There are seven billion people in the world.

Let me repeat that – seven billion people. Yes, that is billion with a ‘B.’

And at Guinness World Records, we are always on the hunt for the most extraordinary ones to join our family of Officially Amazing record holders. That includes you.

You don’t need to run the 100 meter dash in 9.58 seconds like Usain Bolt or jump rope 12,632 times in an hour like our Fan Choice Record of the Year winner Anne Maria Bissoondial. Sometimes all you need is a group of friends and a little bit of inspiration.

And that is where I come in. As the Records Manager in charge of mass participation records, I’m going to share some of my favorites with you each month on "Mass Participation Monday." Mass participation records are any records based on the number of people involved. Think clowns cramming into a tiny car at the circus.

One month, we might look at sports-related records like the most participants in a table tennis rally. Or music-related records, like the largest air guitar (yes, air guitar!) ensemble. Or even records related to costumes (like most people dressed as Ninja Turtles) or lack thereof (like the largest skinny dip).

With students on even the longest college winter breaks recently back in school, I thought we'd share some records for one of our more popular mass participation categories – the largest lesson.

Lessons are boring, right? Wrong! Hear me out before heading to our Challengers page to show how fast you can sort 30 jelly beans using chopsticks, and give mass participation records a chance. Odds are these aren’t the classes you took in school.

LARGEST DOG GROOMING LESSON

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339 participants

Record holder: The Link Management Limited

Location: Hong Kong, China

Each participant, who was required to be accompanied by a four-legged friend, learned how to massage a dog, style it, and how to properly clean a dog’s hair and ears. This was The Link Management Limited’s third successful Guinness World Records record attempt, joining previously set records for the largest dog obedience class and for the most people brushing dogs’ teeth simultaneously.

LARGEST COCKTAIL MAKING LESSON

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1,774 participants

Record holder: DIAGEO

Location: Barcelona, Spain

In a record that James Bond surely would have wanted to attend, participants were taught how to make a vodka martini, which included vodka, vermouth and lemon zest. A licensed bartender or mixologist was required to instruct the lesson and that role was filled by Kenji Jesse, the global ambassador for DIAGEO’s brands.

LARGEST MASSAGE LESSON

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257 participants

Record holder: 7 KRASOK spa

Location: Moscow, Russia

Taught by master Ms. Thanwimol Lamoolmorn, the lesson lasted an hour and covered Thai massage techniques. As relaxing as this record sounds, this was no beginner class: all the participants were masters from Indonesia, Bali, and Russia.

LARGEST PRACTICAL SCIENCE LESSON

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771 participants

Record holder: Iowa Lakes Community College, Northwest Regional STEM Hub & Clay County Fair

Location: Spencer, Iowa, USA

If only we had lessons like these in science class when I was in school. In order to teach students that gas phase substances have mass and can exert a force on an object, students carried out two experiments using ping pong balls and pop rocks. Yes, ping pong balls and pop rocks. One experiment had the students apply the Bernoulli principle to levitate a ping pong ball with a funnel and straw, while the other experiment taught them what happens when candy containing pressurized carbon dioxide is put in contact with water and then consumed.

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Well, those are just some of my favorites that have been set recently, but the list of lessons we monitor goes on and on. From carpentry, calligraphy, and cake decorating to magic, martial arts, and meteorology, we are always on the hunt for new largest lesson records.

If any of these inspire you, go grab some friends and apply. And if you’re having trouble finding enough folks, you have seven billion with a ‘B’ people out there to recruit!

Be sure to follow Guinness World Records on Twitter, Facebook, and at Google+ for the latest in records of all kinds.