Browsing Tag

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!

Water Safety at Goldfish Swim School of Ann Arbor

Posted on September 22, 2017

This Water Safety 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.

Hi readers! How have you been? We’re enjoying the last little bit of summer here, almost 90 degrees all week.

Most pools here close after Labor day, but we’re still in the water every weekend! Isla has been in classes at Goldfish Swim School for almost 2 months now, so I wanted to share a little update.

All ready for class to start!

When we started her in swim lessons at 8 months old, I wasn’t sure how much she would really pick up. I am pleasantly surprised at what’s she’s learned so far, she’s made some great progress in the last 7 weeks.

Last week was WATER safety week at GSS – which is a big deal in our house if you read my last Goldfish post. Even though the outdoor pools have closed, water safety is a year-round issue!

Source: Goldfish Swim School

The WATER acronym stands for:

Wear your life jacket!

Act. Throw! Don’t go.

Take swimming lessons.

Educate, learn swim safety skills.

Respect, play it cool and follow the rules.

“Mini 1” WATER Safety Awareness

In our class we focused on staying within an arm’s length of baby when they are in the bathtub (or near any body of water, really), and practicing conditioning, floating, holding on to the edge of the pool, and climbing out.

She was in the water with daddy this last week, while I cheered them on. It’s such great bonding time with her during class, so we alternate who gets to go in every week.

Chasing Bubbles!

On my “out of the pool” days, I often leave with sore cheeks from smiling so hard watching them in the water together. She’s learning a ton, and having fun with her dad at the same time. It’s precious.

Conditioning is so much fun!

I have noticed that while Isla is still completely unafraid of the water, she has a newfound respect for it. She’s learning to take a breath and hold it before she goes underwater, so now there’s no more swallowing and choking when she’s taken for dips under the surface.

Bouncing: great practice for holding on to the side of the pool.

I’ve seen her practice this in the bathtub as well. Little lady has been pulling up to standing in the tub, and sometimes falls back into the water. I’m right there to make sure she’s okay, but I’ll watch for a second (seriously, like .02 seconds) to see how she handles the situation, and she’ll usually make sure she rights herself first. Sometimes tears follow, but it’s amazing to watch her focus on making sure she is safe and can breathe before she gets upset.

She’s also started to float on her back, on her own – that’s her default position, and one of the best skills she’s learned thus far. The babies are learning that if they fall into a body of water, the first thing to do is to flip yourself on your back so you can breathe.

Like a little baby otter.

Now when we’re in the pool with her, she tries to sprawl out on her back and float. It’s amazing to watch, and hilarious when we’re supposed to be doing something else.

At the end of the class, Isla earned her WATER safety guard ribbon! I love these little milestones – it’s still so much fun for us to watch her progress.

So excited for her Water Safety ribbon!

I’m thrilled with how far she’s come. I definitely feel like these lessons have been invaluable for her safety as well as for our peace of mind. We love our Saturday mornings in the pool with her!

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!