With Labour Day fast approaching, the inner child in many of us may return with ambitions to start something new. There are so many great workshops around Toronto and we’ve done a little research to give you a list of activities we think are definitely worth trying out. So what are you waiting for? Gather some friends, organize a weekly outing, or better yet,  sign up alone and meet new like-minded people!

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1. Canada’s National Ballet School

Channel your inner 5-year old prima ballerina. Canada’s National Ballet School offers a wide range of courses from beginner to advanced that make a great workout substitute, conditioning muscles and improving flexibility. Their Intro To Ballet runs from the week of September 8th to the week of December 15th and costs $345, or click here to see what other levels are offered. Grab those ballet shoes, a leotard and reignite that inner superstar!

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2. The Devil’s Workshop

The Devil’s Workshop is a Toronto-based jewellery studio offering a variety of workshops to the public including: wire-working,  bead-working, wedding band workshops and our top pick, silversmith for beginners. In this course ($300), students have 6 sessions to learn a series of skills while using professional tools and materials. The best part? Everything you create is yours to keep (and show off to your jealous friends).

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3. Toronto Botanical Gardens

There’s something about a beautifully arranged bouquet of flowers that demonstrates class and sophistication. The Toronto Botanical Gardens offers floral design classes that teach the fundamentals of flower arrangements, as well as material-specific classes. While it may sound a little frou-frou or outdated, we think that it’s a skill that is sure to impress! Courses range from $140 – $170, and just think of the gorgeous arrangements you’ll bring home!

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4. The Calligraphy Arts Guild of Toronto

So many of us have moved away from the art of pen to paper and rely solely on our computers, phones and tablets. The Calligraphic Arts Guild of Toronto is offering a six week course on Thursday evenings from 7:00 – 9:30 pm that will introduce beginners to The Italian Script. This course, for $170, will be a relaxing and interesting opportunity to try something truly different. Just think how beautiful your greeting cards will be!

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5. Lettuce Knit

There’s something inexplicably special about a hand-knit scarf, or better yet, that blanket Grandma knit you 10 years ago.  Lettuce Knit offers a variety of classes from beginner to project-based varying on time commitments and price (from $30 to $100).

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6. Gardiner Museum

The Gardiner Museum offers drop-in clay classes on Wednesday and Friday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. and on Sundays from 1:00 – 3:00 p.m. Unwind from a busy day at the office by getting your hands dirty! What a great way to make your own ceramics for a reasonable price ($12-$15 per session)!

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7. Ladies Learning Code

While this is a bit more technical than the other suggestions, it’s definitely useful. On September 13th, Ladies Learning Code is offering a crash course on WordPress for Beginners in Toronto from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. With a high student-to-mentor ratio (4:1 or better), a fun venue and a catered lunch, this course will not only be valuable for work and home, but informative and  lots of fun. Grab your laptops and lets start blogging!

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8. OCAD Continuing Studies

Always wanted to develop those Adobe Photoshop skills? What better place to learn than with the best of the best! OCAD U is offering an Introduction to Adobe Photoshop (starting September 7th) over four classes. The cost of the course is $225 (+HST) and will cover topics including: image resolution, using layers, modifying and transforming selections and much more.

Have more class suggestions to share? Leave them in the comments below!

A random video selection for your Friday afternoon! Each year it seems like Britain’s Got Talent finds the most unique and talented people (remember Susan Boyle?) to feature on their show and with a new season that started last week they seem to be off to an amazing start with shadow theatre group “Attraction.” Prepare to be wowed and moved with their audition piece.