What’s New in 2025?!
I don’t just work in the summer. I work all winter coming up with new ideas to implement for the upcoming season. Or I’m implementing the ideas I didn’t have time to put together during the busy swimming season months. Every winter I’m super busy for months preparing for the upcoming season.
Here are just a few things to expect this season. But it’s NOT EVERYTHING! I’ve got more fun stuff to surprise your kiddos with when they show up for lessons this year. This is the important stuff I want you to know about.
THANK YOU to all my 2024 parents for respecting my request and applying sunscreen at home. Because you followed this rule I was able to keep my pool cleaner using less chemicals to do so. That saves money that I have to spend on the rising gas prices to heat the pools so our kiddos are mostly not cold during class. (Can't heat the pool to 100 degrees like most students want me too. LOL) Please continue to remember to apply sunscreen NO LESS THAN 15 MINUTES before your child gets into the pool. It helps keep my pool water clean and protects your child from the sun instead of washing off them exposing them to harmful rays. Also, please try not to overdo the sunscreen. Too much is overkill. We don't want them so greased up that they slip out of my hands when I grab them to keep them from slipping under the water. :) The sunscreen should absorb into the skin, not just sit on top of it.
Boogie Wipes or some other brand of wipes are required for swimming lessons. This is not a new requirement, but I'm still finding too many parents are not including anything for their child to use to blow their nose in their swim bags. I don't have any allergies but we are swimming outside and the wind makes your nose run no matter who you are. I go through a lot of tissues myself. Every single student I've ever had has needed to blow their nose during one or more swimming lessons. Please remember to keep your child's swim bag stocked with wipes or tissues in a wind-proof box. Thank you!
TEEN STUDENTS! Must arrive to class 10-15 minutes early ready to STRETCH! I'm finding consistently across the board, boys and girls, are just too tight! Swimming, like any sport, requires loose, warmed up muscles. I hate to waste swimming lesson time with stretching and my teen students were not stretching at home before and in between lessons. Now they need to do it before class so I can make sure it's done and done correctly. This way they will be 100% ready to go for learning how to swim correctly. I will advise my students on a variety of stretches that will help with their lessons.
"Splash About Happy Nappy Swim Diapers" are the REQUIRED cover up OVER swim diapers. Students who are not potty trained for at least 6 months MUST wear these over swimming diapers in order to be let into the pool for swimming lessons from now on. There are a ton of colors and cute patterns to chose from. This is not new, but it is critical so I'm repeating it.
Fins are required for ALL STUDENTS. Yes, even 2-year-olds! Even swim team swimmers. Every year I get parents asking me if their child really need fins. Yes, they do. Maybe not for the first class and not every class, but they will need to bring them to every class just in case we need to use them that day. Fins are a tool used to teach students how to swim correctly. They are used to help strengthen muscles and build confidence. They will not be using fins all the time. Just when the lesson dictates the need for them. Please see my post all about purchasing fins in the Swimming News section (or click the image above to go to that link directly). It will help you figure out what to purchase for your child/ren. Fins are an excellent investment in your child's lessons and physical health. Fins will become their favorite swimming accessory.
At the end of the 2024 season I replaced my pool filter and pump with newer, better equipment. The "old" equipment was only 3 years old, but I just wasn't happy with their performance. In the one month this equipment ran, while teaching in October, I was over the moon with the noticeably improved performance. I am super excited looking forwarded to a pool system that runs like a Lamborghini this year! :)
2024 was an AWESOME season with 143 students brightening my days with their enthusiasm and smiles. 143 students who were better swimmers at the end of the season then when they started. I'm proud of each and every one of them. They all worked very hard to improve, learn new skills and accomplish their goals.
Thank you to all my students who have shown me so much LOVE in 2024 that it kept me warm all winter. I can't wait to see you all this summer and make new friends this year. I look forward to each and every big and little accomplishment my students achieve every class.
If you are not familiar with the "Anger Iceberg" please familiarize yourself with it. I just learned about it a year ago. Anger is a VERY complex emotion. It is actually caused by other emotions and usually several different emotions. There are a lot of different types of anger. I never thought of that until I discovered the Anger Iceberg. I deal with angry students sometimes and I have to determine what is causing the anger. It's usually fear, but not always. Sometimes it is frustration, confusion, exhaustion, worry, overwhelmed, distrust, embarrassment, grumpiness, sadness, annoyed, trauma, nervousness, or a COMBINATION of ANY of these emotions. Even grief can turn into anger during lessons. I learned a few of my students were angry because one or both of their parents had been gone away for several days and my student missed them so very, very much. For little kids this is very overwhelming and confusing and that can quickly turn to anger. So I do not get angry back. My first thought is to figure out why my student is angry and sometimes I may need your help to figure it out. So take some time to learn about the Anger Iceberg. I think you will find it will help you in all of your relationships in life. No one outgrows anger. Figuring out why someone is expressing anger can help prevent you from becoming angry back and you can help them calm down and solve their problem/s.
Along the lines of the Anger Iceberg, I have found these Emotion Stress Balls to be a HUGE help for my students to process their overwhelming emotions in class at times. These are not pool toys, but I will use them in lessons to help students communicate feelings when they find it difficult to speak or don't want to speak and it's clear that their emotions are overwhelming them. These fun, colorful balls have helped break through and allowed us to start making fun progress again. I've included the Amazon link if you want to use these at home. Several of my students parents bought these for their kids last summer and said they have become lifesavers in tough situations. If your child has any sort of melt down in class please assure them that I am not mad or upset with them. Sometimes they get embarrassed. We all have bad days. Tomorrow is a new day and hopefully it will be a much better day. So no matter how bad a day a student of mine has I greet them with love, excitement and happiness next time I see them.
