The Little Gym

Yesterday Shyla and I went to our local The Little Gym for our free introductory class.

Here's a snap-shot of what we did:

• To warm-up we ran in a circle. At this point Shyla was a little unsure of what was happening so I carried her most of the time. She warmed up quickly though!
• We played with shakers (which the kids handed out and put away) to sing a Name Game.
• We played with bean-bags (again, the kids were in charge of handing them out and putting them away) to practice body parts and balance.
• We did Donkey Kicks. This is one we'll need to practice with Shyla; every time she put her hands on the mat she also put her head down for a summersalt.
• There was free time in which we spent most of our time swinging from a bar, or swinging from rings, or walking on the balance beam (the high one, of course). The kids also learned a skill of swinging from a bar but keeping a scarf between their toes.
• We sang songs, hopped, clapped, and jumped.
• We popped bubbles with our fingers and feet.
• We played soccer with about 20 balls.
• Shyla sat in my lap and we stretched our feet out.

Here's what I liked:

• The instructor called all the kids "friends."
• Her age group is named "beasts."
• Although they gave us a tour and all the sign-up info, it was very low pressure.
• Shyla made friends with an older boy named Gabe who was there with his grandma.
• It was clean.
• Although it was organized playtime, the instructor was clear that the kids could be doing their own thing and learning on their own.
• The kids had to learn to take turns and wait in line.

Here's what I learned:

• A 45 minute gym class will put Shyla to sleep in a matter of minutes.
• Everyone notices what a good dancer she is and what strong arms she has.
• Donkey Kicks are not for pregnant ladies.

The future:

• I recently bought the Groupon for 4 classes so we will be going back 4 more times.
• I don't know that we will sign-up because of the cost, but it was a very enjoyable experience.

(There are no pictures from our class because it is a Mommy-and-Me class so I too was running around kicking balls and popping bubbles...just avoiding the Donkey Kicks.)