Available Courses
The following are Bluestem U courses currently being offered. There are a variety of topics to choose from, providing educational and social opportunities with fellow community members. Classes will be held on or near a Bluestem Communities campus and may be during the day or evening based on the professor’s schedule. We invite you to immerse yourself in a new learning environment.
Art Pen-Pals
Starting the week of March 3
Free
Sign up deadline February 27 or until filled
Space is limited
Join ScrippsAVID: Connect, Create, and Inspire Across Generations!
Interested in building meaningful connections through the arts?
ScrippsAVID (Arts-based, Virtual, Intergenerational Discovery) is seeking participants for a unique experience that brings together Miami University Art Therapy students and Bluestem U students. Through weekly virtual meetups, paired participants will share stories, create art, and engage in hands-on projects tailored to their interests.
Over the course of five weeks, you’ll exchange ideas, receive art materials, and collaborate on a special creative journey. No art experience is needed, just a willingness to connect and create!
Interested? Sign up here and we’ll send you an email detailing next steps!
- Who can participate? Bluestem residents & community members
- When? Weekly sessions starting the week of March 3rd, with flexible time slots (Mon, Thurs, Sat: 10 AM–Noon & 2–5 PM CST)
- How does it work? 1:1 matches will meet online via a simple, user-friendly platform.
- Materials provided: Based on what each pair decides to create together, and could include: acrylic paint, watercolors, collage materials, and more
- Special opportunity: Artwork may be featured in a traveling art exhibit
Course Cost: Free

Prefer a print registration form? Click here.
The Good, the Bad and the Never Ugly!
Lauren Friesen
Tuesdays, February 11, 18, 25 and March 4, 11 and 18
10 a.m. to noon
Kaye Penner Education Center, Classroom B
Kidron Bethel Village
3001 Ivy Drive
North Newton, KS 67117
Course Cost: $50
How can we decide whether a work of art has value. Do you, along with everyone else tend to judge art? If someone asks you to explain your judgement of a work, what do you say? This course will cover many artistic questions by examining how the philosophers have explored them.…
Authors Series
Monday, January 27
10:00 a.m.
Duane Friesen and Florence Schloneger
Monday, February 17
10:00 a.m.
Laurel Gugler and Barbara Tate
Monday March 31
10:00 a.m.
Edna and George Dyck and Janice Pauls
Monday April 28:
10:00 a.m.
James Juhnke and Emerson Wiens
Location:
Kidron Hall
Kidron Bethel Village
3001 Ivy Drive
North Newton, KS 67117
Course Cost: Free
Join us for a free and exciting speaker series featuring talented authors from Bluestem Communities! Hear firsthand from accomplished writers as they share their diverse works—ranging from scholarly non-fiction to personal memoirs, creative fiction, and children’s books. Each…

Prefer a print registration form? Click here.
WATERCOLOR BASICS
Susan Bartel
Please note which session you are interested in in the comments section of the registration form!
Option 1: Monday March 3 at 9:30 to 11:30
Option 2: Thursday March 20: 1:30 to 3:30
Option 3: Tuesday March 25 from 9:30 to 11:30.
Kaye Penner Education Center, Classroom B
Kidron Bethel Village
3001 Ivy Drive
North Newton, KS 67117
Course Cost: $50
Join celebrated watercolor artist Susan Bartel for a joyful, hands-on workshop where you’ll create a beautiful Spring Tulips greeting card!
Discover the magic of watercolors with:
· A limited palette to mix vibrant, eye-catching hues
· Explore techniques like wet-into-wet,…

Prefer a print registration form? Click here.
Astronomy 101
Jim Yoder, Ph.D.
Update: Registration is full.
Fridays, January 24, 31 and February 7, 14, 21 and 28
10 to 11 a.m.
Kaye Penner Education Center Classroom B
Kidron Bethel Village
3001 Ivy Drive
North Newton, KS 67117
Course Cost: $50
Ready to explore the wonders of the universe? Join us for an exciting exploration of our solar system, the Milky Way, the life cycle of stars, cosmology and beyond! We’ll dive into the science of astronomy with optional evening stargazing outings to see it all up…
Back to School! What Are Your Grandkids Learning?
Craig & Lori Gingerich
Tuesdays, January 7, 14, 21, 28
1 to 2:30 p.m.
Kaye Penner Education Center Classroom B
Kidron Bethel Village
3001 Ivy Drive
North Newton, KS 67117
Course Cost: $50
Curious about your grandkids’ schoolwork? Join our 4-session interactive workshop to explore the world of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math)! Experience hands-on activities, learn how STEAM is taught, and discover how schools are preparing students for the…
Citizens, Science, and Birding
Lorna Harder
Tuesdays, April 15, 22, 29 and May 6
9 to 11 a.m.
Villa Life Center Chapel
Schowalter Villa
200 W. Cedar St.
Hesston, KS 67062
Course Cost: $50
Citizens, Science, and Birding
Explore how people gain a love for birds, and how this love leads them to contribute to our ongoing understanding of the birds with whom we share our yards, gardens, and indeed, our lives! Participants will learn about the longest running…

Prefer a print registration form? Click here.