Disclosure: I received a complimentary lesson and compensation for the sponsored post below through TweetTeam.com. All opinions expressed are my own.
My girls are incredibly lucky…We have family that loves the water. My dad lives on a lake, my brother lives on a lake, and we head north to a really big lake several times a summer. In fact, a huge reason I moved last summer was to be closer to water. It just makes my heart sing and is my dream to live on a lake one day.
Thankfully, my girls also love the water. One issue that is always on my mind when we’re near water though: Safety. While we live in our Puddle Jumpers during the summer, I need to get them on the learn-to-swim train ASAP. As a kid who was traumatized by swim lessons {read: I was pushed into the pool by a teacher without my mom nearby and didn’t recover for a few years}, having a friendly environment with great teachers who love kids is incredibly important to me.
Enter Goldfish Swim School in Clarkston.
I was familiar with the Goldfish brand and the fact it’s a Michigan-based company, but really had no clue what to expect as far as the actual lesson.
Kinley {almost 3 years old} and I walked in and were floored at how amazing the Clarkston location is. Everything from the entry to the dressing rooms are done with families and kids in mind. Such a far cry from the sterile environment of a high school locker room we’ve experienced in the past.
Nicole, the friendly manager, gave us a tour of the facility. Of course, Kinley immediately saw what may have been her favorite part of the whole place: A fish tank, complete with two baby turtles too!
Then I saw my favorite part. This simple door:
I am such a sucker for any company that thinks about us nursing mamas. I almost got teary. Seriously! These little touches speak volumes to me and I know many other mamas feel the same.
To add to the family friendly vibe, the location also has Bumbo seats ready for little ones so parents can easily change, a changing pad {complete with some diapers!}, hair dryers, shampoo/body wash in the shower area and cubbies for anything you’d like to avoid the water.
There’s also a snack shop, a play area where kids could wait for lessons and, of course, changing rooms. Everything in the space was so well thought out. It was clean, welcoming and best of all — just plain fun! I felt like we were in a Dr. Seuss book.
After we changed, we played for a few minutes while waiting for the instructor to call us in. We stepped into the pool area and were happy to be greeted with 90 degree weather. For any mom that has taken their littles to a public pool, you know this is CRUCIAL. Babies and kids do not like chilly water…and who can blame them? I was relieved since I was going in too! {Note: Bigger kids do go by themselves.}
We loved the ocean murals on the walls around the pool! Incredible artwork.
Our instructor was so incredibly sweet. Kinley is extremely shy, so I am always nervous to bring her into strange situations. In her true fashion, she shelled up and wouldn’t crack a smile…at first. We went through the first two exercises and she did not look amused. I started to panic that she may go into meltdown mode. Then, little plastic balls came out and she had to “scoop” paddle to them. She LOVED it. She started laughing and paddling and kicking like she was instructed to do.
Then the instructor brought out large foam ducks for each child to float on. Kinley started getting braver and braver as time went on. The kids ran across a large foam piece, got to paddle after rubber duckies, and more. All in all, each little task contributed to the larger picture of learning the basics of swimming. I even dunked her under and she was fine with it. I could tell how comfortable she felt in the water by the end of the lesson and it made my heart swell with pride.
Kinley will tell you what she thought the best part of the lesson was: Ribbons! She was so proud of the two she earned and it meant the world to me that they made my little gal feel so special. She held them in her hands all the way home and then had to tell grandma and daddy all about them.
Thank you, Goldfish Clarkston, for the wonderful experience! We can’t wait to come back and visit again soon.
Goldfish Swim School in Clarkston is located off Sashabaw, just south of I-75 at 6340 Waldon Center Dr. Call them at (248) 795-2252 for more information, or visit their website, Facebook, or company-wide Twitter.
Do your kids take swim lessons? What has their experience been like?
I’m actually getting ready to move to Clarkston. I’ll definitely have to check this place out for my daughter 🙂
You definitely should…I bet she will LOVE it! They have open swim days and family nights too if you can’t make lessons work 🙂
I knew someone who took her kids there a few years ago and loved it! I really wish it was closer for me, I am getting ready to sign my little girls up for swimming lessons and I know they are going to hate the freezing cold pool at the high school!