Today on the way to school, I had a conversation with Liam.
Liam: "Mom, Frankie was crying because he had to sit on the bench."
Me: "Wow, Liam. Did he get hurt or did he do something he wasn't supposed to do?"
Liam: "He did something he wasn't supposed to do. I told him that he shouldn't do it, but he did it anyway. I don't do bad things anymore."
Me: "Good job, Liam. I know you are very sweet. Sometimes it takes other people a few more times of sitting on the bench before they figure out it isn't fun, and to just follow directions the first time they are told."
Liam: "I gave some of my Batman rings to my friends. I gave three to Adeline, two to Riley and one to Frankie."
Me: "That's great, Liam! That is so fun that you wanted to share with your friends and see them happy with the rings, too."
I then broke out into the "Love is something if you give it away" song. Complete cheesefest, I know. We loved it. We walked into school singing the song. A good start to the day. I smile when I think about Liam's super sweet heart.
And I'm amazed at how well he is able to sit and listen during class. I've heard that boys struggle with this more than girls, but honestly he doesn't seem to have any problem sitting and listening! They get stickers throughout the day for good behavior. As they get different stickers on their wings, they can turn them in to become a different animal, higher up the ranks. He is about to become a peacock. :) Two of the teachers yesterday commented to me that he had a really good day. Loves me some Liam.
Peace, love and good boy behavior,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Parents ≠ Swim Instructors
The Atlanta Swim Academy had a spot open up in the "Flounders" class right after Liam's class concludes at 5:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Although Ava knows how to swim, I thought she could definitely benefit from additional swimming classes. I told her that I thought ANYONE other than Michael Phelps could benefit from knowing how to swim better. She replied "But what about Ryan Lochte?"
Knowing they could both use some time in the water, we decided to go to the South Cobb Aquatic Center on Friday night. They have an indoor play area in the pool, a lazy river, a beach entry swim area that is fairly shallow, a 3 foot swim area, a three-story water slide, a diving board and a deep end! All for the right price. ($3.50 for kids, $4.50 for adults). It is a good 30 minute drive to get there, but well worth it, I think.
Note: These pictures are from the aquatic center's Web site.
We told the kids they would be practicing our swimming in the water before they could head over to the play area. They agreed. Both kids worked with us for 20 minutes or so, but were hesitant to our instruction. Funny, Ava seems to be more open lately to my clothing / style suggestions (i.e. - "That doesn't really match.") and learning shortcuts, etc, but not to my swimming instructions. She didn't want to put her face in the water and told me so. I told her they were going to make her put her face in the water the following day, so I thought she might want to get used to it that night, instead of during swim lessons.
Liam seemed more open to instruction. They did have some serious fun afterward, climbing up the play structure and sliding down again and again. We brought their pajamas to change into after showering, since we knew they would be toast on the way home.
Saturdays are pretty busy for us, currently. Ava's gymnastics lesson is at 11 a.m. We head home, have Liam take a nap, have Ava working on some homework or relaxing before we round up the troops for Liam's 4:30 p.m. swim lesson and Ava's 5:00 lesson, both at the Atlanta Swim Academy. I want them to get the most out of the lessons, so we try to rest in between morning and evening lessons.
This past Saturday, Ava had her first lesson as a Flounder, with Coach Mandy. Coach Mandy quickly assessed Ava's current swimming ability, to see if she needed a backpack floatie. She didn't put a backpack floatie on Ava. The other little boy in class looked older than Ava, but used a floatie for the first half of class.
Ava swam very well. Coach Mandy quickly saw that Ava needed to put her face in the water more, so the rest of her body could work more efficiently when swimming. Ava took her instruction well. Coach Mandy told Ava not to move her head from side to side, but to put her face in the water and come up to breathe. Ava did just that. Coach also noticed Ava coming up panting, so she told Ava she probably isn't breathing out all of her air while underwater. Ava quickly started doing that and did less panting when she came up for air.
Ava swam somewhere around five length of the pool without any floaties, noodles, etc! All this from a girl who was SOOO scared to jump in at last year's first swim meet because she saw "8 FT" on the side of a pool... She was easily jumping into 12 feet of water during this lesson with Coach Mandy. :) Coach Mandy commented that Ava is ready to start "side breathing." I was pretty impressed by that!
I think it was really a good idea for us to enroll her in swim lessons again. It helps that her lesson is right after Liam's, so we don't have to make two trips. Doug commented that she is going to be seriously ready for swim team next June. She came so far with her progress, all within a HALF HOUR of Coach Mandy's instruction. We probably could've spent weeks going to the aquatic center, but wouldn't have seen progress like we've seen when Coach Mandy is instructing!
