…and so much more! Confession – we have said we were going to do swimming lessons for a while now. We have done them with our oldest, but haven’t with our younger two yet. We weren’t consistent with them and the few weeks that he did them, not much stuck in terms of mastery of any skills or confidence in the water.
This summer will be our second summer spent at the neighborhood pool being outnumbered in our parent:kid ratio, which makes the skills they learn in swim lessons even more crucial! I want all my kids to feel confident in the water and know how to navigate themselves (to an extent) in the pool. I was thrilled to hear that Aqua Tots was opening a location in Olathe that is super convenient for our family…add in the fact that they have a very family-friendly schedule and class times available, I knew we needed to try it out. We are almost a month into our lessons with all three kids and our whole family is loving them! Here are some reasons why you need to try out Aqua Tots!
- Super family friendly facility: The facility has such a family-friendly feel from the minute you walk in.From the bright colors and super friendly front staff, you are greeted with smiles! It’s open and easy to keep track of where your kids are at all times! And…they have you covered if you forget essentials – from swim diapers, to goggles and even snacks available for purchase, they have you covered for those times when we have too much going on to remember everything.
- Quality swim lessons is one of the things that has impressed me the most! The instructors all have completed over 40 hours of training and are so personable. They call each child by name at the start of lessons and they truly get to know your child and their learning style. With the small class sizes and
consistency of instructors, my children all look forward to their lessons and interactions with their own instructor. Each child has an Aqua card that tracks their progress from class to class, and they have notes to track their progress. They also provide specific feedback to you as a parent at the end of each class on what they did well in and where they are working on improvement. That gives me a chance to talk about specific accomplishments and learnings with my older kids – and we know what to practice on in the bath tub, too. - Comfortable viewing area: that includes some comfy chairs (plenty of them) with free WiFi (ha – I actually typed a portion of this post while watching my oldest at his lessons on Wednesday night!) and a small area in the corner with some kids toys. Needless to say, getting to swim lessons on Saturday mornings EARLY is not a problem for my crew because they all want to get there a little early so they can play for a few minutes. I’m not kidding. And to be clear – we get no where early.
- Amenities for all: this includes a TON of changing rooms, family restrooms and an awesome swimsuit dryer that
quickly takes those soaking wet swimsuits that no one wants to throw in their bag magically NOT soaking wet! From the large amount of changing rooms, to the family restrooms and even an area to “freshen up” after lessons are over (complete with products and a few hair dryers!), I have been more than impressed with all these great things for our family. Each of them make for an enjoyable experience each time we come in for lessons! - Comfortable and convenient: I will say this one we have taken FULL advantage of, and I wasn’t sure how it would actually hold up. But when they say that you can easily cancel and schedule a make up lesson – they are SERIOUS. You guys, my oldest is going two times a week… which with other kids activities during the week and the inconsistency of baseball practices and games this spring, it was hard for me to commit 100% to a weeknight. The owner was upfront with me that we could set a day and time that works best but then can easily call and reschedule – which I’ve had to do MANY times! So when they say they understand the flexibility that a family needs – they a
re not kidding!
We are loving the lessons there and the improvement I have seen in all my kids – especially my oldest because we are taking him two times a week – is amazing! We plan to continue these lessons even through the summer and I can’t wait to share how they continue to improve and grow with this super important skill! Make sure you check Aqua Tots out – their friendly staff can give you a tour of the facility and talk to you about classes, pricing and other questions you might have!
