Technically today (Wednesday) is day one this week because there was no class on Monday due to the holiday. Peanut did much better today than she did last week, thank goodness! She was so funny this morning because as soon as we turned down the road that the gymnastics center is located off of, she repeatedly threw her arms up in the air and said Ta-Da! Over and over. She probably did it twenty times as we drove in. Goofy girl :).
Class today started with the bug matching game again, and Peanut was sooooo not interested. I think it's just above her age group. She picked up a bug card or two but then just ran around instead of trying to find the match. Some of the other parents were trying to help get her attention, but she just wanted to play on the wedge mat. Oh well.
From the intro we went to beam, and Peanut did great!! She did forward rolls with Miss Lina on the floor beam, she really tried to jump over the targets on the mid beam, and she walked backward mostly by herself on the higher beam. She did the whole series twice and I was so proud!
After beam, the class did bars. Peanut didn't hang on so well today on bars, but she tried. She did the forward roll/flip on the bar, clapping feet like butterfly wings, and toes to the bar two to three times each, before the group moved to floor.
On floor, Peanut did all of the rotations twice. She rolled up and down the wedge mat, she did the grasshopper chirp really well, she jumped like a frog onto the stacked mats, and then squashed the bug really strongly (yay Peanut!). She also walked her feet up the mat to do handstands with my help.
Following floor the class did something new - they took turns on the rock wall and climbing rope. Peanut did each once and she did try, but Miss Lina and I did most of the work. Haha. Oh well, she'll get there.
After the rock wall/rope climb, the class went to trampoline where Peanut did some great jumping and seat drops. She also tried a couple of doggie drops/jumps (onto hands and knees). Then the kids got stamps and we went on our way. Hooray for a good day!
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
Monday, May 28, 2012
A busy holiday weekend!
Look at me getting fancy - another non-gymnastics post!
Over the long weekend, Ben and I went up to the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa in Traverse City. We left Peanut with my parents and it sounds like she had a blast! Apparently she watched a ton of TV, but also went grocery shopping and swam in the pool at the MAC and played outside on the neighbor's playground structure and pet the neighbor's bunny. My mom said she also did laps around the kitchen/dining/living room and they bought her a new ball to play with inside.
Ben and I got back yesterday afternoon (Sunday), but we had a wedding to attend that Peanut wasn't invited to, so we had one more child-free night. Then, after we picked up Peanut this morning, we headed to the community pool for some fun in the sun and had dinner with Ben's dad. Peanut is totally exhausted and was in bed by 8. I'm so glad she had so much fun this weekend with Grandma and Papa!
Over the long weekend, Ben and I went up to the Grand Traverse Resort & Spa in Traverse City. We left Peanut with my parents and it sounds like she had a blast! Apparently she watched a ton of TV, but also went grocery shopping and swam in the pool at the MAC and played outside on the neighbor's playground structure and pet the neighbor's bunny. My mom said she also did laps around the kitchen/dining/living room and they bought her a new ball to play with inside.
Ben and I got back yesterday afternoon (Sunday), but we had a wedding to attend that Peanut wasn't invited to, so we had one more child-free night. Then, after we picked up Peanut this morning, we headed to the community pool for some fun in the sun and had dinner with Ben's dad. Peanut is totally exhausted and was in bed by 8. I'm so glad she had so much fun this weekend with Grandma and Papa!
Gymnastics - Week 5, Day 2
I didn't realize I hadn't posted about last Wednesday yet! Oops! Let's see if I can remember :)
Peanut had a rougher time than usual last Wednesday as well. I really think the sunshine and warm weather has taken its toll on our little one - she's still adjusting to the exhaustion that happens after playing outside. She's been napping a lot longer than she had been (anywhere from 2-3 hours when she was down to 1 hour or an hour and a half!) and she's been going down for bed earlier and sleeping in later in the mornings lately. Unfortunately, I've been bragging to Ben about how well she's done on Wednesday mornings....of course, he came to last Wednesday (since he took the day off for our anniversary) - and she struggled more than she ever has. Oh well, you win some you lose some.
The class on Wednesday started by playing the bug matching game again, but Peanut just wanted to run laps and go crazy. I let her run all of her energy out, hoping she'd do the activities she was supposed to after the warm up.