Peace, love and bubbles,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam
Knowing they could both use some time in the water, we decided to go to the South Cobb Aquatic Center on Friday night. They have an indoor play area in the pool, a lazy river, a beach entry swim area that is fairly shallow, a 3 foot swim area, a three-story water slide, a diving board and a deep end! All for the right price. ($3.50 for kids, $4.50 for adults). It is a good 30 minute drive to get there, but well worth it, I think.
Note: These pictures are from the aquatic center's Web site.
Liam seemed more open to instruction. They did have some serious fun afterward, climbing up the play structure and sliding down again and again. We brought their pajamas to change into after showering, since we knew they would be toast on the way home.
Saturdays are pretty busy for us, currently. Ava's gymnastics lesson is at 11 a.m. We head home, have Liam take a nap, have Ava working on some homework or relaxing before we round up the troops for Liam's 4:30 p.m. swim lesson and Ava's 5:00 lesson, both at the Atlanta Swim Academy. I want them to get the most out of the lessons, so we try to rest in between morning and evening lessons.
This past Saturday, Ava had her first lesson as a Flounder, with Coach Mandy. Coach Mandy quickly assessed Ava's current swimming ability, to see if she needed a backpack floatie. She didn't put a backpack floatie on Ava. The other little boy in class looked older than Ava, but used a floatie for the first half of class.
Ava swam very well. Coach Mandy quickly saw that Ava needed to put her face in the water more, so the rest of her body could work more efficiently when swimming. Ava took her instruction well. Coach Mandy told Ava not to move her head from side to side, but to put her face in the water and come up to breathe. Ava did just that. Coach also noticed Ava coming up panting, so she told Ava she probably isn't breathing out all of her air while underwater. Ava quickly started doing that and did less panting when she came up for air.
Coach Mandy
Ava swam somewhere around five length of the pool without any floaties, noodles, etc! All this from a girl who was SOOO scared to jump in at last year's first swim meet because she saw "8 FT" on the side of a pool... She was easily jumping into 12 feet of water during this lesson with Coach Mandy. :) Coach Mandy commented that Ava is ready to start "side breathing." I was pretty impressed by that!
I think it was really a good idea for us to enroll her in swim lessons again. It helps that her lesson is right after Liam's, so we don't have to make two trips. Doug commented that she is going to be seriously ready for swim team next June. She came so far with her progress, all within a HALF HOUR of Coach Mandy's instruction. We probably could've spent weeks going to the aquatic center, but wouldn't have seen progress like we've seen when Coach Mandy is instructing!
Peace, love and bubbles,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam
"There's No Crying in..." Swimming!
(Note: You have to see "A League Of Their Own," to catch the blog title meaning. ;-)
Liam started swim lessons one month ago. We decided to forego the totally unnecessary swimming classes we did with Ava at 10-months old, and wait until the lessons would have more "sticking power" for Liam :) I called the Atlanta Swim Academy, which is where Ava attended when she was 3/4. We signed up for the Barnacles class with Miss Mandy, on Saturdays at 4:30 p.m. And boy, did we talk up the swim lessons! :)
The first week, he was gung-ho to jump into the water. They had a pretty big backpack floatie on him the first week. At the end of the class, they were able to go down the slide, splashing into the water. (The slide is a Little Tikes plastic slide, about 2 1/2 feet tall, at most). The first time Liam slid into the water, he came up with wide eyes. It was so funny to watch. The second time down the slide, he couldn't wait for his turn. There are two other kids in his class (one boy, one girl). The class finished up with them sliding down the slide that last time. He ran over to us, we wrapped him in a towel, as he said "Mom, I blew bubbles!" He was trying to tell us what he did underwater, to get to the top of the water. All in all, he came away from the lesson excited, happy to have been swimming. We video taped it, but don't have any still pictures.
The second week class was canceled due to Labor Day weekend.
The third week / second lesson? Yikes. Coach Mandy put a smaller backpack float on him. They did their routine warm-ups, kicking across the pool with a noodle arched in the water in front of them, then riding it like a seahorse. Then it came time to attempt swimming. Gulp. Liam started crying in the water because he felt himself sinking as he swam (or didn't swim). He couldn't seem to stay on top of the water enough to keep himself comfortable. The teacher got onto him for crying. He hung his head down as she held him, as if he had done something wrong. She didn't give him further instruction, but just told him to stop crying. I felt so bad for him!
