Friday, August 13, 2010

Next session update

After much thinking, prayer and advice gathering, I have made the very difficult decision of not having a fall session for swimming.

There are definitely the people to fill a session, but since nothing has been formalized, I thought this is the best decision.

While I love to do this, I have many responsibilities not only to my family, but to myself as well, and many things are getting neglected with the pressure of having lessons. If we had a light summer, then it wouldn't be a big deal, but I started planning and organizing for lessons in March, and am just now getting over the final session.

I will still post on things you can do to help your children begin to swim, as well as developments on future lessons.

Please feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you so much for your understanding.

Saturday, August 7, 2010

What you can do, part 2

Bubbles. It sounds juvenile and way to easy for most kids. However, blowing bubbles is a good way to start introducing breath control. When swimming, it is easy to run out of breath.

Teaching them to slowly release breath is the best way to start breath control. The benefit is that younger kids get a kick out of seeing bubbles, and now they can produce them without getting in trouble at the dinner table!

Older swimmer? Nose bubbles. This is a good practice to get into at any age. if you must hold your nose when going under or jumping, then your hands are only working at 50%. This will free up both hands, as well as make a faster swimmer.

If your child is nervous about getting water in their nose, start slowly. Have them blow from their nose close enough to the water to make the surface move. A bathtub or small pool may be best to start to avoid waves. Gradually get closer to the water until they are actually blowing underneath the surface.

Both of these can be done over and over for practice. You make a game to see how long they can make the bubbles go before they run out of air. Then see if the can beat their time. They could even practice slow breath release anywhere, then be ready for the water when it is accessible.

Please let me know if you have any questions, or even any other suggestions!

Friday, August 6, 2010

Fall/ Winter session

We will be having a fall/ winter session. The times will be October 15-30. A Friday/Saturday combo for 3 weeks. The times will be Fridays at 5:15 and Saturdays at 1:15.

In an effort to keep this session small-ish, there will be limited spaces. In keeping with the first come, first served, I will be contacting those who have shown an interest earlier this summer. I will then move down the list to those I hear from starting today. Thank you for understanding.

There will also be a payment deadline. If you will be signing up, I MUST have your fee by FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1st.

I will post again soon on the amount of availability. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, or E-MAIL ME. This will be the easiest way to get a hold of me, and probably get the quickest response.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

What you can do, part 1

I am still waiting on a response about dates for the fall session, and I promise to post as soon as I find out anything. Until then, I will finally begin a series that I had tried to start a while back....

This may sounds very counterproductive to a parent who wants their child to learn, but let them play. Get them to a body of water (where you are comfortable of course), and let them splash around and just have fun.

If a child isn't comfortable in the water, he will not be successful in swim lessons. Sometimes private lessons are best for those who do have fears of the water. On the bright side, if a child is scared, you don;t need to fork out the money for lessons, if you are an able bodied swimmer. You can get your child acclimated to the water. Just go slowly and let them get used to it at their speed.

Is your child not afraid? Try to let them play in water they can barely touch in. They will be comfortable with the ground so close, but will also be challenged while playing & having fun.