Making Time for Exercise
Raising kids can make it difficult and sometimes impossible to find time to exercise.  When asked how they do it, these creative parents from Circle of Moms offered these suggestions:
  • Set up a standing "exercise date" with a friend on a day when your spouse is home.  You get time to exercise, time for yourself away from the kids, AND time with a friend--three in one!
  • Wake up before the kids.  This can be a tough one, but the energy you'll feel from having worked out in the morning can make up for the lost sleep.
  • Dance (or run or play or skip) with your child every day.  Setting aside just 20 minutes a day will greatly impact your health--and you'll have a blast doing it!  Parents and Kids Stay Active at The Little Gym of Durham and Chapel Hill!
  • Take a class at The Little Gym.  Parents are active participants in classes for children under three.  Many parents choose to play an active role in all parts of the class, which means that once a week, they get a workout!
  • Get a child-carrying backpack, and take a walk.  You'll both love it!  Note: be sure you maintain good posture and that you get a pack that distributes the weight evenly.  Look for a good hip belt that takes weight off your shoulders.
  • Park far away.  Scope out a safe path to the grocery store or mall, and as long as you see one, park so that you have to walk with your kids.  It's good for them, too!
  • Get a workout video, then set up a fun activity for your little one while you workout in the same room.  While they're coloring or building with blocks, you can interact and encourage while getting your heart going at the same time.

Perhaps the biggest benefit of exercising is the example it sets for your kids.  Our children look to us to see how to live their lives, and your commitment to take care of yourself will reap rewards for generations to come.  Signing your child up for classes at The Little Gym is the best way to create early habits of exercise in your children.

Got any suggestions of your own?  Click here to submit yours!

Healthy Eating Habits for Kids
As parents and teachers, we all know how important it is to get kids moving.  But they can move all day long, and if they are not eatiing healthy food--or if they are eating too much food--they'll still face health issues down the road.  So what can we do to help guide our kids, and set the example?
 
The Center for Disease Control offers these tips:
  • Keep plenty of fruits and veggies on hand and easily accessible.  Keep a box of cut-up veggies on an eye-level shelf in the fridge.
  • When buying dairy products, select low-fat or no-fat options whenever possible. 
  • When choosing meats and proteins, buy leaner versions.
  • Follow portion guidelines. An easy way to do this is to follow the guidelines at choosemyplate.gov.  A great way to start this off at an early age is to use a smaller plate for the entire meal.
  • Encourage lots of water drinking!  Keep bottles of water in the fridge and easily reachable.  Send a bottle of water to day care, preschool, or school with your child.
  • Limit suger-sweetened drinks and sugary snacks.  (Say "no" to candy at the check-out line!)

Two more tips from The Little Gym of Durham and Chapel Hill: Never ever use sweets or dessert as a reward.  Dessert can be a part of the meal but should not be the reward a child gets for eating their dinner.  If you want to reward good eating habits, choose something like "30 Minutes of Game Time with Mom" or "Extra swinging time with Dad."  And start the habit of being physically active every day from an early age.  (Hint: The Little Gym classes start at 4 months and go up to age 12.  A great way to teach children that staying healthy can be Serious Fun.)

Got any suggestions of your own?  We'd love to hear them!  Click here to leave your comments!

Raising a "Citizen Kid"

Friendships provide children with so much more than just fun playmates! In fact, friends are essential for healthy psychological development. Many experts believe that a child’s ability to make friends is the single biggest predictor of their success later in life. Some even claim that it’s more important than IQ and grades.

Programs at The Little Gym are purposefully designed to help children become “Citizen Kids!” by improving their social and emotional development. Songs, games, and activities focus on listening, sharing, and taking turns. Experiential learning activities help foster creativity, allow friends to solve problems together, and let them pass on knowledge.

Throughout the Season, we have special themed weeks to celebrate your child’s friendships. We’re just wrapping up our most recent Bring a Friend Week.  You can also invite a friend to join you for kids gym classes anytime during the Season. If you know someone that would love The Little Gym, invite them to register for an introductory class. You'll receive $10 to use at The Little Gym when your referral becomes a member. So share the smiles, fun and high 5's with people all around you. It's our way of saying thank you for spreading the word about The Little Gym!