He saw other kids jump into the deep end and then swim across the pool (while wearing their back floaties). He was so eager to jump in, he decided to do it before the teacher got to the deep end (12 feet). When he jumped in, he didn't stay on top of the water, so he cried and turned back to swim for the wall. The teacher again told him to stop crying. He looked at her, as if for direction, but she didn't tell him what he should be doing. At the end of the lesson, Liam walked over to us, not smiling. Poor guy. I felt like he was broken by the lesson that week. :( I felt bad, as if I didn't relay how much WORK swimming is! Instead, we had focused on how fun swimming lessons can be. We failed to mention that it really is hard work. Note to self.
Lesson #3: On the way to the lesson, we really talked about how much work it is to stay on top of the water. I told him that he needed "Hulk legs" to keep himself out of the water, and that he probably shouldn't cry, so he could focus on how strong his legs should be. Doug walked him over to Coach Mandy and told him about Liam's experience last week, that Liam was looking to her for guidance, but that she didn't give Liam instructions. I think she realized she needed to be a little easier on him. He was apprehensive, but did well. I think we can only go up from here. :) He used the noodle as a seahorse and is starting to figure out how to efficiently move water behind himself by paddling with his hands. He doesn't kick consistently / fast enough, so I think he will just have to figure that part out for himself. He did swim to Mandy, but didn't spend much time in the water floating on his own. Baby steps. He didn't want to jump into the deep end until Mandy reassured him that she would catch him. He did fine then. At the end of class, he eagerly climbed up the water slide after his first classmate slid down. When he got to the top, he hesitated and shook his head "no." We reassured him and then he slid down. Mandy caught him without him going underwater entirely. He slid down the second time and she caught him again. She had him swim to the side of the pool without wearing his back floatie. He did well. After the lesson, he came out smiling. I was glad to see his usual attitude win out over the intrepidation. :) So, hopefully he will add to his confidence level through experience and then be gung-ho, once again soon.
Peace, love and good water ju-ju,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam
Liam started swim lessons one month ago. We decided to forego the totally unnecessary swimming classes we did with Ava at 10-months old, and wait until the lessons would have more "sticking power" for Liam :) I called the Atlanta Swim Academy, which is where Ava attended when she was 3/4. We signed up for the Barnacles class with Miss Mandy, on Saturdays at 4:30 p.m. And boy, did we talk up the swim lessons! :)
The first week, he was gung-ho to jump into the water. They had a pretty big backpack floatie on him the first week. At the end of the class, they were able to go down the slide, splashing into the water. (The slide is a Little Tikes plastic slide, about 2 1/2 feet tall, at most). The first time Liam slid into the water, he came up with wide eyes. It was so funny to watch. The second time down the slide, he couldn't wait for his turn. There are two other kids in his class (one boy, one girl). The class finished up with them sliding down the slide that last time. He ran over to us, we wrapped him in a towel, as he said "Mom, I blew bubbles!" He was trying to tell us what he did underwater, to get to the top of the water. All in all, he came away from the lesson excited, happy to have been swimming. We video taped it, but don't have any still pictures.
The second week class was canceled due to Labor Day weekend.
The third week / second lesson? Yikes. Coach Mandy put a smaller backpack float on him. They did their routine warm-ups, kicking across the pool with a noodle arched in the water in front of them, then riding it like a seahorse. Then it came time to attempt swimming. Gulp. Liam started crying in the water because he felt himself sinking as he swam (or didn't swim). He couldn't seem to stay on top of the water enough to keep himself comfortable. The teacher got onto him for crying. He hung his head down as she held him, as if he had done something wrong. She didn't give him further instruction, but just told him to stop crying. I felt so bad for him!
He saw other kids jump into the deep end and then swim across the pool (while wearing their back floaties). He was so eager to jump in, he decided to do it before the teacher got to the deep end (12 feet). When he jumped in, he didn't stay on top of the water, so he cried and turned back to swim for the wall. The teacher again told him to stop crying. He looked at her, as if for direction, but she didn't tell him what he should be doing. At the end of the lesson, Liam walked over to us, not smiling. Poor guy. I felt like he was broken by the lesson that week. :( I felt bad, as if I didn't relay how much WORK swimming is! Instead, we had focused on how fun swimming lessons can be. We failed to mention that it really is hard work. Note to self.
