Kindergym / Gymnastics

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

Just wondering if anyone else has a LO that does kindergym or gymnastics around my girls ages (2 & 3)

We took the girls to to a gymnastics place that is open for play, with all the foam pitts, the tramps etc etc.
DD1 loved it, she has quite good upper body strength and enjoyed hanging from the ropes over the pitts and jumping on the trampolines but her favorite in the end was the balance beam.

This gym is over half an hour away and not really worth the travel to do regularly so i checked out more local ideas and the next town across has kindergym.

The only issue is a parent must be with each child at all times on the floor, i am able to take BOTH girls at the same time but they have to follow each other through, i think DD1 will be fine but not sure how DD2 is going to go with it all.
I am allowed to just put DD1 in but DD2 would have to sit in a pram the entire time and just watch and i'm not sure how that will go.

So today we have a free trial, 1 lesson to see if we think they will like it... i'm just not sure i can decide based on today. IYKWIM.

If i had someone who could have DD2 every lesson then it would be fine and i would just do DD1 for now but we don't really have family here and the friends we do have ave kids of their own.

The other thing is the cost, it's $40 a year each plus a fmaily levy (one payment) and then it works out to a little over $100 a term EACH - with that on top of kinder fees & swimming i would be payings something like $800 a term in activities.
We've agreed if it's something they really like then we don't mind but i'm just not sure i can tell after 1 lesson if it's worth it. IYKWIM.

So please - is it worth it at this age, do your kids enjoy it & what do they get out of it?

[ss_storm]

DD (3) started Kindergym this year and absolutely loves it, she doesn't really interact with the other kids much, but she is always talking about 'Kindergym on Fridays'!
Ours is only about $80/term, and there are plenty of mums there with two kids, some have three. I don't think there is a strict 'one parent for one kid' rule and while I can see the safety aspects of it, I think it's a bit odd to be so strict about it. I'm sure there'd be many parents who have more than one child at the same time?

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

Apparently they are quite strict on it - DD1 & 2 must follow each other (so same equipment same time) and there is to be no more than 1 adult per child (so if DP came and it was only DD1 then we both couldn't be on the floor with her.
It's going to be more of an issue keeping DD2 occupied and following on that it will DD1 so i will see how we go.

'So it's worth the $80+ a term?

[Nai]

DD2 does gymnastics and we have a couple of parents who have 2 kids with them. It's hard work but if one runs off the other parents help regroup them. DD2 loves it but has only really started being good about following directions and doing what she is meant to in the last few months, and we pay about $120 per term!

[Maruschke]

DD1 does kinder gym through the PCYC for $5/week and loves it.

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

They both LOVED it... BBL to update!


Sent from my iPhone, more than likely while I should be doing something else!

[Jakabella]

My 3.5 yo does Mini Jetts Gymnastics every Tuesday and LOVES it! She raves about it and tells eveyone and I must say she is very good at it. It costs us approx $150 a term, which is exy I guess but she loves it so much and gets so much out of it that I dont mind. She will continue to do it this year but Im not sure about next year as she will be at Kinder as well.

[ss_storm]

'So it's worth the $80+ a term?

Yep, definitely! I can tell she loves it and looks forward to it every week! Although when the holidays roll around I'm not quite so sure..because I have to put up with two weeks of explaining her that it's closed because of school holidays and we can go back *this* day. LOL.

Do you think you'll take them back?

[~ Zarava Flutterby ~]

I wasn't 100% sure how DD2 would go but she loved it just as much as DD1.

DD1 spotted the ropes and was off like a rocket - one of the 'teachers' was watching her when she said she wanted to get on it herself. M told her she probably wouldn't reach (and as she's never done gymnastics before) and she didn't think she would get on.... low and behold Miss A put her hands as high as she could on the rope, jumped up, linked her legs around the bottom of the rope, lifted her arms again and then pulled the rest of herself up.

She climbed onto the highest balance beam on her own and proceeded to walk the entire length not allowing anyone beside her, the other teacher asked if she had done gymnastics before and when i said no she commented she had great balance and upper body strength.

DD2 tried the balance beams but had to hold my hand and then she did the floor one on her own a couple of times once she'd figured it out.
She enjoyed the rings and the uneven bars - she's part monkey so she loved swinging off them.

They got 10min free play at the start then they had a game, free play again and then another game and then they have a sticker book or something they complete.

Needless to say i had to get video of the girls to send to daddy (anyone on my FB it's uploaded there) - Miss A climbing the rope, jumping onto the rings bar (cos doing it like everyone else would be boring right ) and Miss Z swinging on the rings bar.

So they didn't stop talking about it last night and it looks like i'm up for a coll $300 next week to get them insured & enrolled but they love it so i can't complain.

Monday - Kinder, Tues - Gymnastics, Wed - Swimming, Thurs - OFF, Fri - Kinder - hmm going to be VERY busy i think.