Then the kids went to bars. Peanut did okay on bars, but I had to really encourage her to do all of the exercises - forward flip, clapping feet like a butterfly, chin ups on the uneven bars, jumping and standing up on the floor bar. It took a lot of cheering on my part, and Miss Lina was a huge help in motivating our little one.
From bars the kids went to beam and our Peanut was struggling. She did one whole set of the forward roll on the floor beam, hopping over targets on the mid beam, and scoops on the high beam - but then she started melting down and wanting a break.
After bars the class went to floor. We made it one time through with a lot of encouragement (rolling up and down wedge mat, cricket legs, back walkover, frog hops, smashing the bug), but then Peanut got a time out because she hit me when she wasn't happy about something. We sat out the rest of the floor rotation (it was pretty short - her time outs only last a minute at this age).
Then they went to the trampoline, where she did great. She really loves that trampoline. She's getting off of the trampoline all by herself now and she does seat drops (although she can't get back to her feet afterward just yet). She's come a long way.
Then the class went to tumble track and she did one pass down that. She wasn't ready to leave at the end! Just goes to show you that even when the day starts a little rough, things can turn around quickly :).
Hopefully this Wednesday will be better, there is no class tonight because of Memorial Day.
Peanut had a rougher time than usual last Wednesday as well. I really think the sunshine and warm weather has taken its toll on our little one - she's still adjusting to the exhaustion that happens after playing outside. She's been napping a lot longer than she had been (anywhere from 2-3 hours when she was down to 1 hour or an hour and a half!) and she's been going down for bed earlier and sleeping in later in the mornings lately. Unfortunately, I've been bragging to Ben about how well she's done on Wednesday mornings....of course, he came to last Wednesday (since he took the day off for our anniversary) - and she struggled more than she ever has. Oh well, you win some you lose some.
The class on Wednesday started by playing the bug matching game again, but Peanut just wanted to run laps and go crazy. I let her run all of her energy out, hoping she'd do the activities she was supposed to after the warm up.
Then the kids went to bars. Peanut did okay on bars, but I had to really encourage her to do all of the exercises - forward flip, clapping feet like a butterfly, chin ups on the uneven bars, jumping and standing up on the floor bar. It took a lot of cheering on my part, and Miss Lina was a huge help in motivating our little one.
From bars the kids went to beam and our Peanut was struggling. She did one whole set of the forward roll on the floor beam, hopping over targets on the mid beam, and scoops on the high beam - but then she started melting down and wanting a break.
After bars the class went to floor. We made it one time through with a lot of encouragement (rolling up and down wedge mat, cricket legs, back walkover, frog hops, smashing the bug), but then Peanut got a time out because she hit me when she wasn't happy about something. We sat out the rest of the floor rotation (it was pretty short - her time outs only last a minute at this age).
Then they went to the trampoline, where she did great. She really loves that trampoline. She's getting off of the trampoline all by herself now and she does seat drops (although she can't get back to her feet afterward just yet). She's come a long way.
Then the class went to tumble track and she did one pass down that. She wasn't ready to leave at the end! Just goes to show you that even when the day starts a little rough, things can turn around quickly :).
Hopefully this Wednesday will be better, there is no class tonight because of Memorial Day.
Monday, May 21, 2012
Week 5, Day 1 Gymnastics
Today was a rough day at gymnastics for most of the kiddos, ours included. The past few days have been extremely warm temperatures for May in Michigan (around 80!) and most of the kids were worn out from playing outside and enjoying the sunshine (Class runs 6:45-7:30, which is the start of bedtime hour for our little one normally. I know that was the case for Peanut - she took a 2.5 hour nap today and she has been consistently napping for only an hour and a half most days.
The group started off doing a bug matching game where they jumped to different bug cards and picked them up then took them to the teacher. Peanut brought a few different matches to Miss Lina with my help and did really well with this exercise. Toward the end of the warm-up when she was getting tired of the matching game, she just ran laps back and forth down the mats.
