Summer camps and classes are already on the horizon for local families, with enrollment happening now. I'm taking it all in, with some ideas about where we want to enroll and how to spend our family's favorite season.
I'm happy, though, that we already have some swimming lessons completed for the year. My kindergartner is 6 and he started at Goldfish Swim School this past October. Overall, I was really pleased with his progress because it's the first time I see an interest develop with an after-school activity that he looked forward to week after week.
Here are six ways Goldfish Swim School is different than other pools. Now that we're finished, the two that stand out most to me as contributing to kids' success is the fact that the water isn't chlorinated and it's not cold. Those are the factors I consider most that set Goldfish apart and what I consider when I think over where we'd want to continue. The pool at Santa Fe and 146th in Edmond is new and comfortable.
My toddler, Gabriel, also participated and he wrapped up recently, which gave me a chance to summarize his experience from a parent-participant's perspective, along with three tips for families who are just getting started with swimming lessons. Isaac, though, is more capable of speaking for himself, so I sat down and asked him to tell me why he liked swimming so much.
"I had a class that was just for me," he said. "Swimming is fun because you can move in the water and you get better every time you go."
Isaac's full interview is available here in our Kid Review.
It's not too late to sign up for spring lessons. There's a perpetual enrollment model so you can get started without waiting for a new session or until school's out and everyone wants to participate. We're having a baby in a few weeks so now seems like a natural time to pause. The swimming pool always calls our name in summertime and we might be back into a routine by that time to make weekly lessons feasible again. That ability to take a break is also a plus; enrollment fees are valid for a full year even if you need to take a few months away.
What I saw with Isaac overall was increased confidence, which is a great reason to enroll a child in an after-school activity. Beyond that, water safety skills and basic swimming strokes definitely made it worthwhile.
If you're looking for summer camps info, find it here. We're really glad to have given Goldfish Swim School a try and hope you will too!