Houstonia’s The Must List tells you about something going on in Houston that you absolutely cannot miss.

Houston Center for Contemporary Craft vibrates with chatter and laughter. Over 80 adults, teens, and children flit around the activity room to pick up more strips of colorful paper, which they then weave into a simple checkered pattern inspired by the textile works of visual artist Sonya Clark. They can run into the next gallery over to examine her weavings as part of the current (and fantastic) Sonya Clark: We Are Each Other exhibition, then return to their seats to apply what they’ve observed.

It’s a lively scene, crackling with an infectious curiosity and joy. HCCC’s monthly Hands On Houston events, held the first Saturday of every month, can help you and your family scratch creative itches and find your passions without spending a cent. There’s no entry fee—the museum doesn’t charge admission anyway—and no need to bring your own supplies, either. Everything needed for a fun afternoon of learning and doing is provided by HCCC.

“We try really hard to make sure that every month is a different craft activity in a different medium,” says Tarina Frank, HCCC’s education director. “We usually are inspired by either a resident artist that’s here or an exhibition that’s in the galleries, something that’s happening in the garden. Sometimes it’s seasonal.”

Nobody at HCCC knows exactly when Hands On Houston launched, but it was at least 20 years ago, and the museum is slated to celebrate its 25th anniversary next year. It’s always been the first Saturday of the month, save for when those dates coincide with major holidays, and it’s always been free. True to HCCC’s mission, the majority of offerings center on media like metal, fiber, glass, ceramics, and wood. Previous projects have included peg doll families coinciding with last year’s exhibition Designing Motherhood: Things That Make and Break Our Births; folding and forming copper leaves with a metalsmith; creating brooms from the broom corn grown right on the museum’s campus; kite making; and tie-dyeing shirts using indigo dye created from plants grown in HCCC’s own garden. Upcoming events include prayer pouches, also inspired by Sonya Clark, glazed tiles in the style of Roberto Lugo, and wreaths come the winter holidays.

Frank and her team also try to get local artists and nonprofits involved when possible. This adds a layer of instruction and a way for Houstonians to learn more about the city’s vibrant creative sector and how it intersects with various disciplines. Urban Harvest and the Maritime Museum have both participated, tying in their own industries with the topics of the day. Even individuals and other arts organizations who aren’t able to attend in person still donate supplies and information to help HCCC spread the word about the pleasures to be found in making things.

“I don’t consider myself an artist, so having spaces for people who might also not consider themselves artists to come…to be able to just expand on their own creativity, try something new, get ideas, all of that,” says Jeniffer Perales Garcia, education and programs coordinator at HCCC.

Hands On Houston seeks to make itself as accessible as possible to all visitors, artist or not. In addition to being completely free and supplying everything needed for an afternoon’s project, RSVPs aren’t required; people can drop in and leave on their own schedule, and if they don’t have a computer or smartphone they don’t have to scramble with ticketing. Frank and Perales Garcia make themselves available for Spanish translation and serve as a resource on the best possible public transportation routes to get to HCCC.

Around 200 to 400 people show up to each gathering. These numbers are cumulative, of course, given the event’s come-and-go-as-you-please design. It’s still advised to arrive early, as there’s always a chance HCCC will run out of supplies. Even if they do, though, the trip isn’t wasted: Spend some time browsing the latest exhibits and the craft garden. On weekends, the museum is always filled with children happily bouncing around on their toes, asking their families questions about the objects around them.

“We do get a lot of art teachers that come to use the project ideas in their classrooms,” Frank says. “I do think [Hands On Houston] is really important for that intergenerational learning. People get a chance to make alongside their grandma, their grandpa, or their little ones. Understanding materiality is really important.”