Swimming Lesson

Amy has her swimming lesson from 5:30 - 6:30. It's a bit late, but we chose that time so she can go with her friends from kindy, Hina and Luna.

She was completely green when she started, she couldn't even get her face wet, let alone put it in the water. She has spent the last three months concentrating on that technique, and holding her breath. Now she is enjoying herself immensely and constantly practicing her new skill in the bath everyday, as well as over and over in the pool (always making sure I am watching). She bounces around and plays with her friends, and sometimes pays attention to the teacher.

Their system is to do only a few things as a class - kick practice sitting on the side of the pool, breath holding, lengths (about a third of the 25m pool roped off) of whatever they are capable of. Then the kids line up and the teachers take each one individually and have them do a lenght of whatever they are up to. While they are waiting the kids mess around and have a grand time playing together.

Amy is learning to float on her back while holding the kick board, and to finish her length by tucking in her chin, holding her breath, making a ball and thus coming up to stand.

While she swims, me and Lena look on from the Gallery, a corridor running the length of the pool with large glass walls for us to see through. Lena likes to run up and down between the seats and the windows, pushing past everyone's knees and counting them. Or she hooks up with one or another toddler to play with. She climbs the barred windows behind the seats, plays with her doll, steals other kids' snacks and climbs onto a bridge made from my legs, feet resting on the window-sill. Fortunately the other mums think she's a cute diversion from the boredom of watching kids swim up and down a pool, and not a nuisance!