Browsing Tag

ann arbor swim lessons

Mini 2 Class at Goldfish Swim School

Posted on August 31, 2018

This post is brought to you by Goldfish Swim School. While I was provided lessons in exchange for this review, all opinions are 100% my own.

Can you believe summer is almost over? The weather says otherwise, but I’m seeing back to school and Halloween (!) items everywhere in stores…so I know fall is coming.

I don’t want to name drop, but yes. ELMO is in our class!

This summer has been a whirlwind of fun. Our little lady is learning so quickly, is super curious about everything, and always on the go. We’ve really just been trying to keep up, and wear her out with fun outside activities, trips to the splash pad on the weekends, and our favorite: swim class at Goldfish Swim School of Ann Arbor!

Not having any fun at all.

Yep, we’re back and having so much fun! Last year Isla completed her Mini 1 classes, which got her comfortable in the water. At 16 months, the little ones move into the Mini 2 class, where we start focusing on the mechanics of swimming unassisted.

High fives with her teacher!

Classes have a 6:1 student-to-teacher ratio, with more focus on unassisted kicking with a barbell, pulling paddle, underwater dips, unassisted gliding, wall holds, jumping in the water, rollover breathing, back floats, – plus more water safety skills.

I’ve talked about water safety before in previous Goldfish posts (you can read them here, here, and here), but after reading about Bode & Morgan Miller’s daughter last month I’m even more vigilant about water safety.

In the 4 weeks that we’ve been back in the Mini 2 class, Isla has progressed to kicking and pulling on her own, almost reflexively which is so impressive! We’ve noticed her practicing these skills in the shallow pool at the local splash pad pool here, she knows to keep her mouth closed and head above water. Obviously none of these things replace close, constant supervision…but it’s a step in the right direction.

Jeremy and I are still switching off who gets to get in the water with her each class, since it is a lot of fun. On top of the safety skills we’re learning, we often end up laughing a lot – it is great bonding time.

We’re enjoying watching her continue to progress, and have fun!

If you’re looking for swim lessons for your water babies (or big kids), you can find a local Goldfish Swim School at their center locator, and more information below:

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Have you had an awesome experience at Goldfish Swim School? Would love to hear your stories in the comments!

Benefits to Pre-First Birthday Swim Lessons

Posted on November 29, 2017

This post is brought to you by Goldfish Swim School. While I was provided lessons in exchange for this review, all opinions are 100% my own.

I can’t believe it, but we officially have a one year old! It doesn’t seem possible.

We’ve been going to swim classes at Goldfish Swim School in Ann Arbor since August. When I tell friends and family about it, they’re often surprised and little confused that I would put her in classes so young.

To be honest, when I started Isla in swimming I was just as skeptical that she would learn much at all, but the skills she’s gained are noticeable and definitely beneficial. It was recently progress report week, and she’s doing so well!

Oh hey, guys. Just taking a picture with Bubbles!

So I felt the need to share the top reasons – from a personal experience – why you should enroll your baby in swim classes before they even turn 1!

As I’ve talked about in my first lesson recap and water safety posts, we’re in the Mini 1 class, which ranges in age from 4-15 months.

1. Confidence In the Water
I’ve met many little babies and toddlers who HATE the water. Bath water, pool water, lake water, they hate all of it. Some of this boils down to the baby’s personal preferences, but some of these little ones just weren’t exposed to it (other than bath time) early on in life, and end up developing a fear of it. Isla was introduced SO young – she had her first dip in the pool at 6 months, and started swim classes at 8 months – that now it’s no big deal.

2. Bath Time Fun
This brings me to my next point – bath time! Some babies love it, some hate it. Isla was in the former category when we first started baths, at least when it came to getting her head and face wet. She would gasp, choke, and try to climb out of the tub to get away from the water – and this would usually end up in panicked tears. Poor girl.

Since we’ve started at Goldfish, her comfort level with water has increased 1000x. When we wash her face/hair, it’s a non-issue. We tend to do bath time every night right before bed, so it’s a huge relief that she can relax now and wind down instead of working herself up.

Floating like a little baby otter.

3. Bonding Time with Mom & Dad
We LOVE class time with Isla. So much, that we have to take turns every other weekend getting in the pool with her! Not only does it solidify the trust between you and baby during teaching moments, but we also spend most of the lesson smiling or laughing.

