Gym Class

Jack has gotten involved in a few activities this summer including joining a gym (The Little Gym). He attends a mommy-and-me class once a week. The classes typically start with 'circle' activities which incorporate music, following directions and taking turns. They start the session by singing an opening song and shaking bells to the music. Then they go around and introduce themselves and run to give the instructor a high or low five. Then they walk, run, jump, 'fly', etc. in a circle together to music, according to the instructor's instructions. Then they line up at the wall and wait for the teacher to lay out either a parachute or a blow-up jumping mat to work with. If chaos breaks loose during the mat activities, the teacher yells "pizza pizza!" and they all look up at the pizza stuck on the ceiling and it seems to do the trick of calming them down. There's about 10-15 kids in his class.

Then they get to break out in free play with the gym equipment. There are mats of all shapes and sizes (including one they call a cheese mat), balance beams, spring boards, uneven bars and hoola hoops. They are typically taught a couple of skills to work on during class. Skills may include anything from doing somersaults, donkey kicks, basket hangs from the bars, maneuvering the balance beams, etc. Then they reconvene in the circle for ball play and bubbles. They are encouraged to use the balls in imaginative ways rather than just shooting baskets with them. They end the session with another song with bells. Then they run to the lobby to get stamps on their hands, feet, and sometimes bellies. Here are some pics of one of his classes: