Grandparents go to class for grandkids
8:37 p.m. Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Susan Schmitz and her husband are first-time grandparents.
"We want to be the best grandparents we can be," Schmitz said.
So Wednesday night they sat in a room, pens at the ready, taking notes during a grandparents class sponsored by Topeka Public Schools.
"You go in Toys-R-Us, or Target, or whatever, and you can drop a heck of a lot of money real quickly," Schmitz said. "These are some neat ideas that don't cost a lick."
Most of those toys are made from household items. But in addition to being thrifty, parent educator Melody Ross says they also help children develop more fully.
"People from my generation, maybe a little older too, did not have the same understanding about child development," Ross said.
So Ross taught grandparents how to make the most of "tummy time" with their grandchild and showed them how to make toys that will increase brain development.
Grandparents Classes
Topeka Public Schools will sponsor two more Grandparents Classes this school year:
* Wednesday, January 28, 2009, 12:00 - 1:00 p.m.
* Wednesday, April 29, 2009, 6:00 - 7:00 p.m.
The classes will be held at 3500 SW 10th Street. For more information, call 785-271-3662.
"What we really want the grandparents to learn is what has changed as far as the knowledge about child development since they were raising children," She said.
Schmitz said she certainly got a lot out of the hour-long session.
"(Ross) was going over some of the developmental stuff that, if I ever knew it, I had forgotten it," Schmitz said.
That's why Schmitz says she would recommend the course for every grandparent.
"Here's not only the toy, but here's how to use it and here's what it's developing, here's what it's doing," Schmitz said, describing the simple toys she learned how to make. "It's just a lot of fun."
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