Brainy Classes in NYC, New York

Cut a board, level a shelf; install an anchor bolt in a hollow wall. This class will stock your toolkit with the most useful tools and give you handson tips for using them. Discover your inner handyperson and save money on basic repairs. Note: Price Includes $20 Registration Fee

Don't you love the incredible animal and plant facts that fly around social media? Mosquitoes helped researchers create ouch-less needles to administer vaccines. Glass sponges living on the ocean floor are inspiring the creation of invisible armor. Hawk moths are teaching us to make stable drones that fly flawlessly even in the worst weather. Nature...

Learn how to create samples and identify active biology living in your compost or soil by using morphology as a guide. We will be using a compound trinocular microscope using three levels of magnifications: 40, 100, and 400. Please Note: Price includes Garden admission.

For many people, the old year closes out with a certain amount of frantic cleaning and gift-buying for the Yuletide, followed by a brief respite to digest, then onto New Years’ celebrations. January – whether you greeted New Years Day fresh and excited or slightly hungover! – is an excellent time for doing some divination to prepare oneself for...

The hand has been called God’s Road Map. This spiritual gift is both a science and a universal language, based on principles that anyone with an interest in human nature can understand. Reading your own palm is like reading a book about yourself, the most important and interesting subject to know about. The story the hand tells is about your strengths,...

In this one-hour session, we'll learn to juggle in slow motion, first with scarves, then with balls.  Juggling is super fun and good for you too! Come have some fun getting fit, brainy, & super coordinated.

Come learn about what's being made in NYC today and what you can do to support local manufacturing. We'll cover industrial policy, business incubators, R&D, hybrid manufacturing, and the craft food movement, among other highlights. This class examines public policy and current trends. For decades, American and urban manufacturing charted a steep...

Discuss the first seven of Ben Franklin’s virtues — Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity — and answer two questions: How can we improve ourselves and how can we improve our world? In regular small group discussions, Circle members use Franklin’s classic 13 civic virtues to spark discussion about members’...

Combining the latest information and discoveries from astronomy and astrophysics with the latest images of and by telescopes, we will explore the following areas: A brief history of humanity’s view(s) of the Universe Near Earth environment The Moon The Sun The inner and outer Solar System Extrasolar systems The search...

Attend this 'choose your own adventure' format class, based off real events and try to survive England during the reign of Henry VIII! Do you have the political savvy to survive England during the reign of Henry VIII? Learn about the many ways you could be convicted of treason (even thinking about the death of the king would get...

Do you have questions about how to search NYPL databases, upload an e-book, or how to uses your portable devices?  Bring your Laptops, I-Pads, Cell phones, etc. and let our Adult Programs team help you in a focused, courteous, and friendly ambiance.

At the end of an early American funeral, participants were given a cookie: spiced with caraway, and stamped with a special design, they were often kept for years as a memento of the departed. Although mourning traditions have changed over time, and vary from place to place, what they have in common is food and drink. From the home parlour to the funeral...

Have you ever wanted to beat the casinos at their own game? Here's your chance to learn the ins and outs of the game of blackjack and card counting, how counters are both loved and hated by the casinos, and how you don't need to be a math wizard to count cards. In this class, we'll start with the basics and explain the rules and how to play blackjack...