The Little Gym of NE San Antonio
2941 Thousand Oaks Drive
San Antonio, TX 78247-3312
(210) 545-3770

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When I was gowing up in the 80s/90s, (to put things into perspective), I wanted to dance like Janet Jackson. Although "What Have You Done for Me Lately" isn't exactly The Little Gym appropriate, it's what I watched on MTV back when they played music videos. And those music videos were my "dance classes."

Fast forward twenty something years later, and now I see so many kids, so many "future dancers" in dance class at The Little Gym. I watch them transform when the music starts, and my inner child smiles so big.

In a world of children's programs where dance classes don't allow kids to begin before the age of three, we have decided that with the motivation of parents, it is about time that the two-year-olds capitalize on the fun!

The class is "Jazzy Beasts," and it is the newest addition to all of the amazing-ness at The Little Gym. I have taught the class since February. In just 3 months, I have been so amazed.

Finally, I understand why tons of little girls pretend to be princesses and ballerinas. The sparkles, the toule, the music; it's just plain fun!

Jazzy Beasts is a two-year-old parent/child dance class. (Yes, that means parents are in on the action, but no tutu required for mom and dad!) The dancers learn ballet basics and their progressions, different ways to move through creative movement, and gymnastics, too. It is seriously 45 minutes of jam-packed fun.

Every week, I watch parents encourage, dance, and cheer their little one on as the kids prance around the dance room to all types of music. The Jazzy Beasts just ooze confidence, and they make friends, too. They bring out the dancers in all of us "grownups" too.

So, if you did not get your dance class, or you know a future prince/princess that loves to dance, now you have the opportunity to be a part of it all. We are so excited to add Jazzy Beasts to our schedule for the upcoming Season, and you all can already save your child's spot in the class.

Call us at 210.545.3770 with questions!

Blog by Miss Tessa

Summer Camp + Class Enrollment Begins!

Hang in There... Summer is Almost Here

We have great programs to keep your child physically active this summer. Our Anytime, Summertime camps are half-day camps for your 3-8 year old. They are action-packed and fun and guaranteed to wear your child out - all in our air-conditioned, clean facility. Don't know what days you would like to schedule camps for yet? No problem! We now offer flexible 5 and 10 day camp passes, so that you get the most bang for your buck. Get a 5 day camp pass for $120 or a 10 day pass for $220. Call 545-3770 now and get them before they are gone!

Summer class enrollment is also going on now. With more than 100 children already enrolled in a limited number of classes, spots are filling up quickly. Join us for a summer of confidence-building fun and ta-das!

Choose Summer from the Season drop down box:

Jazzy Beasts: Dance and Gymnastics Twirled into One Fun New Parent/Child Class!

If your tiniest dancer was wiggling to the music before they were walking, then you'll both love our new Parent/Child dance class, Jazzy Beasts. Designed for children 2-3 years old and their parents, Jazzy Beasts combines the best elements of ballet, creative movement, dance, and gymnastics. Parents and little ones will groove and giggle together through music and movement fun, learning real ballet and creative expression. Children and their parents spend half of each class whirling and twirling in solo, group and partner dances. The other half is spent in the gym working on complementary gymnastics and physical skills like balance and coordination. Throughout the class, original music is the soundtrack to growth, grins and newfound self-confidence.

Child Ta Da!

Jazzy Beasts is coming to The Little Gym of NE San Antonio on February 1! It will be offered Wednesday mornings at 9:30 and is an ideal choice for a second class for your little one. For more information or to enroll or try it out, dance on over to The Little Gym or contact a team member at 210-545-3770.

Old Friends

Saturday night, I saw an old friend. She may actually be my oldest friend---all the way back from 4th grade. I had not seen her for about 16 years.

Just two days earleir, I interviewed her husband for a position at our gym. I didn't make the connection as to how or why he looked familiar. Not until I saw them together at the concert.

Small world.

And in that exact same small world, I start to think about friends. And friendship at The Little Gym.

I see it when children say their names in a group setting. That first uttering of their name in the group circle fills parents with such pride and children with such confidence. Then the little ones learn their classmates' names and it's begun.

I see it when children in our grade school classes teach the other kids different skills (without me asking). I see it out of the corner of my eye with their high-fives and chatter.

I see it when that three-year-old Funny Bug says "It's my turn!" instead of pushing their fellow Funny Bug out of the way.

I see it in Parent/Child classes when a child has his little heart set on that shiny green ball, you know the one, the one that's smaller than the others and just happens to be lots of children's favorites? Yes, that one. It makes me smile when they choose to share it. Willingly.

I see it during "Bring A Friend" week. Last week, children were able to invite their friends to their classes. I saw them floating on air as they showed off their skills, taught their friends how class "goes," and smiled non-stop. The fact that they got to play "teacher" to their friends was the icing on the gymnastics cake.

I see these friendships build every day. The kids meet their future "old friends."

The Power of One

I don't have enough fingers on both hands to count the amount of times I see children have those moments. You know, the ones where they just did something for the first time? And the adrenaline rush of wanting to do it a thousand more times.

The one that sticks out to me lately is last week in one of our Grade School classes. The weekly theme for our curriculum was "Progression Party," where the kids were encouraged to learn about skill progressions in gymnastics.

About 30 minutes into class, at our first gymnastics station, one of the girls kept laying down under the parallel bars. She had obviously done a kajillion pushups and was tired (of that).

I looked over and shouted out, "Try a bridge, right there, on the bars!"

After about 10 seconds of adjusting and readjusting her grip to make it work, she pushed up super high in the bridge. The gym went quiet. Six other girls stared at hew in awe, and then at me for my reaction. (I am often the safety officer and I know they were looking at me to hear if *that* was safe.)

"Whoo-hoo!" I screamed. "Check that out! Who else wants to try that?!" Instantly, it looked like a scene at the local pond, you know, with those aggressive ducks and that one person there for the first time with an entire loaf of bread.

All of the girls rushed over, waited in line, and EVERY SINGLE ONE of them did their bridge on the bars.

That kind of influence amazes me. It took one child taking on a new challenge to inspire everyone else to get re-energized and learn new ways of practicing skills.

And I see *this* EVERY SINGLE DAY at The Little Gym.

Been to the Market Lately?

I hear all too often from parents and grandparents, "We didn't have this kind of stuff when I was growing up" at The Little Gym in regards to our programs. We all want what’s best for our kids. And that’s where it starts. I know you’ve been there. It's that desire to give your children all that you can and more….and possibly all that you didn’t have.

One of those “things” for me was fresh food.

It was not until my adult life that I ever visited an outdoor market. It was like a glorified grocery store---except the food was fresh. It’s nice to know goodness like that. I love seeing the looks on the children’s faces when they get to pick out the foods in their next meals, when they get to talk to the farmer’s, and when they stop to dance along with the live music. It’s a great feeling.

I feel like a kid every time I get to pack my tote bags in the car on Sunday mornings and head out to the Legacy Outdoor Farmer’s Market at 1604/281. Maybe it’s that they know me by name. Maybe it’s all of the fresh fruit and veggie samplings I swallow down. Maybe it’s leaving there knowing that I’ve got delicious, good food that was grown in my back yard (almost.)

If you’re already frequenting the markets, bravo! Share your favorites with us! If not, all it takes is one trip to get you hooked.

Here are some local markets you can check out:

http://legacyoutdoormarket.com/

http://quarryfarmersmarket.com/

http://www.pearlfarmersmarket.com/

http://www.farmersmarketonline.com/fm/SanAntonioFarmersMarket.html