Swim Lessons - Day 4

Anastyn started swim lessons on Monday, May 10, 2010. I was a little nervous about it because she is still so little but you just never know when a water accident might happen and with the summer months ahead I want to be prepared. She has done great so far, the first day she cried a little when she did the bobs and when Jodee (swim instructor) put her on the kick board, but she floated for 16 seconds on her own and she calmed herself down so easily that we were all impressed! I couldn't find my camera for the first few days of lessons but on day 4 I finally got some shots.

The first part of the lesson is "bobs" she does about 3 or so with her. Then she puts her arms and chest on a kick board and puts a noodle under her legs and helps her kick/float to the other end of the pool.

At the other end of the pool she works on her "back" and rolling over when she touches the wall. She needs her to float on her back for a full minute before she can work hard on other skills. This is Anastyn's least favorite part. If she would just stop kicking her legs she would float perfectly.
As soon as Jodee rolls her over Anastyn seems totally content and wants to play with anything she can touch! She has her float on her back for a few minutes, then she to try and get some of the water she just swallowed out of her tummy. Then she practices floating again.

Anastyn loves Jodee's necklack and is always reaching for it, it's cute. Jodee is really calm with her and talks to her and encourages her the whole time.

During the last 5 minutes of the lessons, Jodee sits her on the side of the wall, pulls her into the pool, turns her around and helps her practice grabbing onto the side of the wall. Then she floats on her back to the other end of the pool and she gets to play with diving sticks. She knows she is done and is as happy as can be.

On Day 4 of Anastyn's lesson, Taeya had a lesson also. During February, March, and April Taeya was on a little swim team. She would swim on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00 - 1:40. This wasn't her favorite thing, she complained that it was too long, she did love the extra diving she was able to do, but otherwise she started to regress in her swimming abilities. So now she just has a swim lesson for 20 minutes once a week, and she loves it. Below are a few shots I took of Taeya.

At the beginning of her lesson she practices "side breathing" with the kick board. Next she adds her arms with the kick board. Then she does "front crawl" without the kickboard. Doggy bone is next for a few lengths of the pool. Then she kicks on her back with no arms, next she adds her arms. At the end she usually does a few more laps of front crawl before practicing her dives. It's so fun to watch her swim and see how confident she is in the water. I love it!

I sure love my little fishies!