Wednesday, March 16, 2011

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.)

4 comments:

Chelsea said...

What fun!!!
I also love the new look of your blog :-)

your Mom said...

I am so happy my little ShyShy is learning to donkey kick...among other things! It will come in handy when she dosn't want to get into her car seat!!!

Tess said...

We loved My gym too and also bought the Groupon!! Didn't realize you were on spring break or we could have made it a date! Love love love the new look of the blog =)

Erin = ) said...

Okay, how funny is it that her age group is called "beasts"???!!! I mean, I would have just bust out laughing! Also, never should "donkey kicks" and "pregnant ladies" be in the same sentence, hahahaha! Love the blog updates!