**I am pleased to be partnering with Goldfish Swim School to bring you this post. While they are providing lessons free of cost to me, all thoughts and comments are my own. #goldfishswimschool #watersafety**
For a while now I have been wanting to sign the girls up for swim lessons. I am a firm believer that children need to know how to handle themselves in the water. I want my daughters to feel confident in their ability to swim, and not be scared of the water.
A little background information on swimming and the girls. Autumn has had no lessons, and the only ones Annabelle had were a 6-week parent/tot class at the local rec. center (back when she was 2). The classes at the rec. center were alright, but I wasn’t overly impressed. The water was cold, and Annabelle had no desire to let go of me. I had heard so many wonderful things about Goldfish Swim School, so I was pretty excited when they approached me. So far Annabelle has had a lesson and we love it so far!
When you first walk in, a team of amazing people are there to greet you and answer any questions you may have. And, if you know me, I always have many questions. #typeapersonality
After getting checked in, it was time to get changed in our own private room cabana. It was very nice to have a private space to change in.
After getting changed, we waited our turn for Annabelle’s lesson to start. They called us into the pool area, and we met our teacher.
Do you know what is great about Goldfish?
They have a 4-1 student/teacher ratio. In fact, in Annabelle’s class? There was only one other student! I love that the class sizes are so small. There is a lot less time waiting around, and a lot more attention for each student. Another bonus? The pool is 90 degrees, and the whole pool area is toasty warm. That means that by the end of the lesson Annabelle wasn’t shivering and complaining about being cold.
I was a little bit worried about how Annabelle would handle the fact that I was not swimming with her. Over the summer I took her to a sample swim lesson at a different swim school. She would not get in the water unless I was with her (I had my suit so I was able to get in too). Even with me in the pool, she didn’t want to let go. Because of this, I made sure to let her know that this time mom would not be getting in the water with her.
Folks, there was nothing to be worried about. Her teacher was so kind and friendly. He introduced himself and asked her a few questions. The look on his face cracks me up, by the way. I don’t remember what Annabelle was telling him, but my guess is it was about cats.
After chatting it up, he asked if she was ready, and she got right in.
So, she was supposed to hold on to the dumbbell and kick her legs. If you notice, she appears to have a death hold on her teacher. I really love that he just let her hold onto him, and helped her kick her legs. So, if your little one is nervous about the water don’t worry. One thing that I heard about Goldfish was how they don’t pressure kids to get in the water. They let them sit on the side, continue to encourage them, and let them get in on their own.
After I snapped a few picture of Annabelle, I headed to the viewing gallery to watch the rest of the lesson.
While Annabelle took her lesson another staff member watched her (and the other students) from the pool deck. After the lesson I was given a progress report. This shows me what Annabelle is doing well, what needs to be worked on, and what she needs to be able to do to move up to the next group.
**Since this was her first lesson, there wasn’t really anything to fill out.**
After swimming Annabelle took a quick shower, we changed and were out the door. They do have hair dryers available if you would like, but since Annabelle’s hair is so short, and it was warm, we skipped out on that.
I was very happy with our first lesson. Annabelle had a blast and can’t wait to go back. Do you know what’s really great? If you miss a lesson, you can make it up. For example, Annabelle had a doctor’s appointment when her second lesson would have been (bad planning on mom’s part). All I had to do was call, and they said we would be able to do a make up. I apologized, and she said “don’t worry! It happens, we’re all family here”. Seriously, that just warmed my heart!
So, if you are looking for a swim school check Goldfish out. Even though it was only our first time, we loved it! I can’t wait for next week when we get to go back, and I start with Autumn.