Hanging Around with Friends

 

Summer Adventures Camp at The Little Gym!
Priority Registration February 6-11 for Members. Families new to The Little Gym and past Members may enroll beginning February 13.
 
Our exciting Adventure Camps are offered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings from 9:00-12:00, and on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 1:00-4:00. Camps are for toilet-independent three-year-olds up to age eight. Each week offers specially developed camp curriculum combining physical activity, gymnastics, and play with arts, crafts, snacks, and special events. Call the gym to register: 919-403-5437.
Summer Adventure Camp at The Little Gym

June 11-15 TLG’s Crazy Carnival! Carnival rides and games in The Little Gym? Crazy, right? Well that’s exactly what we have planned for our “campers” this week! Using our safe equipment, music and imagination we will create all of this and more. Oh, and don’t forget about the carnival “Talent Show” on the last day! “Come one, come all to TLG’s Crazy Carnival”!

June 18-22 Cars, Planes, Trucks and Trains Is your child crazy about “Trucks”? “Trains”? Do they dream of flying, or speeding across the finish line in their racecar?! Each day this camp offers fun activities, music and games about one of these modes of transportation; an exciting week of Transportation Fascination!

June 25-29 X-treme Sports of ALL Sorts Tired of the regular old sports? How about challenging yourself with some X-treme Sports – TLG Style?! The kids will have a BLAST taking part in some creatively-modified X-treme sports activities such as “Base Jumping”, “Cliff-Diving”, “Surfing” and even “Zorbing” – riding INSIDE our donut! All of these safe activities are sure to Thrill!

July 2-6 (Closed July 4) Superheroes! Look up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No – it’s your Superhero child flying, dashing and speeding around The Little Gym “saving the day” with their super powers! The kids will have fun pretending to be their favorite superhero during this Marvel-ous week of camp! We’ll even have some visits throughout the week by our REAL-LIFE superheroes – police officers, firefighters and paramedics!

July 9-13 Lights, Camera, Action! Who knows how many of our TLG campers of today just might be the Movie Stars or Broadway actors of tomorrow? What we DO know is that each child will have many fun-filled creative movement, role-playing and even acting experiences this week! By the end of the week we just might even have a “World Premier Movie” – starring all of our campers – to show the parents!

July 16-20 Secret Agent: “Gyms Bond”! “My name is ‘Bond’, ‘Gyms Bond’! You get the point! Our campers will have an adventure-packed week pretending to be “secret agents” Each day includes fun, creative activities and games including “secret hiding places”, “searching for clues to a solve a mystery”, and fun “catch me if you can” – challenges!

July 23-27 Hip-Hop Karate Chop! As the theme suggests, this week will be an incredible action-packed combination of karate and hip-hop dance skills! Whether your child is already a “dancer in the making”, an aspiring “ninja” – or just a curious little “mover”, this camp will be an energetic, rhythmic adventure like no other!

July 30-August 3 My Animal Planet Is your child fascinated by animals? Do they pretend to be their favorite animal on a daily basis?! If so, this is the perfect camp for them! We will explore “animals” through creative movement, music and games. Each day of camp will focus on animals found in different parts of the world! We even plan on having some REAL “animal visitors” come to the gym throughout the week!

August 6-10 The Little Gym Olympics The Summer Olympics are back once again in 2012! We will celebrate by having our own The Little Gym Olympics during this week of camp – complete with Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and of course the Grand Awards Presentation! Each day will offer fun-filled sports activities. But be forewarned! Along with familiar sports, we might try some fun Whacky Sports that have never been done before!

August 13-17 From Islands to Icebergs! Have you ever been to the North Pole? How about to the tropical islands of the south pacific? Your kids will pretend to frolic and play in both of these incredible destinations in the same day – everyday of camp! From polar bears, penguins and snow caves to luaus, coconut trees and volcanoes; the kids will have a blast participating in exciting adventures in these two earthly extremes!