What’s New in 2024?!
Some sort of tissues are required for all students. You have a choice between some sort of baby wipes or tissues. I HIGHLY PREFER moist wipes. There are so many wipe options out there to choose from: Boogie Wipes, Dude Wipes, Flushable Wipes (Charmin, Cottenelle, etc.) Water Wipes, etc. Parents are STILL NOT BRINGING TISSUES AND HAND SANITIZER to lessons. Even if your child does not have a runny or stuffy nose, their nose will start running once we start swimming. This is a sanitary/HEALTH issue and your child DOES need tissues! I really appreciate the parents who do bring tissues. If you don't put the dry tissues in a plastic box the wind will blow them into the pool, which means class stops while I fish them out of the pool. So a handy little carrying case is a huge help. (Click on the image above for a link to Amazon for a dry tissue travel box.) Plus they work great in the car in between lessons! Baby wipes are better than tissues because they don't disintegrate in wet hands or the pool!
I am an OFFICIAL member of the "Ministry Of Silly Walks". What this means is that kids AND adults are encouraged to do SILLY WALKS down the alley to class. Why? Many of my students are nervous, stressed, anxious, etc. This helps them shake off some of those mental and emotional stressors and get them into a happy, fun, silly mood for class. The kids that do it love it and have so much fun. I know it's silly...but that's the whole point! When parents do it its even MORE FUN! Kids love seeing their parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles being silly. It gets everyone into an excellent mood for swimming lessons. Don't believe me? Try it and see! I love when kids show me their new silly walks. So much fun! (If you are not familiar with Money Python's infamous sketch about the Ministry of Silly Walks click on the image above to go directly to a YouTube video of the sketch. Share with your kids so they understand the origins of "Silly Walking." There are lots of Ministry of Silly Walks videos on YouTube. Enjoy!)
I have created a Student Information form on SurveyMonkey. This form provides me with important information to help me be as ready as possible for your child's lessons. The form takes 5+ minutes depending on how much information you provide. I set it up to be easy to mostly check boxes, but also comment boxes for you to have the opportunity to give me as much information as needed for each questions. I teach so many students each year that it's impossible to remember every detail. This form allows me to remember better and reference during lessons via my phone or iPad. I started this mid-season last year and it has helped tremendously. It's especially helpful for students who are hitting brick walls. The answers parents provide via this form has many times held the answers for how I need to proceed to help each student learn to their fullest potential with minimal stress and frustration. Since children change so much every year, returning parents, please fill out the link for Returning Students, only if you already filled it out for 2023. If you have never filled this form out please fill out the New Student form (click on the image above to go directly to that form). Links available in your Welcome Email. Note that you have to fill out the form for each child individually as each student is different. Thank you.
Oh No! Where is the water?!?! Anyone who has been a student of mine knows that I am fastidious when it comes to keeping my pool water as clean as possible. To that end, every other winter I completely drain the pool and fill it with fresh water. This makes it easier to keep the pool water balanced and clean for the next two seasons. The pool is filled again with fresh, clean water and looks amazing. I can't wait for the weather to warm up so I can swim in it!
Sometimes I use my cell phone to take pictures and videos of classes for a variety of reasons. My students are always asking me to send those videos and pictures to their parents. The best way to send them is via AirDrop. If you are not familiar with AirDrop it is a much better way for sharing files using cell phones. It also doesn't use up my phone memory like attaching video files via texting. In order to use AirDrop you need an iPhone, or the AirDrop app if you don't have an iPhone. You also need to have wifi and bluetooth turned on. There is free guest wifi access for all families to use during lessons. By signing into the guest wifi we will have an easier time sharing files via AirDrop.
I usually have music playing during classes. I have found that sometimes when a little student is having a hard day, or are really nervous or scared, playing their favorite songs can completely turn things around and make them happy. I always prefer happy students and will do almost anything to make them happy. When they are happy they are open to learning and pushing their fear boundaries, which were completely closed previously.. To that end, if you have a Spotify playlist for your child, please share the link to that playlist with me. That is the fastest way for me to get exactly the music your child loves the most. I'm also open to your child requesting specific songs or artists during class. I enjoy any genre as long as its good music. "I don't sing because I'm happy. I sing to become happy." Music is like medicine for the soul. It can turn your child's frown upside down and help make class productive and successful.
Sometimes parents bring siblings who have to wait during lessons. In the cabinet shown in the picture above you will find a variety of books, toys, and games for all ages. Feel free to use anything in this cabinet during lessons. I also leaving crayons with coloring pages and blank white paper for your children to use to be creative and express themselves while they wait. I love seeing their artwork when they are finished. Feel free to use any of these items to help entertain your children while you wait. I just ask that your kiddos neatly put away what they play with when they are finish so it's ready for the next family to use. Enjoy!
TOYS, TOYS, TOYS! i have spent WAY too much money this winter on even MORE pool toys for my students. Using toys that your child loves is another way I try to make my students happy and excited for class and learning. I try to get all the popular, coolest toys. I have some toys that are now rare, and can't be purchased any longer. Unfortunately my spending has become a real problem. I'm spending all my money on toys for lessons. LOL. New students will be amazed at how many toys I have. Returning students will be excited to see the new choices with which to play.