Barcelona workshops

Widen your and your family's horizons and skill set with this range of handy and creative workshops for all ages that you can sign up for now.

ESCOLA DE CUINA DE LA BOQUERIA—Third Floor, Offices of the Mercat de la Boqueria, La Rambla 91. Tel. 93 250 7665. www.escolacuinaboqueria.com

If you’re keen for your children to develop a greater interest in food than simply sitting down to eat what is served up to them each day, this cooking school at La Boqueria is the place to try. With an amazing range of hands-on classes available for young people aged between five and 25, they are bound to discover their inner Adrià. Classes naturally include a trip to the famous market to get familiar with seasonal, local produce, as well as discussions about different foods and their uses. In December, they run special Christmas-themed classes for younger chefs, and the new Amateurs group includes the chance to practise different languages while cooking. Costing €25 for one class or €60 for three, this is a great way to get the kids away from the TV or computer to learn some really useful life skills.

JUMPING CLAY—Gràcia: Ona, Torrent de l’Olla 100; La Caixa d’Eines, Plaça de la Revolució; Sala CAT, Travessia de Sant Antoni 6-8. Les Corts: Pedralbes Centre

For busy hands, young and old, these courses give you the chance to mould your own toys, clay figures and home decorations. Jumping Clay is a particular type of material whose characteristics include not leaving your hands dirty and being non-toxic, lightweight and available in bright colours that are easy to mix. Perhaps most practically, it will self-dry in the air within 24 hours, so there are no kilns involved in creating your little masterpieces. The new classes are being offered in two parts of town: at various spots in Gràcia and, from December, in the Pedralbes Centre in Les Corts. The kids’ classes, which cost €7 and run on Fridays and Saturdays, are aimed at four to 12 year-olds and will be given in Catalan and English. Details are still to be finalised regarding the courses for adults, but they should be running in time for you to make some original Christmas presents. For more information, email: bcn-gracialescorts@jumpingclay.es

TALLERS DE BRICOLATGE—Servei Estació, Aragó 270-272, www.serveiestacio.com. Tel. 93 393 2410. tallersbricolatge@serveiestacio.com

As if you needed another reason to love the mega-DIY store located in the heart of Barcelona—which is full of every gizmo you could ever need to do up your flat, host a children’s party and organise your sock drawer—how about having them teach you the proper way to paint the spare bedroom as you’ve planning to for the past four years? Or the safe method to put together an electrical circuit? Running from the end of this month and into the start of December (as well as at other times during the year), for the bargain price of €38 you can take part in one of their workshops, which cover: electricity, domestic repairs, painting and restoration, and DIY and assembly. Each one consists of four weekly sessions of 90 minutes and they are aimed at beginners, so all you really need is enthusiasm and a good level of one of the local languages—Catalan vocab will include words such as eines (tools), desmboçar (unblock) and esquerdes (cracks). Just think of it as a two-for-the-price-of-one language class and home improvement workshop.