New Little House courses cover wide range of topics New Little House courses cover wide range of topics (September 15, 2004)

By Rebecca Wallace
Almanac Staff Writer

For the newly retired and energetic, it can be an adjustment to learn how to productively fill the hours.

This fall, Little House Activity Center in Menlo Park is adding an option to the mix. New classes for people 55 and over will be taught by instructors from the University of California at Santa Cruz extension program.

Little House officials have been striving to attract new members by broadening their programs past the traditional senior-center activities, and director Janice Pierce says she hopes the unusual blend of six courses will have wide appeal.

The topics include "The Cultural Geography of the Middle East," taught by a former Fulbright scholar; "Chaos, Fractals and the World Around Us," an introduction to these concepts by a theoretical physicist; and "The Great American Short Story," with discussions on authors including Flannery O'Connor and Philip Roth.

Other courses will be on mountain lions in Northern California; creating garden paths, beds and borders; and keeping one's brain active as it ages.

"You don't get credit and you don't take tests. You just come and learn," Ms. Pierce said.

The classes are held on weekdays or on Saturdays. If they are successful, Ms. Pierce hopes to add evening sessions at Little House.

The courses will receive funding through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, a program of the Bernard S. Osher Foundation that provides classes for retired and semi-retired people through universities.

OPEN HOUSE

** An open house is planned for 1:30 to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, September 22, at Little House, 800 Middle Ave. Prospective students can meet instructors and register for courses. ** Fees for the courses vary. Discounts are available for Little House and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute members. For more information, call (408) 861-3876 or see www.ucsc-extension.edu/olli.

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