Camp Tuition: (The more days you enroll, the bigger the savings.  Enroll for 11-20 days for 5% off; 21-30 days is 10% off; 31-40 days is 15% off; 41-50 days is 20% off.)
Per Week
   Member  
Non-Member
5 Camp Days  
    $149
    $169
4 Camp Days
    $127
    $144
3 Camp Days
    $102
    $114
2 Camp Days
    $72
    $79
1 Camp Day
    $38
    $42
 
Payment Options: Pay in full when you register, or provide a deposit of $50.00 for each week registered.  Remaining balances are due by May 31.
 
 
5 Ways to Foster Social Skills in Your Child

All parents want their children to succeed socially, but are there steps that we, as parents, can take that will lay the foundation for social success in preschool, grade school, and down the road? Fortunately, the answer is a resounding "yes," and the good news is that it isn't difficult to do. Makng Friends in Class at The Little Gym

First, lead by example, both  through your interactions with others and through pretend play with your child.  Children are sponges – they imitate what they see and hear.  If you say "please" and "thank you," if you wait your turn patiently when in line, if you model the social behaviors you want to see, your child will imitate you.  You can create the scenes you want to model through pretend play as you pretend to be mom and baby, two friends, student and teacher.  Dolls and puppets can be a terrific addition to pretend play and sometimes add just enough distance to the interaction to make the "lessons" sink in. 

Second, play games with your child, and set up organized play time.  It is important for kids to experience following a set of rules or expectations, taking turns, winning, and (perhaps more importantly) losing.   Games help children experience how to lose, and playing games with you gives them the support they need to still be willing to try again.  

Third, help children learn the vocabulary they need to express what they want and need.  Sometimes children act out or behave inappropriately in social situations because they are lacking the communication skills to explain what they want or how they are feeling.  Teaching children to label feelings or emotions they are experiencing or you are experiencing can be as simple as stating, "You feel frustrated that you can't have the ball right now," or "Mommy is sad that Daddy has to go on a trip today."  Talk through situations that bother them and offer solutions rather than just always fixing the problem. Likewise, giving them the vocabulary to ask for what they want rather than just giving them what they want when they whine , cry, act out, etc. lays the groundwork for appropriate social communication. 

Fourth, it is important to offer opportunities for children to participate in extracurricular activities that require them to work with other kids in their age group. For example, classes at The Little Gym offer group activities each week  that require children in the same age range to work together, providing lots of opportunities for social interaction, sharing, taking turns, teamwork, and more.   When kids are younger, doing mommy and me type activities are fantastic first experiences to social settings; but as kids get older you want to look for more independent activities where they separate from their parent and learn to take direction from another adult figure or instructor. One example is a camp program or a weekly class such as those offered by The Little Gym.

Finally, take time for social activities consistently, throughout the year.  Families lives are extremely hectic with parents trying to juggle numerous roles and responsibilities, and sometimes adding in a regular activity can seem like one more burden.  But seeking out social growth activities that are specific to a child's age is fundamental to their growth and their future success in life.

(The Little Gym is the one source that covers all aspects of helping a child develop socially, as well as physically, emotionally, and even intellectually.  Our age-appropriate programs hit the mark on each of the five tips listed here, as well as many others.)

