diff --git a/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json b/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json
index 0be59d9..b66f234 100644
--- a/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json
+++ b/.devcontainer/devcontainer.json
@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@
 {
   "name": "Intro to Python",
   "image": "mcr.microsoft.com/devcontainers/python:3.11",
-  "postCreateCommand": "python -m pip install --user -r requirements.txt"
+  "postCreateCommand": "python -m pip install --user -r requirements.txt",
+  // Ready to run Jupyter notebooks after container starts
+  // Run: jupyter notebook --allow-root
+  // Then navigate to course/ folder to access the learning materials
 }
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index ecd688f..5773440 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -1,4 +1,87 @@
 # intro-to-python
+
 Introduction to Python course, part of the AI Academy
 
+## How to run the notebooks
+
+This repository contains Jupyter notebooks that teach Python fundamentals for data science and geoscience applications. Here are the different ways you can run them:
+
+### Option 1: Local Installation (Recommended)
+
+1. **Prerequisites**: Make sure you have Python 3.8+ installed
+2. **Clone the repository**:
+   ```bash
+   git clone https://github.com/ingehap/intro-to-python.git
+   cd intro-to-python
+   ```
+3. **Install dependencies**:
+   ```bash
+   pip install -r requirements.txt
+   ```
+4. **Launch Jupyter**:
+   ```bash
+   jupyter notebook
+   ```
+5. **Navigate to the `course/` folder** and open any notebook (`.ipynb` file)
+
+### Option 2: Using GitHub Codespaces
+
+1. Click the green "Code" button on GitHub
+2. Select "Codespaces" tab
+3. Click "Create codespace on main"
+4. Wait for the environment to load, then run:
+   ```bash
+   pip install -r requirements.txt
+   jupyter notebook --allow-root
+   ```
+
+### Option 3: Using Dev Container (VS Code)
+
+1. Open the repository in VS Code
+2. Install the "Dev Containers" extension
+3. Press `Ctrl+Shift+P` and select "Dev Containers: Reopen in Container"
+4. Once loaded, the dependencies will be installed automatically
+5. Open a terminal and run: `jupyter notebook --allow-root`
+
+### Option 4: Google Colab
+
+You can run individual notebooks in Google Colab by:
+1. Uploading the `.ipynb` files to your Google Drive
+2. Opening them with Google Colab
+3. Note: You may need to install some packages by adding cells with `!pip install package_name`
+
+## Course Content
+
+The `course/` folder contains the following notebooks:
+
+- **`Data.ipynb`** - Python fundamentals: collections, iteration, and NumPy basics
+- **`Intro_to_Pandas_and_Series.ipynb`** - Introduction to Pandas Series
+- **`Intro_to_Pandas_DataFrames.ipynb`** - Working with Pandas DataFrames
+- **`Intro_to_Pandas_exercises.ipynb`** - Hands-on exercises with geoscience data
+- **`Pandas_for_timeseries.ipynb`** - Time series analysis with Pandas
+- **`Intro_to_matplotlib.ipynb`** - Data visualization with matplotlib
+
+## Requirements
+
+All required packages are listed in `requirements.txt`. Key dependencies include:
+- Jupyter for running notebooks
+- Pandas for data manipulation
+- NumPy for numerical computing
+- Matplotlib and Seaborn for plotting
+- Various scientific computing packages
+
+## Troubleshooting
+
+**Problem**: Package installation fails
+- **Solution**: Try updating pip: `pip install --upgrade pip` then retry
+
+**Problem**: Jupyter won't start
+- **Solution**: Make sure it's installed: `pip install jupyter` then try again
+
+**Problem**: Import errors in notebooks
+- **Solution**: Ensure all requirements are installed: `pip install -r requirements.txt`
+
+**Problem**: Permission denied errors
+- **Solution**: Try using virtual environment or use `pip install --user -r requirements.txt`
+
 I recommend keeping your work in the `course` folder.
diff --git a/course/README.md b/course/README.md
index dd65c46..eefd9a1 100644
--- a/course/README.md
+++ b/course/README.md
@@ -1,3 +1,24 @@
 # Welcome to the course material
 
 This is the working folder. Keep your files here.
