We love beauty treatments and HIIT classes and sample sales here at Rockyt, but sometimes we prefer to step back from consumption and learn something. With that in mind, we’re highlighting five classes you can take in April to hone a new skill or hobby.

Make your own lip balm ($45) | Tuesday, April 30, 7 pm at Jenny Lemons (3043 24th Street)

Want to take the guesswork out of whether your beauty products are really all-natural? Start making your own. In this class with Metta Good founder Nicole Spear, you’ll learn how to make your own lip balm and lip tint using all natural ingredients. (Plus Spear will explain why it's important to use natural ingredients on your skin and the difference between an essential oil and a fragrance.) The workshop lasts 2.5 hours and you’ll go home with two lip balms—one clear and one tint.

Photo by Vladimir Proskurovskiy on Unsplash

Sewing Bootcamp for Beginners ($100) | Saturday, April 20, 11 am at Workshop (1798 McAllister Street)

Stop talking about how you’re going to learn to sew and just do it. Settle in for a full day—7 hours!—of intensive sewing instruction at Workshop, where you’ll learn all the basics of Sewing 101 and a few advanced skills, to boot. Topics will include how to cut fabric, use a simple pattern, perform a few different stitches, as well as the ins and outs of fabric and fabric grain, and proper cutting techniques. And yes, you’ll learn how to operate a sewing machine. By the end of the day, you’ll complete projects like drawstrings, pockets, buttonholes, buttons, hidden zippers, and finally, a tote bag.

Knife Skills Class ($65) | Saturday, April 7 & Sunday, April 28, at San Francisco Cooking School (690 Van Ness)

The first step to becoming more proficient in the kitchen is learning how to use a knife properly. (You won’t be much help to yourself or anyone else if she chop your finger while chopping veggies, right?) At San Francisco Cooking School’s 2-hour knife skills class, you’ll learn how to handle a knife and cut vegetables in a consistent shape and form. There’s no meal prepared during class, but you’ll leave with plenty of veggies and the SFCS recipe for Minestrone Soup to put them to good use.

Build a Table ($84) | Monday, April 15, 6 pm at Wood Thumb (173 Shipley)

Skip the trip to Ikea and learn to make your own furniture instead. In this 3-hour workshop, you’ll learn how to use a chop saw, router table, nail gun, and hand tools, how to choose a stain, and how engrave your own designs into wood. Plus you’ll walk away with a handmade side table, which is easily the best new furniture deal you’re going to find on anything made of real wood.

Intro to Improv ($45) | Thursday, April 11 and Saturday, April 20 (times and locations vary)

There’s a lot you can learn about life from improv, like flexibility and risk-taking, but the first step is to actually force yourself out of your comfort zone. Even if you have no interest in being on stage, the Intro to Improv class at BATS will help you grow more comfortable with being (just a little) uncomfortable. The workshop is a one-time, 3-hour session where you’ll learn the basics of improvised theatre — spontaneity, playfulness, creativity, listening, storytelling, and more — through fun games and exercises. It’s a safe space for trying new things and taking a few risks. And if you fall in love with the stage, you can move on to the six-week foundations course.

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