Education doesn’t stop after school’s out, and that goes for adults as well as kids. Whether you’re learning on the job, through travel or by exploring an individual hobby, there are many ways to keep your mind and body busy beyond the academic years.

Whether you want to learn how to cook or become better skilled on the computer, here are five places in and around Needham you can turn to, to help expand your horizons for free or at a minimal cost:

1. Needham Adult Education

• Location/contact info: Needham Public Schools Administration Building, 1330 Highland Ave.; 781-455-0400 ext. 235; needham.k12.ma.us
• Offerings: The community outreach arm of Needham Public Schools, Needham Adult Education offers a lot of educational opportunities for adults in Needham including arts and crafts classes, computers and online learning, dance, exercise, finance, home and garden, languages, parenting and more. The new course catalog should be available around Sept. 1.

2. Council on Aging

• Location/contact info: Stephen Palmer Senior Center, 83 Pickering St.; 781-455-7555; needhamma.gov
• Offerings: Check the Council on Aging’s monthly newsletter, Senior Compass, online or at the senior center for information about upcoming classes and programs. Recent classes have provided instruction on senior strength exercises, yoga and art as well as book discussions, lectures and more. Coming up yet this month, there is a Lunch and Learn lecture on summer heat scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 16 at noon, an art history class on Greece and Rome on Wednesday, Aug. 10 at 10:30 a.m. and a line dancing class beginning Monday, Aug. 8 and offered the next three Mondays at noon. Call the senior center to reserve a spot.

4. Charles River YMCA

• Location/contact info: 863 Great Plain Ave.; 781-444-6400; ymcaboston.org/charlesriver
• Offerings: The local YMCA offers tons of health and fitness courses from yoga and Zumba to water aerobics, swimming and belly dancing. Visit their Web site to find the latest course schedule and information about registering.

5. The Congregational Church of Needham

• Location/contact info: 1154 Great Plain Ave.; 781-444-2510; needhamucc.org/dru
• Offerings: Past adult education programs have included a knitting workshop, courses on cooking, parenting and aging well and a book discussion group. The church also hosts a Career Transition Support Group to help people share job search strategies and network with others. Contact the church for the most up-to-date information about courses and activities offered.

5. Chabad Jewish Center

• Location/contact info: 472 High Rock St.; 781-455-9096; chabadjewishcenter.us
• Offerings: Located in Needham, the Chabad Jewish Center serves the communities of Needham, Dedham, Dover and Westwood and offers weekly classes on the Torah and other topics throughout the year. To learn more, call the center at 781-455-9096 or e-mail chabad@gis.net.

These are just a few of the opportunities for further education in Needham. Know of some others? Let us know in the comments below or send an e-mail to Becca.Manning@Patch.com. If you run a program or want to share the latest course schedule with Patch readers, add it yourself to our calendar or announcements sections, or contact Becca Manning with details.