Education & Classes in Pflugerville

Heart-shaped measuring cups. A frilly cherry-print apron. A five-minute brownie oven. Looking like Rachael Ray’s kitchen had been hit by a shrink ray, Foodie Kids’ store brims with tiny gadgets for playful cooking endeavors. The storefront is one facet of owner Barbara Beery’s mission to spark children’s passion for cooking and nutrition. To that end, Foodie Kids hosts culinary classes and cooking camps, where students follow wholesome and simple recipes to create fruit popsicles, chicken tenders, and guacamole. Kids can also attend Makery drop-in decorating sessions and pick out cookbooks to read to pet gingerbread men.

Megan Jaster's enthusiasm for the visual arts reached a fever pitch while she studied painting and philosophy at Texas State University, where world-renowned artists and mentors helped her realize the infinite ways with which to color a canvas. At ATX Art Classes, Jaster coaxes her students' inner impressionists to the surface by teaching them various painting techniques, composition, and tips for overcoming mental obstacles. Her classes accommodate the needs of both novice and experienced artists, and take cues from history's most celebrated painters, including Van Gogh, Degas, and Kahlo. The studio's painting workshops allow participants to freely lob brushstrokes at canvasses to create their own masterpieces depicting ballerinas, lost lovers, or jilted ears.

The instructors at Deep Blue Scuba teach aquatic proficiency through the rigorous and comprehensive ANDI certification system. ANDI certification imparts pupils with the skills necessary to dive self-sufficiently or with companions, and trains students via pool sessions and open-water dives set in the crystalline Lake Travis. After mastering descent and ascent techniques, students can expand their knowledge base through a slew of specialty courses including underwater navigation, night diving, and wreck diving. Scuba instructors map out the best local dive locations and host periodic Discover Scuba outings where divers sample new gear and reacquaint themselves with watery skills. The diving enterprise also hosts expeditions to far-away waters, piloting trips that explore Australia and Mexico, and confront the notorious gangs of clownfish that lay claim to the Florida Keys.

Make It Sweet is a baker’s dream. Across 7,000 square feet, more than 5,000 baking and decorating products line the shelves, from colorful sprinkles to instructional books on how to sprinkle sprinkles. Staffers help visitors find the supplies and tools they need to also craft beautiful cakes, cookies, and candies for special occasions of all kinds. Their resident instructors lead a variety of classes, and seasoned pros often visit to conduct special guest courses on topics such as sugar sculpture, fondant figures, and more.