4. Physical Activity
Swimming is great exercise for kids and adults alike, and I’m glad we’re getting her started early. I’ve also noticed that she naps a lot better right after class — she usually fights naps like it’s her job, so I’ll consider this a big win.

Practicing climbing out. Elbow, elbow, belly, knee!

5. Social Interaction/Observation
If you’ve ever visited GSS on a weekend, you know it can be busy. However, I’ve found that to be a plus for our girl. She loves watching all of the other kids and babies swimming while we’re waiting for class.

My favorite thing is when we’re in the pool trying something new and she’s hesitant, she’ll often look to the other babies in class and watch what they’re doing. When she sees that they’ll try it (and have fun!), she’ll look right back to us with a new found bravery and try it herself, like “I can do it, too, Mama!”.

6. Babies love it!
This one is pretty self explanatory. When we’re in the changing room, I can hardly get her into her suit and swim diaper before she’s demanding I pick her up. She’ll look at me, point at the door, and say “bye bye!” – it’s her way of saying “okay, mama! I’m ready for the pool, let’s go NOW!”

My two favorite Goldfish.

We are looking forward to growing up through swim lessons, and learning how the Mini 2 classes will be when she gets promoted in just 3 short months!

We love our instructor, Miss Megan!

If you’re looking for swim lessons for your water babies (or big kids), you can find a local Goldfish Swim School at their center locator, and more information below:

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Have you had an awesome experience at Goldfish Swim School? Would love to hear your stories in the comments!

Family Pregnancy/Baby

Goldfish Swim School of Ann Arbor – First Lesson Recap

Posted on August 22, 2017

This post is brought to you by Goldfish Swim School. While I was provided lessons in exchange for this review, all opinions are 100% my own.

Isla is turning 9 months old this week. Our laid back, easy going baby has turned into a super mobile, energetic little monster! I wrote recently about how she visited Lake Michigan with us, and went swimming in a pool for the first time.

Since then, we’ve gotten a little kiddie pool set up at home and she loves it. If it is full and she sees it, she squirms and squeals until we get her in.

This is Bubbles, the Mascot at Goldfish Swim School.

It’s amazing to see her having fun and being so fearless. But as a mother, having a baby with no knowledge of the dangers water can pose strikes an unbelievable amount of fear into me. Water safety is so important, and we wanted to teach our little one early.

So we got her signed up at Goldfish Swim School of Ann Arbor, and were excited to get started! It’s just a 15 minute drive from where we live in Chelsea, and well worth it. We recently had her first 30 minute lesson. Registration was a breeze!

Goldfish offers numerous classes based on age – from 4 months all the way up to 12 years old. Isla is in the “Mini 1” class, which goes from ages 4-15 months.

There were 2 other babies in the pool with us on Saturday, and 2 instructors – so we really felt like we got some great 1-on-1 time with each teacher. They were so good with the babies, making sure that safety and fun were the top priorities.

The instructors were amazing! So interactive and cheerful.

The Mini classes are a gentle introduction to the water, where Isla is starting to learn the basics of swimming and water safety. They also keep the pool at a very comfortable 90 degrees – it feels just like bathwater! I love the idea that we’re easing her into this, at her own pace.

Conditioning! Getting her used to having water on her shoulders and head.

I got in the pool with her, while daddy watched and cheered us on. Isla worked on the basic swim stroke, floating on her back, getting used to having water on her head/face, and even a few quick dips under the water! It’s so amazing how intuitive babies are, and how they reflexively know to blow bubbles and stop inhaling when they’re under water.

Practicing floating. She’s not so sure about this skill yet.

Isla was a little hesitant, but that’s why it’s great we’ll be coming back every week – so we can work on these skills and build on them so she can be safe and confident in the water.

I have to give a special shout out to the staff. They were so friendly, helpful in getting us checked in, and letting us know where to go. At the end of our lesson we realized that our car battery had died, and one of the staff members went out of their way to find us and ask if we needed help. That is sometimes hard to come by in those situations, so thank you!

At the end of our lesson we left with an adorable little baby swag bag, and smiles on our faces. If you’re looking for swim lessons for your water babies (or big kids), you can find a local Goldfish Swim School at their center locator, and more information below:

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See you next week, Bubbles!

Can’t wait to share with you how our little Goldfish progresses through her next few months of classes!

Have you had an awesome experience at Goldfish Swim School? Would love to hear your stories in the comments!