If you remember, we've brought him to a trial session at AquaDucks in October 2005. We didn't quite like it.
This year, we put Ignatius on the waitlist (yes...almost every toddler-linked establishment/activity has a waitlist! I swear...there's money to be made in opening one!) for Marsden Swim School.
Finally, a spot opened up for this term and we went!
The class size is small, maximum of 6, and usually, 1 to 2 toddlers will be away. For this day, there were only 3 babies in the pool. One 6-8mths old baby girl, one 15mth old boy, and Ignatius. The others cried when they were brought into the pool, Ignatius cried when he had to come OUT of the pool. That's how much our boy loves the water.
Marsden may not exactly be unique in their teaching methods (they also had the Humpty Dumpty), but their class size and the multitude of learning equipment were good.
[Maybe Daddy & Mommy were lured by the "diver-environment" of the whole place. You see, Marsden also teaches diving, and they're run very much like a dive school. The log-sheets, registration forms, attendence sheet, money box, etc, are simply just placed on a table outside the office, and everyone is responsible for their attendence and payment of fees, etc. Very unlike the usual establishment where someone will sit at the registration counter, sign you in, take your money, etc.]
We arrived early, and watched the previous class. The class was for those that graduated from Ignatius' current level. We were impressed. The toddlers seem to be about 2yrs old, and obviously could not swim/tread water, but they were not afraid to jump legs-first into the pool, get submerged and drift underwater unsupported for a few seconds between the instructor and parent. Impressive! Children of the same age group usually are scared to put their heads underwater, much less without anyone holding them. I think we made the decision to sign Ignatius up for 1 term then.
We think Ignatius liked his swim class. There were new things to try, and he gamely executed them. He was old enought to understand that he was being shown some things, and that he was expected to imitate.
Having said that, even from the side of the pool, I could sense that Ignatius also wished we would stop getting him to do this-and-that, and just let him enjoy splashing water around! haha!
After kicking off with the opening song and dance sequence, the instructor launched the water confidence session. Basically, the toddler is passed from instructor to parent. As they get older and learn to hold their breath while their head is underwater, and the distance between parent and instructor widens, and the toddler is on his own for a few seconds.
After some activities like Humpty Dumpty and such, the instructor put the foam mat into the water. This was what we were waiting for! Basically, the mat collects puddles of water as the toddler is placed on it and depresses a portion of it. Here, the toddler is shown how to blow bubbles in those puddles without having to put their face into the pool. Cool!
Ignatius was curious and explored the mat initially, wanting more to pat pat the puddles and splash water. However, when he was put on it again later, he bent his head down and "kissed" the puddles. Not bad...first step to blowing water!
More song and dance followed. Then came the crawl and jump. The toddler is placed at one end of the mat, and is supposed to crawl/walk/run to the parent at the other end. For the older kids, they'll jump off the mat like a spring board. The squeals of delight are infectious.
For Ignatius, Daddy caught him as he crawled off the mat. That's enough for now! We wouldn't want to scare the boy before we even start.
Next came some floating activity. They were given a foam noodle and were held by their hands only as they lay with their torso across the noodle. Ignatius wasn't too used to floats, and kind of squirmed around rather than float. The 6-8mth old baby did it quite well though!...although I suspect it was becaused she didn't know any better, and she was all suited up in a UV swimsuit AND 1mm wetsuit. She's dressed in pink in the photo.
The instructor handed out some tubes next. Another device to help them learn to blow! Not too much success here yet. Ignatius prefered to have Daddy blow bubbles. He just held the tube and waved it around...probably hearing the water splash around in the tube.
On hindsight, and watching the 6-8mth old baby during the class, we're glad we did not sign Ignatius up any earlier for swim class. It would have been a waste of money. True, they may be less afraid of water subsequently...but $20/week is a bit pricey for being manhandled in the water. We can do that ourselves for free...and we did!
The usual closing songs came soon after. Time spent happily engrossed sure does pass quickly!
You know how we always take an "after" picture, and Ignatius is usually conked out in his carseat. Well, since it was only 30mins worth of splashing around, he had tonnes of energy left!
Look at the little prince slouch on Mommy's lap eating his sweet corn Gerber Puffs!Now to wait for the week to pass so we can have the next lesson!
