Why would you NOT re-enroll at TLG?

Now that the school year is winding down and summer is approaching, everyone is starting to plan summer vacations, summer camps, and even activities for NEXT school year. Here at The Little Gym, it is no different. Enrollment is in full swing for our Summer classes, Summer Camps, and our new Season Enrollment. As our awesome team of teachers hears more and more about everyone's plans for next year, we occasionally get a bit...how should we put it....confused. When asking, "Have you enrolled yet for the Season," we have had some people tell us that their kids are starting school, so, they are done with The Little Gym, for now anyway.

Why as parents do we sometimes think that once we start one activity, another one has to come to a stop? As teachers, we think, "Why oh why would you ever stop coming to class?? Did you see how phenomenal your pre-schooler did today?!? Did you see that he made a new friend, that he was thoughtful of the feelings of others, and that his face lit up when I told him we were going to jump on the Air Track?!?!" Why would you want that to end?

At The Little Gym, we know the best way to teach and encourage is with a smile. We challenge children to strive for success in a positive, nurturing environment. Each new accomplishment (no matter how small) promotes confidence and each successful experience motivates them to try for the next. Our teaching style is non-competitive, which means children are encouraged to strive for their personal best.

At The Little Gym, we get kids moving! Physical activities burn boundless energy, plus build flexibility and strength, develop balance and coordination, and encourage agility, rhythm and overall fitness to launch a lifetime of healthy habits. We boost their brains! We expand the mind and develop a love of learning by fostering listening skills, sustaining concentration and decision making, prepare for or reinforce school lessons, and nurture problem solving and creative expression. We shape and mold citizen kids! We teach LIFE SKILLS like sharing, working in a group, listening and leadership- all skills that translate to a well-adjusted, well-rounded super kid! We even teach kids how to fail. Yes, fail. They learn that it's okay to fall down. As long as they get right back up and try again. They learn how to problem solve. They learn 10 ways to NOT do a skill. But then, that magical moment happens, when they figure out the right way to do it by themselves and, "bam!" and an amazing "Ta-Da moment" for them and a prideful moment for you as a parent. They learn how to share and compromise. They learn that it's okay if they don't get their favorite color bean bag, or noodle, or scarf, or spot marker. They learn how to ask their friends to share, trade, and take turns. They learn compassion. They learn how to celebrate in their friends' victories with thunderous applause, hugs, and high fives.

Major studies note the myriad benefits of early childhood physical development:

-Children with a high level of physical activity tend to remain highly active throughout adolescence. Starting early lays the foundation for a healthy lifestyle.

-Physically active pre-school children perform better in kindergarten and grade school. With age-appropriate exercises and group activities, The Little Gym provides a different context for learning.

-Children with more developed motor coordination have a lower incidence of social and educational problems. By combining physical development with activities that promote sharing, listening and friendship, The Little Gym sets the stage for critical life skills.

-Positive feedback tends to increase children's intrinsic motivation, having long-term benefits on their self-confidence and willingness to embrace challenges. Our positive, noncompetitive environment triggers children's natural drive to discover their own potential.

Sounds like a lot, right? Imagine learning all of that in only 45-60 minutes each week! Sounds great to me! As a parent, I couldn't imagine life for my child without The Little Gym. Can you?

So why stop? Keep the giggles and growth going! Participate in multiple activities. Go to pre-school AND The Little Gym. Will it be hectic at first? Maybe so. But as super parents, you will figure it out. And, your kids will thank you in the end for laying the foundation for a lifetime of success!

Emily Duncan, Gym Director

4/3/12

Cold and Flu Myths: Sorting Fact from Fiction

It starts with a sniffle -- next thing you know, the whole household is sneezing, coughing, and passing tissues.  Before long, the common cold, or worse, seasonal flu, is upon you.

According to the CDC, up to 20% of the population gets the flu each year. The Mayo Clinic cites the common cold as the number one culprit of stay-home-sick-from-school days in children.

While you can't completely germ-proof your child, you can separate fact from fiction to keep your family healthier, and save time, money, and frustration. Start by putting some of the more common myths and misunderstandings to rest by reading about the top 3 cold and flu related myths.

Myth #1: The flu vaccine causes the flu

Truth: Getting a flu shot may cause symptoms that feel like the flu, but the viruses contained in the flu shots have been killed, or "inactivated." which means they can't cause infection. While there may be some achy side effects that can sometimes follow the flu shot, it just means your immune system is responding and processing the vaccine.

Myth #2: You're more likely to get sick if you're cold

Truth: Despite mom's warnings that you should bundle up, being cold does not cause a cold. According to the US Department of Health and Human Services, infections prevail in winter months because they are spread when more people stay indoors for longer periods of time and are in closer contact with each other.

Myth #3: Hugging and kissing are great ways to spread cold and flu germs.

Truth: Cold and flu viruses like to enter the body through the nose or eyes, so a hug or a peck on the cheek isn't likely to be dangerous. Don't be afraid to give your sick child plenty of affection, and don't worry that a kiss or hug will spread your germs to him (or vice- versa).