Lesson #3: On the way to the lesson, we really talked about how much work it is to stay on top of the water. I told him that he needed "Hulk legs" to keep himself out of the water, and that he probably shouldn't cry, so he could focus on how strong his legs should be. Doug walked him over to Coach Mandy and told him about Liam's experience last week, that Liam was looking to her for guidance, but that she didn't give Liam instructions. I think she realized she needed to be a little easier on him. He was apprehensive, but did well. I think we can only go up from here. :) He used the noodle as a seahorse and is starting to figure out how to efficiently move water behind himself by paddling with his hands. He doesn't kick consistently / fast enough, so I think he will just have to figure that part out for himself. He did swim to Mandy, but didn't spend much time in the water floating on his own. Baby steps. He didn't want to jump into the deep end until Mandy reassured him that she would catch him. He did fine then. At the end of class, he eagerly climbed up the water slide after his first classmate slid down. When he got to the top, he hesitated and shook his head "no." We reassured him and then he slid down. Mandy caught him without him going underwater entirely. He slid down the second time and she caught him again. She had him swim to the side of the pool without wearing his back floatie. He did well. After the lesson, he came out smiling. I was glad to see his usual attitude win out over the intrepidation. :) So, hopefully he will add to his confidence level through experience and then be gung-ho, once again soon.
Peace, love and good water ju-ju,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Greater Than, Less Than
Ava’s first grade teacher, Mrs. Lane, posts a blog entry with the upcoming week’s schedule and what they will be learning in the upcoming week. I love this! She also sends homework home only on Friday, asking that they turn it in by the following Thursday. I love this, too. Ava didn’t have any homework in kindergarten. Mrs. Lane mentioned at open house that she understands the busy schedule of a family, so that is why she handles homework the way she does. We can definitely appreciate it! (I think we might have a hard time adjusting next year, if / when homework might be due the following day, though!)
When I looked at this week’s schedule, I saw “greater than, less than” math concept. My memory immediately flashed to first grade, to Mrs. Panza drawing an alligator on the board, explaining the concept. I’m not sure if I missed the first day of this concept’s explanation (or if I wasn’t paying attention!) but I didn’t understand it. Yes, I guess it IS possible to not understand “greater than / less than”. Now, keep in mind that I could easily see that one number was larger than another number. What I didn’t understand was the symbol < and >. It might as well have been Greek! Fast-forward a year, to Mrs. Crawford’s second grade class, when I didn’t fill out my paper since I didn’t know which symbol applied to the math work. Mrs. Crawford sent me out in the hall to complete my work, even though I didn’t know the first thing about which symbol was the applicable answer for that particular problem. Nice. I think this must’ve set the course for the rest of my math career, sadly. L So, fast-forward 30 years (exactly), to Mrs. Lane’s blog posting. It looked something like this:
Math: Greater than, less than/ Subtractions-
missing addends
Reading: Focus on retelling beginning, middle
and end; setting
Extended Text: The Magic Tree House #2
Grammar: Synonyms and antonyms
Writing: Narrative- writing 2 or more sequenced
events on a specific topic
Phonics: Words Their Way- word families, at, ad, ag, ap, an,
S.S., Health, Science
Land forms, Where do I live?
Continents and Oceans
As you can imagine, I didn’t want Ava’s lifelong attitude toward math to be the same one I possess. So, Sunday we sat down and I explained “greater than, less than.” I brought out the old “alligator” analogy, telling her that the alligator only wanted to eat the biggest number. The “<”symbol would look like the open jaws of an alligator, eating food (biggest number).
We did 20 or so problems, to solidify her understanding. Ava understood it immediately and did all of the problems like a champ! She drew teeth on the greater than sign, for each of her answers. When I told her she didn’t have to add teeth, she said she wanted to add them. So, we had a paper full of teeth. I had her read the answered problem out loud, so she could “translate” the symbols into words, as well. She understood. I then created some open-ended problems, which I thought would really make sure she got it. One of the problems I gave her looked like this:
9 < __
In the blank, Ava wrote her response as "9 < 1000." I had to chuckle. We only went over the “thousands” place once recently. So obviously that stuck, too. She finished about 20 other problems like this one, each one answered correctly. She actually asks if I will give her more math problems (subtraction, etc).
On Monday, Mrs. Lane e-mailed me, telling me Ava was the only one in class who knew what “greater than , less than” meant. That’s my girl. J I am sure there will be other educational hurdles, but at least she made it past one that tripped me up! J
Peace, love and Ava's understanding > math problems,
Shelly, Doug, Ava and Liam
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