New ALLP courses highlight local culture, history

The Adult Life and Learning Program at Brazosport College will take adults age 50-and-older back to the beach and back in time with the new classes offered in the upcoming session. And a few of the courses have deep ties within the local area.

Among this semester’s new crop of classes are “Brazoria County: Highlights of the Past” and “Seashells of the Gulf Coast.” Both courses provide participants the opportunity to learn something new about this area.

Michael Bailey, Curator at the Brazoria County Historical Museum, will be teaching “Brazoria County: Highlights of the Past” on Tuesday afternoons. Focusing on the rich heritage of our area and highlighting lesser-known facts, the class will welcome local historians as guest speakers. Early Texas militia, the Plantation era, our industrial history and participation in the Civil War are some of the topics that will be covered.

“The first step to preserving history is to know about it,” Bailey said. “I think this class will be a fun way to look at the area where we live and learn a little bit more about some of the significant and interesting things that have happened here.”

For those more interested in getting out of their shell, or at least knowing more about shells, “Seashells of the Gulf Coast” will be offered on Thursday afternoons and taught by local conchologist, Patty Humbird. The class will meet at The Brazosport Museum of Natural Science, located at The Center for the Arts and Sciences adjacent to the Brazosport College campus and home to the largest seashell collection in the South.

“We’ll find out what shells really are, why they’re important, how to collect them and what to do with them after you have collected them,” said Humbird. “We’ll also cover shell identification and classifications. The next time you’re out beachcombing, you’ll know a lot more about the shells you find.”

Class members will learn how to display and preserve their collections, and even ready a collection for competition. Humbird, who has won national and local awards for her shell collections, explains that collections can be built around certain shell families or with shells from one location.

These two courses are only two of the 23 different classes ALLP is offering this semester, including nine brand new offerings. With varying topics, ranging from photography to computer skills to losing weight, there’s something for everyone. The six-week long program is currently registering participants for classes beginning Tuesday, October 11, 2011.

The complete catalogue of courses is available at the information desk in the lobby of the college or online at www.brazosport.edu/ce. Registration is also available through the Web site or by calling the Community Education department at (979) 230-3600.


Classes offered for ALLP’s spring semester are:

·     Baubles, Bangles and Beads
·     Beginning Quilting
·     Beginning Spanish
·     Beyond the Basics – Avoiding Computer Problems
·     Birds: How to Find and Identify Local Avifauna
·     Booker Brain Camp
·     Brazoria County - Highlights of the Past
·     Computer Basics and Keyboarding
·     Computer Fun and Browsing the Web
·     Crafts & Décor with Rubber Stamps
·     Digital Photography
·     Drawing Using the Right Side of the Brain
·     Gardening and a Whole Lot More
·     Internet for Advanced Beginners
·     Introduction to Clay Sculpting
·     Painting with Watercolor
·     Right at Home Sittercize
·     Seashells of the Gulf Coast
·     Sing a Song or Two
·     Tai Chi for Seniors
·     Weight Loss Support Group
·     The World of Paper Collage
·     Word Processing Tips, Tricks and Shortcuts