Many parents recognize The Little Gym locations as safe and clean gyms for children. We work hard to ensure each and every visit lives up to your expectations. Daily and weekly cleaning and sanitation helps keep our environment sparkly and keeps the germs away. 

Here’s where you can help. As with any other illness, we ask that you do not come to class if your child is coughing, sneezing, or has had a fever within the last 24 hours. Our generous make-up policy allows you to attend a make-up class by simply calling us prior to the absence.

Spending Time Wisely

Today marks the first leap year the world has seen in four years because, well, that’s how leap year works and I feel that  I should try to make the most of this “extra” day.  Here at The Little Gym, we put together ten things you can do with those extra 24 hours. What will you choose to do?

10. Be Happy! This day doesn’t come every year after all

9. Build a fort in your house and spend all day in it!

8. Invent a new laugh and use it today!

7. Use the word “leap” at least 3 times in conversation

6. Get a group of friends together and have a leap frog relay race

5.Read one more book to your child at bed time. You know they want to!

4. Try to play with a squirrel (this may be the day)

3. Volunteer! Give your extra time to someone who really needs it!

2. High 5 four complete strangers!

1. Spend the day with ones you love

Happy Leap Day!

Emily Duncan, Gym Director

2/29/12

Confidence…One hour at a time

As a child, I always loved the Tootsie Pop commercials. You know, the ones where the little boy asks the owl, “How many licks does it take to get to the tootsie roll center of a Tootsie Pop?”  This commercial popped into my head during one of our Holiday Camps yesterday while watching a girl muster up the courage to walk on the high beam. 

So the question is, “How long does it take to build confidence?” For Isabel, the answer was 3 hours.

Hour 1: She’s getting closer to the beam.  Circling around it, eyeing the stairs, watching the other kids climb right up and walk across.  She backs away and decides to take a stroll down the low beam instead.  She does just fine, but she doesn’t look all that impressed when she gets down.  She looks at the high beam again then heads over to the parallel bars with some friends.  I walk over and ask, “Isabel, would you like to do the high beam with me?” She just shakes her head no, so I offer her to come and find me when she’s ready. 

Hour 2: Oh my! She’s climbed up the stairs!  It took an hour, but she’s up the stairs! I start walking closer to her (you know, safety first) and she is frozen at the top of the stairs.  I take her hand and say, “how about we take 3 steps together?” I get a very polite, “No thank you” before she heads back down the stairs and to the other side of the gym.  She visits the stairs a few more times and each time she comes right back down.

Hour 3: She’s made it back up the stairs, but this time she doesn’t stop there.  One small step, 2 small steps…HOLY SMOKES! She’s halfway down the beam! I’m not really sure what to do at this moment.  I’m helping another child, but I want to call out and say, “Isabel! You’re doing it!” I want to so badly, but I’m afraid of distracting her and breaking her concentration.  So I wait and watch. I make my way over just as she’s jumping down from the high beam and I will never forget the look on her face.  It was joy, amazement and relief all wrapped up in one smile.  VICTORY! She had done it!

I did my best to retell the experience to Isabel’s mom when she came to pick her up, but I’m not sure I did it justice.  I’d like to say that it was a 3 hour long journey that ended in success, however, this wasn’t the end for Isabel…it was the beginning.

Emily Duncan, Gym Director

12/30/11

A New Year at The Little Gym

I don’t know how it happened, but another year has gone by.  While this year has been, well...interesting, I know that I’m exactly where I am supposed to be.

I would like to think that I am an optimist or at least a happy person.  I smile at everyone, I have been known to sing out loud from time to time and I truly look forward to going to work every day (how many of you can say the same thing?) With this mindset, I started to think about what the new year will bring me here at The Little Gym and this is what I’ve come up with…

Witness someone’s first steps, make a new friend, sing on someone’s answering machine, hear a child’s first word, laugh until I cry, hear a child say, “Emily” and butcher it completely, watch a parent do a forward roll for the first time in a long time and smile bigger than their 2 year old, have a child sing louder than me during the good bye song, pretend to be a dinosaur, pretend to be a robot, pretend to be a running hamburger bun , celebrate potty training successes, clean up potty training attempts, think I can still do big gymnastics skills and not be sore the next day, watch a child walk on the high beam all by themselves, get over a hundred high 5s and hear a child say, ”TA DA!”

The best part about all these things…I know they will happen.

Happy New Year!

Emily Duncan, Gym Director

12/26/11

Join our Birthday Club!
Join The Little Gym Birthday Club and you will receive:
 
-- $15 off an Awesome Birthday Bash at The Little Gym
-- Special offers and coupons
-- Invitations to exclusive Birthday Club events
-- Be the first to know about all The Little Gym events
 
Email the following information to us at tlgcolumbiasc@thelittlegym.com - Parent Name, Child Name, Child Birthday, Address, Phone and Email.
 
You will receive your $15 off coupon for an Awesome Birthday Bash via email the month before your child's birthday.
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