community education

Safe Sitter®

Better sitters today. Better parents tomorrow.

Safe Sitter® is developed especially for 11 to 13 year olds and offers a curriculum that includes hands-on practice, group interaction, role-playing, games and discussion. For more information visit the Safe Sitter website. Please bring a sack lunch. Parents are invited to attend a celebration ceremony for their Safe Sitter® graduate at 3:40 pm.

Age Requirement: 11 - 13 years old. Call 425-432-1272 to register. For program information email Brandy or call 425-432-1272.

Acrylic Workshop

Discover your talent

The very talented Bob Garland returns with his most popular 6-week Acrylic Art Class for all levels.

Bob is a member of the Maple Valley Creative Arts Council and the Coupeville Art Center. His work is displayed at Revolutions Gallery of Issaquah, Burien Art Gallery Gift Shop and Seahurst Gallery of Burien. He is well known for his acrylics of wildlife, especially birds. Bob received training at the Yarnell School of Fine Art in Oklahoma.

This class will paint at least 2-3 paintings. You will start out with a simple limited palette painting and then move on to an easy wildlife painting. Supply list available upon registration.

Age Requirement: Adults 18+

For more information call Bob at 630-886-2246 or email Allison or Linda or call 425-432-1272.

Spirit & Strength Yoga

Yoga you can do

GMVCC is pleased to offer Spirit and Strength Yoga designed to improve flexibility and strength, increase blood flow and joint movements, and release stress and revitalize the body-mind connection.  Yoga poses will be done mostly in sitting position and are adaptable based on individual limitations and abilities.

Instructor Kim Fun has been practicing yoga for the past ten years.  She is a certified yoga instructor and has worked with children, women, and people with chronic illness for the last three years. She has used yoga to heal herself from Rheumatoid Arthritis.  Kim practices yoga therapy in the Renton Area. She teaches yoga to the women veterans who are returning from war, and she also teach yoga to elementary school children. 

Age Requirement: 50+ Class Level Beginner - No experience necessary - All mobilities  welcome. For more information email Allison or Linda or call 425-432-1272.

SCHEDULE NOTICE: Kim will not be here on 9/23 or 9/30.

FallStop...Move Strong™

Fall Prevention & Strengthening Program

Don’t be a statistic.  As of 2005, the number of Seniors who fell was 11 million.  The number of Seniors who died from falls was 15,800.  The percent of falls that resulted in life-altering injuries was between 20-30%.  The FallStop…Move Strong™ exercise program was designed specifically to reduce falls by improving balance, strength and flexibility. Join us for a series of 4 different 12-minute sessions each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 10:30 am. Linda will be learning right along with you! This program is free and no sign-up is necessary.

The FallStop…Move Strong™ program includes:

• A graduated exercise program which targets strengthening, coordination, flexibility and balance
• Weight-bearing activities to improve bone strength
• Education about personal and environmental risk for falls including age-related changes in our bodies & strategies, home and community mobility and safety, footwear, and recommendations for medical follow-up to review vision, medications, etc.
• Safety strategies for everyday situations such as getting up in the middle of the night, reaching for items on high shelves, standing up from a chair or the floor

Age Requirement: 50+

For more information email Allison or Linda or call 425-432-1272.

Brushes and Palettes

Oils, Watercolors and More!

Join the fun. Beginner or advanced, everyone is welcome! Students must bring their own art supplies. Stop by to see many of the extraordinary creations now on display in the GMVCC front office!

Age Requirement: Teens and Adults

For more information email Allison or Linda or call 425-432-1272.

AAA Roadwise Review

Check your driving abilities conveniently, confidentially

The AAA Roadwise Review is a scientifically validated screening tool developed by AAA and noted transportation safety researchers to help seniors drive safely longer. This tool allows seniors to measure the eight functional abilities shown to be the strongest predictors of crash risk among older drivers. The abilities assessed in Roadwise Review include:

• Leg Strength and General Mobility
• Head/Neck Flexibility
• High- and Low-Contrast Visual Acuity
• Working Memory
• Visualization of Missing Information
• Visual Search
• Useful Field of View

What Users Tell Us About Roadwise Review.

• "If you take the test and you do well, it gives you confidence. If you have concerns, you'll learn about what you can do to keep driving safely."
• "...very well set up, easy to follow and move through."

Please contact Allison or Linda or call 425-432-1272 to schedule an appointment for your confidential screening.

Age Requirement: 50+

For more information email Allison or Linda or call 425-432-1272.

AARP Safe Driving

Tune up your driving skills

The AARP Driver Safety Program is the nation's first and largest refresher course for drivers age 50 and older that has helped millions of drivers remain safe on today's roads. This 2-day course is designed to help you:

• Tune up your driving skills and update your knowledge of the rules of the road.
• Learn about normal age-related physical changes, and how to adjust your driving to allow for these changes.
• Reduce your traffic violations, crashes, and chances for injuries.
• Drive more safely.
• Qualify for an auto insurance premium reduction or discount. Specific state insurance laws vary – please consult your insurance agent for specifics in your state.

AARP membership is not required to take the course. There is no final test to pass.

Visit AARP Driver Safety for more information. See calendar for upcoming dates and times. Call 425-432-1272 to register.

Age Requirement: 50+

For more information email Allison or Linda or call 425-432-1272.

Clay Class

Seniors Making Art

This 7-week class will introduce students to several methods of hand building, pinching, coiling and rolling slabs. Students will turn out bowls, cups, vases and other original forms and gain an understanding of clay as they produce finished items for glazing and firing. Everyone will produce several pieces that can be used on their own table or given as gifts. Some time may be spent viewing videos and/or slides to get a feel for the interesting history of clay production that goes back 5000 years! No artistic talent or experience required. Just come, have fun and enjoy handling clay. Your instructor will be Elinor Maroney.

Pioneered by Dale Chihuly in 1991, Seniors Making Art has touched the lives of more than 40,000 seniors. Our mission...enhancing lives through creative expression is accomplished by contracting professional artists skilled in building enthusiasm and confidence to teach seven-week art programs. Art instruction and supplies are free of charge.

Age Requirement: 50+

For more information email Allison or Linda or call 425-432-1272.

Cooking Classes

Creative Kids Cooking 101

Create healthy, delicious and kid-friendly meals that the whole family will enjoy.  We will be making breakfast, lunch, dinner, appetizers and snacks together.  The best part will be tasting our meals and re-creating them at home with recipes for everyone. Who knows...you just might get a night or two away from the kitchen this summer!

Age Requirement: 4 - 9 years. Call 425-432-1272 to pre-register.

For more information email Brandy or call 425-432-1272.