Yesterday, I took Carson to his first tumbling class at Desert Thunder Gymnastics. The Tiny Tumblers class is for 1-4 year-olds and a parent accompanies the child. The class incorporate music, games, and small play equipment while teaching basic gymnastics skills. Some of the other moms in our playgroup have taken the class, so I thought it would be a fun thing for Carson and I to try!
Here is a little overview of what Carson got to try during the class. First they started out with stretches and a little game. I helped Carson stretch a little, but he was far more interested in looking around at all the other kids in the class. Then the teacher had set up a little obstacle course for the students to follow. First was the crab walk, which I knew there was no way Carson was going to be able to do just yet; so the teacher showed me how to help him try. Then there was a tunnel for the kids to crawl through, which Carson was a pro at. Next, the students were to attempt a cartwheel, in which the teacher helped Carson, but telling him to put his hands on the ground, and then she flipped his legs over. I don't think he knew what was going on! Next was a jumprope, which I thought might be more successful because Carson loves to jump...well attempt to jump; his toes don't quite get off the ground yet, which in turn didn't help with the jumproping, but he had fun trying. Then the big finally - the student was to do a somersault down a mat (the one that kind of looks like a piece of cheese). Carson succeeded with the help of the teacher, but then he ran off towards the pit, so I had to go after him.
After the obstacle course, was what Carson had been running towards - the trampoline and pit! I thought he would love this part, and I was halfway right. He did great jumping on the trampoline and getting into the pit, but then he was done. After doing something once, he was ready to run around again! I would get him to wait, by telling him to watch the older kids, which I know he loves to do. Last, was the balance beam, which ended up being Carson's favorite and best activity. They had a small balance beam on the floor, and then a full-size one next to that. I thought Carson would be scared to walk on the tall one, but he acted like he had been doing it his whole 17 months of life! I guess he isn't scared of heights like his mom!
One cute thing that Carson enjoyed was each student had their own little mat to sit on while they were stretching or waiting their turn, and Carson looked so proud carrying it around to each station all by himself. I wish I had pictures, but there was too much going on for me to even think about it!
Overall, it was a great experience, but I think we are going to wait before we enroll in any future classes until Carson is a little older. He just doesn't have the attention span yet to actually follow all the directions and wait his turn for the 45-minute class. The gym has an Open Gym on Friday morning where you can bring your kids and use the equipment on your own, so we are going to stick to that for a few months, until Carson gets used to the place and the equipment. I took gymnastics for years when I was younger, so I feel really comfortable using their equipment and helping Carson learn to use it and try basic gymnastics moves like cartwheels and somersaults. Plus I learned a lot from Ms. Amanda, Carson's teacher, who ended up spending a lot of one-on-one time with Carson and I during the class because the other 4 students were 2 1/2-3 years old and knew what they were doing for the most part.
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