History of Gymnastics
It's one of the world's oldest sports that tests strength, balance, flexibility and coordination. The Little Gym has the 411 on gymnastics. HISTORY Gymnastics is one of the world's oldest sports and can be traced back thousands of years. In 2000 BC, the men and women of ancient Greece developed the sport of bull jumping, which is similar to the vaulting exercises you see today in modern gymnastics. In bull jumping, the athlete would run towards a charging bull, grab its horns and either vault onto the bull's back or vault over the bull in a somersault and land on his or her feet on the other side of the bull! This early event required both courage and strength, as well as grace and style. The Ancient Romans used gymnastics as part of their military training to improve the strength, balance and flexibility of soldiers. In the 1800s, gymnastics exercises using rings, bars and mats were developed by gymnasts in Germany and Sweden. Gymnastics have been a part of the modern Olympic games, since they were first held in 1896. Rhythmic gymnastics, which combines gymnastics and dance, and makes use of balls, ropes, hoops and ribbons was introduced as an Olympic Sport in 1984. THE EVENTS There are eight different events in Olympic gymnastics: · Floor Exercise - A rountine of dance-like movements featuring acrobat skills such as somersaults, backflips and cartwheels. The event is performed on a mat by both men and women. · Vault - Athletes vault off a slightly inclinded table. After running towards the vault table, athletes bounce off the spring board, push the vault table with their hands and, after performing multiple turns and pirouettes, try to finish with a controlled and steady landing on a mat behind the vault table. The event is performed by both men and women. · Pommel Horse - The pommel horse is a table with two handles or pommels in the center. Athletes perform a routine of circular exercises with legs apart and legs together in a routine with a continuous flow, while using only their hands for support. This event is performed by men only. · Rings - Athletes perform a series of exercises with swings and holds while grasping onto two wooden rings that are suspended above a floor mat. This event tests strength and precision and is performed by men only (except at The Little Gym - we encourage the use of rings to build upper body strength in all the children. Besides, they are FUN!) · Parallel Bars - A routine performed on two flexible parallel wooden rails. Routines include a series of swinging moves, balances and changes in grip. This event is also performed by men only. Although our Grade School Boys do different skills on this apparatus, we use it for all ages to promote coordination and strength for all ages and sexes. · Horizontal Bar - Athletes perform a routine on a single steel bar suspended above a floor mat. The routine requires continuous swinging and vaulting motions around the bar with frequent changes in direction and in grip. Once again, this is an event that is only performed by men. · Uneven Bars - Athletes perform a routine on a set of two highly flexible oval wooden bars. Gymnasts swing in both directions, above and below the bars, ending the routine with a controlled dismount and landing. This event is performed by women only. The uneven bars are the tallest piece of equipment we have at The Little Gym. It is used to build upper body strength, controlled body movements, risk taking, spacial awareness and FUN! · Balance Beam - Gymnasts perform a routine on a single wooden beam that is just four inches (10 cm) wide. The routine consists of continuous tumbling moves, half turns and full turns, jumps and leaps. This event is performed by women only. At The Little Gym we use the beam to promote risk taking and balancing skills of all ages and sexes. Have you seen the forward rolls on the beam by our toddlers? How about the cartwheel dismounts of our grade school kids? DID YOU KNOW? · The word "gymnastics" comes from the Greek word "gymnos", meaning naked. In Ancient Greece, most athletic competitions took place in the nude. Ew...TMI! · Gymnastics is a great sport that helps build strength, flexibility, coordination and balance - but you already knew that! *Thank you to our guest columnist, Denise McCoy, from The Little Gym of Corvallis, Oregon!
Baby Brain Development

Babies are sponges.  Their brain pathways are forming little superhighways constantly throughout their first few months.  As certain stimuli are seen or experienced more or less often, some of the pathways become stronger and some fade into the background.  Repeating healthy, stimulating experiences for your baby can help you influence which pathways become strong.

Most of the neural pathways that will exist in an adult brain are formed during the first three years of life.  What an awesome responsibility we have as parents and educators when you think that how well a person does for the rest of his or her life could be determined by how much brain development is fostered before they are even 3!   Research is telling us that how easily a child learns in school could be a direct result of how many different brain paths are formed early on.  (www.childcareaware.org)   Parents who bring their children to The Little Gym hear regularly that all areas of development (social, emotional, intellectual, language, motor) are tied together, that each one is dependent on and influenced by the others–and they learn how The Little Gym can positively impact a baby’s development in all areas.

What Parents Can Do: “What parents have known for years—that good early experiences are good for our children—is now being proven by doctors and scientists at research centers and universities all over the country…In fact, science tells us that the right kind of experiences in their early years can actually help our children’s brains to grow.” (“New Research on Brain Development is Important for Parents” from www.childcareaware.org)

The number one thing we as parents can do is to give our babies a solid home base, full of love and assurance, where their needs are answered predictably.  Babies in this kind of loving environment learn quickly that the adults in their lives can be counted on to keep them safe and secure, that the world is essentially a good place, and that they are valued as individuals.  From this solid base of security, a baby is free to explore, which allows his brain to begin forming those oh-so-important pathways.