+
+## Quick Start
+
+1. **First time setup**: From the main directory, run `python setup.py` to install all dependencies
+2. **Launch Jupyter**: Run `jupyter notebook` from the main directory
+3. **Start learning**: Open `Data.ipynb` to begin with Python fundamentals
+
+## Notebooks in order
+
+1. **Data.ipynb** - Python basics (start here!)
+2. **Intro_to_Pandas_and_Series.ipynb** - Learn Pandas Series
+3. **Intro_to_Pandas_DataFrames.ipynb** - Work with DataFrames  
+4. **Intro_to_Pandas_exercises.ipynb** - Practice with real data
+5. **Pandas_for_timeseries.ipynb** - Time series analysis
+6. **Intro_to_matplotlib.ipynb** - Data visualization
+
+## Need help?
+
+- Each notebook has explanations and exercises
+- Look for green exercise boxes for hands-on practice
+- If you get stuck, check the main README.md for troubleshooting
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 749bcdd..3e5d3ff 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ scipy
 scikit-learn
 pandas
 openpyxl
-sqlite3
 matplotlib
 seaborn
 ipywidgets
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ef87d74
--- /dev/null
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+"""
+Simple setup script to help users get started with the intro-to-python notebooks.
+"""
+
+import subprocess
+import sys
+import os
+
+def run_command(cmd):
+    """Run a command and return True if successful"""
+    try:
+        subprocess.run(cmd, check=True, shell=True)
+        return True
+    except subprocess.CalledProcessError:
+        return False
+
+def main():
+    print("🐍 Setting up intro-to-python environment...")
+    print("=" * 50)
+    
+    # Check Python version
+    python_version = sys.version_info
+    print(f"✓ Python {python_version.major}.{python_version.minor}.{python_version.micro} detected")
+    
+    if python_version < (3, 8):
+        print("❌ Python 3.8+ is required. Please upgrade Python.")
+        sys.exit(1)
+    
+    # Install requirements
+    print("\n📦 Installing required packages...")
+    if run_command("pip install -r requirements.txt"):
+        print("✓ All packages installed successfully!")
+    else:
+        print("❌ Failed to install some packages. Try manually: pip install -r requirements.txt")
+        print("   Or try: pip install --user -r requirements.txt")
+        return
+    
+    # Check if in course directory
+    if not os.path.exists("course"):
+        print("\n📁 Navigate to the course directory to find the notebooks")
+    else:
+        print(f"\n📚 Found {len([f for f in os.listdir('course') if f.endswith('.ipynb')])} notebooks in course/ directory")
+    
+    print("\n🚀 Setup complete! To start:")
+    print("   1. Run: jupyter notebook")
+    print("   2. Navigate to the 'course' folder")
+    print("   3. Open any .ipynb file to start learning!")
+    print("\n💡 Tip: Start with 'Data.ipynb' for Python fundamentals")
+
+if __name__ == "__main__":
+    main()
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/setup.sh b/setup.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..6b20b8e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/setup.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# Simple setup script for intro-to-python
+
+echo "🐍 Setting up intro-to-python environment..."
+echo "================================================="
+
+# Check if Python is available
+if ! command -v python3 &> /dev/null; then
+    echo "❌ Python 3 is not installed. Please install Python 3.8+ first."
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Check Python version
+python_version=$(python3 -c "import sys; print('.'.join(map(str, sys.version_info[:2])))")
+echo "✓ Python $python_version detected"
+
+# Install requirements
+echo ""
+echo "📦 Installing required packages..."
+if python3 -m pip install -r requirements.txt; then
+    echo "✓ All packages installed successfully!"
+else
+    echo "❌ Failed to install packages. Try:"
+    echo "   pip install --user -r requirements.txt"
+    echo "   or"
+    echo "   python3 -m pip install --user -r requirements.txt"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Check for notebooks
+if [ -d "course" ]; then
+    notebook_count=$(find course -name "*.ipynb" | wc -l)
+    echo "📚 Found $notebook_count notebooks in course/ directory"
+fi
+
+echo ""
+echo "🚀 Setup complete! To start:"
+echo "   1. Run: jupyter notebook"
+echo "   2. Navigate to the 'course' folder"  
+echo "   3. Open any .ipynb file to start learning!"
+echo ""
+echo "💡 Tip: Start with 'Data.ipynb' for Python fundamentals"
\ No newline at end of file