Swim Lessons

Swim lessons this year sounded painful. Fun for the kids but painful for me and my 15 month old. Mostly because my 15 month old DOES NOT SIT STILL! But after time thinking, I decided swimming is a necessity and I can suffer in the hot sun while my kids learn a life skill.

I enrolled Jack and Maddy late and they picked right up where they were last year. Maddy didn't need lessons, she has been swimming since she was 3. Jack needed some more practice but has done so well and is looking more polished with every lesson.

While at one lesson, Lexi was supposedly sitting on the stairs watching Maddy and Jack. Although, she wasn't sitting she was swimming.  So much for sitting and watching. I decided to enroll her in lessons herself.

I put her in level 1, which basically is teaching the kids to get their heads wet and blow bubbles and be comfortable around the water. I already knew she was comfortable. The two boys in her class cried the entire first lesson. Lexi however, floated on her back the first lesson. She wasn't afraid to do anything.

 Jack did level 4 which taught him new strokes. The class does a back float and water treading contest to start of lessons. He won the back float contest this day. On more than one occasion the teacher would ask Jack if he heard her. He'd always answer yes, and she was surprised because most of the time when she was talking he was under water! Silly boy.

 Another trick the teachers do to get the kids to jump in the water is play chop, chop timber. Emily asked Lexi what kind of tree she wanted to be and she yelled Christmas Tree! And timber, away she went into the water. The 2 boys did not fall for this game and were not going to jump into the water!.

The second lesson, she did monkey/airplane/soldier on her back across the pool. The 3rd lesson, Emily the instructor taught her "ice-cream scoops" across the pool and she did just that swam the freestyle across the pool. At the end of the lesson, Emily said we'll she's ready for level 3!

The next 3 lessons they pushed her. Now she is swimming across the pool, jumping off the diving board and swimming to the side and of course loving every minute of it!

Maddy was so bummed she wasn't in swimming lessons this session. She wasn't entirely thrilled to be watching Lilly either but was a good sport cheering on Lexi and Jack. 2 sessions completed. I'm trying to talk myself into the 3rd session, the thought of Lexi swimming without a life jacket still scares me even tho she's doing awesome!