Beyond creating that loving environment, here are specific things parents can do:

  • Provide lots and lots of opportunities and experiences for your baby from the very beginning.  Let her taste, smell, hear, touch, and see the widest variety of things, while offering physical and verbal reassurance throughout.  She will learn that other adults can be trusted, that Mom and Dad will keep her safe, that it’s OK and even good to try new things, and more.
  • Play with your baby often, every day.  Building a deep relationship with your child sets the foundation for every relationship he’ll have throughout his life.  And the things YOU do to send the signal that he is likeable and fun to be around, help your child relate well to others and build his own self confidence over time. 
  • Let your baby get to know other trusted adults–on her own terms and always within the safety and security of your relationship with her. 
  • Encourage back-and-forth communication, through your baby’s gestures, facial expressions, and noises, and your response to them.
  • Create sensory experiences through music, stories, movement, physical activities, and more. 
  • Finally, provide problem solving opportunities, such as setting a toy just out of reach, putting her in different positions (back, stomach, sitting with support), putting her on an incline, or taking her gently into other positions such as upside down.  As a baby begins to feel more in control of her world, knowing what to expect and also experiencing success and validation for trying new things, and as she sees the world from different points of view and is allowed to explore and move in different ways, her intellectual development will grow.  Also, as she experiences cause and effect—that she can make things happen by what she does and “says”—her self-confidence and desire to take on new challenges will grow as well.

All of these important developmental experiences take place each and every week at The Little Gym, in our “Bugs” (4-10 month old) classes (and in all our classes), and parents go home with ideas of what to do at home, too.  To find out more about The Little Gym, or to sign up for a free introductory visit, go to www.tlgdurham-chapelhillnc.com. 

Boosting Your Child's Other IQ (Imagination Quotient)
Pretending isn't just child's play. Playing make believe is the one of the best ways to help your child become a creative thinker, a good problem solver, and a great student. According to experts, creative problem solving is a skill set that helps children in school, work, and life. Research suggests that a child's imagination quotient (aka "the other IQ") may play a larger role in predicting scholastic success than the more traditional aptitude measure, intelligence quotient. The Little Gym curriculum incorporates thoughtful and fun activities to stretch your child's imagination while they stretch their bodies. Weekly themes encourage children to explore their own fantasy world. Music provides a creative outlet for their emotions. And exploration in the gym presents your child with opportunities to share, take turns, and make decisions. Kids learn best when they're excited about what they're doing. So go on, let your child's imagination run wild. Help them develop a healthy body and a healthy open mind.
Music to Your Ears: The Benefits of Song
Children are naturally receptive to the toe-tapping rhythm and beats of a good song. When music is played, many break into a boogie without thinking twice. Since music is something that most do naturally and effortlessly, we often forget how truly complex it is. It requires a complete connection between the analytical and creative parts of our brains and can actually improve many abilities including memory, motor control, and language. In addition to developmental benefits, music has also been known for its mood-altering qualities. A great song lifts our spirits and eases our stress.

With all of the varying benefits of music, it may come as no surprise that it plays several vital roles at The Little Gym. In addition to bringing joy and adding to the fun environment of class, our original music is used to enhance children's overall development. Active songs help expand vocabulary, musical games teach cooperation, and lyrics provide directions and cues that help sharpen listening skills and increase attention span. So while children happily hum or skip along to the beat, they're actually building skills that will help them beyond The Little Gym. And we're sure that's music to your ears.
MILITARY DISCOUNT

In thanks for the sacrifice our military families make, The Little Gym would like to offer a 10% discount off of tuition for classes or camps for any child whose Mom or Dad shows a valid military ID.  Just inquire when you enroll--for classes, camps, Parent Survival Nights, Awesome Birthday Bashes--the whole deal.

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