in traditional ceremonies. Poi was popularized throughout the world largely by fire spinning, spawned when traditional poi met modern day dance parties. In time, poi enthusiasts turned to flag poi, LED poi, and other tools that express the beauty of poi without the health and environmental risks of fire.

Slacklining is a balance sport that uses nylon webbing stretched tight between two anchor points. Slacklining is distinct from tightrope walking in that the line is not held rigidly taut; it is instead dynamic, stretching and bouncing like a long and narrow trampoline.

* There will be extra sock poi to share if you need them *
** Circus Jam/Poi Skillshare will NOT take place the following Sundays:  April 25th, May 30th, and June 20th and 27th and will also
be cancelled in the event of rain, as the class is now outdoors.*

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Arts & Creativity

Facilitated By: Peter Rogers (peter.rogers[at]gmail.com)
Thursdays from 8:30 pm onwards at the Sky Dragon Centre, 27 King William Street

Info:  The Arts and Creativity class is an opportunity for people to get together in a casual social setting and create art. The classes are relaxed and informal - aiming to provide a positive space in which people feel comfortable developing their artistic skills. Classes can take on a more structured approach if people are interested in focusing on specific topics or techniques. Art supplies are freely provided (paper, graphite, acrylics, and more) although you are welcome to bring your own materials if you wish. Lego will be available too for those who just want to come out and play.

As children we learn to draw even before we learn to read or write.  Yet for many of us it's a skill we unlearn as we grow older. Whether it's just doodling, sketching or crafting a masterpiece, art is a means of self-expression. So come out and let your inner child play!

(Arts and Creativity happens every Thursday night at the Sky Dragon Centre, starting at 8:30 and continuing into the Open Mic which starts at 9:30-10:00. Things generally wrap up between 11:30 and midnight. Attendance is flexible, and people are welcome to stay and participate for as long as they wish.)

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Spanish

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Jam Jams

Facilitated By: Rachel (rache.nolan[at]gmail.com)
Contact facilitator for location & time details.

Info: In the spirit of the belief that if you have a heart beat then you have rhythm, and if you have rhythm you can jam, this Freeskool course is intended to facilitate our educations in the beautiful world of jamming. All are welcome, any musical background, or not. Hopefully we can do this mainly outdoors but it will go on indoors when weather makes outside unappealing - or dangerous for instruments!  We will try to have some percussion instruments available and explore, ideally, how anyone can participate in jamming even if their instrument is unconventional or nonexistent.

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Qi Gong

Facilitated By:  Brad (nacken3[at]hotmail.com)
Contact facilitator for location & time details.

Info:  Learn to heal with touch.  Qigong healing class will teach you how to access your own healing energies to heal yourself or others.  Practice meditational and movement based yogic exercises. Learn to treat a friend with hands-on healing treatment under the supervision of a qualified facilitator. 

Qigong is an ancient form of healing and spiritual practice, a systematic discipline rarely taught in the west.  It combines movement, postures, breath-work, and meditation.  Qigong literally means 'energy work' or 'energy skills.'  Qi might be defined as spiritual energy or life force.  Working with Qi consists of circulating, shielding,  clearing, strengthening, increased storing, as well as developing awareness and sensitivity to spiritual energy.   Much of this is done through the processes of removing energetic blockages, and balancing the energy from the standpoint of the elements.

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Tour de Freeskool

Facilitated By: Magdalena Szkarlat and Daniel Chavez, (magdalena_szkarlat[at]hotmail.com or chavezdaniel92[at]gmail.com)
Frequency and location TBD by facilitators and interested participants, contact facilitators for details!

Info:  The Tour de Freeskool is a bike club that is meant for all ages and all skill levels, for people who want to bike just for the sake of the sport. We'll be exploring Hamilton, Ancaster, and surrounding areas on our bikes, and everyone is welcome. Please e-mail either of us to get route information for future meetings!

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Vegan Baking II

Facilitated By: Amy (amyvegan[at]riseup.net)
(Beginning mid-June 2010, weekly, most likely Sunday afternoons--contact facilitator for time & location and to be put on e-mail list).

Info:  This summer's Vegan Baking class will build on what we learned last year, but still be suitable for beginner bakers.  I'd like to try out more wheat- and gluten-free recipes and also bake some bread from scratch using sourdough starter (that we can make together)!  I'm totally open to ideas and suggestions from interested participants, and would love for people to come facilitate a class to share their favourite recipe.  Everyone welcome. 

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TED:  The Class

Facilitated By: Rachel (rache.nolan[at]gmail.com)
Contact facilitator for location & time details.

A class for an evening of stimulating and diverse collective education in the let's-expose-ourselves-to-new-information-and-then-discuss it sort of way. Inspired by the idea of discussing the enormously vast TEDtalk library online but intended to invite freeskoolers to bring in whatever accessible, not-too-long video material they find compelling or would like to motivate themselves to watch and discuss...this class is exceptionally flexible and intended to be a diverse learning experience...and the more freeskoolers the more diverse the discussion, the more comprehensive and challenging the class!

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