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Rakaipaka FREE Swimming Lessons.


A couple of months ago I went and had a look at a new GYM in Silverdale. It is about a 25-30 min drive away.. A huge NEW facility. I found it quite intimidating, which was strange because I used to LOVE aerobic classes and things like that. I think I have just been out in the country where I don’t even see our neighbours from our place. Lol. One great thing that DID come out of the trip was they offered FREE swimming lessons for Rakaipaka for a term… FREE?!?! Yes I know it is a marketing strategy to get people enrolled but ..FREE!!! ok so Ill stop saying the F word hehehehe…
I have to tell you Rakai LOVES it SOOO MUCH!! And he is so good at swimming. At his age the classes are centred around teaching the children how to respond in the water and safety. How to get in and out of the pool themselves what to do if they fall in, some really good skills that I didn’t even really give too much thought into. Have always been more of the technique swimming side. Anyway, as I said he LOVES it. Here he was just he and I on our first day traveling there. He was so excited and happy. Kept saying Im ready and putting on these goggles.  He then said he was swimming because everything was blue! What can you say!!





Last Friday I was sooo proud. He has been so confident in the water and capable too. They have this big floating foam mattress which they do different activities on and this day the children sat on the mat facing the instructor (see parents swim with the kids, so that means I get to swim every Friday too) the instructor then ‘pushed’ them off so they fall into the water backwards. This is to teach them what to do if they fall into the pool backwards, how to be safe… With our house this is bound to happen at some point with these active boys. Well the skill to learn here is to have them fall backwards then do a backwards summersault to come back up facing the right way. The natural tendancy for little ones is to swim down because they are disoreientated. Rakai LOVED it. He would naturally do the summersault pop up, climb up again and after the 2nd time, he was falling backwards himself!! Such a cool little dood… His peers were nowhere near as close to doing it. I am so proud of him! Way to go Rakai.

The other great thing is they have family change rooms with showers etc, it is becoming a tradition to have a LOOOONG hot shower after the lesson. Makes for a fantastic Friday wouldn’t you say?
(Ren starts next week so am bound to have some more swimming stories) 

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