After the matching game the kiddos went to bars, where they did a couple of new exercises. They started out with the normal flip over the bar, then did a butterfly clap exercise with their feet on the mini uneven bars (Peanut actually held on while I helped her clap her feet together! I was so proud, her and her daddy have been working on holding on to the bar and she got it!), they did the chin up exercise on the larger uneven bars, and then did a hop up stand up exercise on the bar on the floor. Peanut did all of the bars exercises three times and I was so proud of her!
That's when things started to go south. From bars the kids went to floor. Peanut only wanted to do the back walkover exercise. She completed the whole course once (rolling exercise up and down the wedge mat, bicycle exercise on a cat stretch mat, back walkover, frog hops, and a smash the spider jump down from the mat) but then wanted nothing to do with any exercises but the back walkover. I convinced her to do a couple of the stations again, but then she just wanted to be in my arms and wait out the rotation.
Thankfully, the group was all losing interest so the kids didn't stay at floor for very long. Unfortunately, we then went to beam and Peanut was melting down plus I was starting to not feel good (I was over hungry, over tired, and over heated - the gym is warm!). Daddy came to the rescue - we tag-teamed so that I could sit down and he took over with Peanut. He successfully got her to do the low beam (jumping/stepping over targets) and the high beam (ice cream scoops) and by that point the group was headed to the trampoline.
Peanut did some decent jumping on the trampoline and then the kids went down the tumble track once.
Hopefully Wednesday will go a little bit better! :)
The group started off doing a bug matching game where they jumped to different bug cards and picked them up then took them to the teacher. Peanut brought a few different matches to Miss Lina with my help and did really well with this exercise. Toward the end of the warm-up when she was getting tired of the matching game, she just ran laps back and forth down the mats.
After the matching game the kiddos went to bars, where they did a couple of new exercises. They started out with the normal flip over the bar, then did a butterfly clap exercise with their feet on the mini uneven bars (Peanut actually held on while I helped her clap her feet together! I was so proud, her and her daddy have been working on holding on to the bar and she got it!), they did the chin up exercise on the larger uneven bars, and then did a hop up stand up exercise on the bar on the floor. Peanut did all of the bars exercises three times and I was so proud of her!
That's when things started to go south. From bars the kids went to floor. Peanut only wanted to do the back walkover exercise. She completed the whole course once (rolling exercise up and down the wedge mat, bicycle exercise on a cat stretch mat, back walkover, frog hops, and a smash the spider jump down from the mat) but then wanted nothing to do with any exercises but the back walkover. I convinced her to do a couple of the stations again, but then she just wanted to be in my arms and wait out the rotation.
Thankfully, the group was all losing interest so the kids didn't stay at floor for very long. Unfortunately, we then went to beam and Peanut was melting down plus I was starting to not feel good (I was over hungry, over tired, and over heated - the gym is warm!). Daddy came to the rescue - we tag-teamed so that I could sit down and he took over with Peanut. He successfully got her to do the low beam (jumping/stepping over targets) and the high beam (ice cream scoops) and by that point the group was headed to the trampoline.
Peanut did some decent jumping on the trampoline and then the kids went down the tumble track once.
Hopefully Wednesday will go a little bit better! :)
Thursday, May 17, 2012
Peanut Randoms
Okay, this isn't a post about gymnastics or another activity, but I need to write it down to make sure I don't forget the incredibly cute things our little one says and does. Brace yourself for the cuteness:
Instead of saying bumble bee, Peanut says beeble. I LOVE that she does this. Her Grandpa O'Brien says a bumble bee rhyme and when Peanut wants to hear it she puts up her pointer finger, wiggles her hand around, and says BEEBLE! In fact, I love it so much that for the few days she actually said bumble bee, I would say beeble because I was so sad she was using the correct term. Bad Mama, I know, but it was just too cute! Thankfully she's been saying beeble again and it makes me smile every time.
On Mother's Day this year (Peanut is 18 months), we tried to get her to say Happy Mother's Day! and instead she managed to say Happy BoBo Cake! Too funny :).
There is a Michigan ABC book that we read all the time together - it's one of Peanut's favorite books. A is for the apple blossom and Peanut says "apple! apple!" over and over again while we are on the page. On C is for cherry the rhyme reads "little sweet ones fill my belly" and Peanut points to her belly with a huge smile on her face
Peanut is really good at animal noises and for fish she moves her hand around to do "swim, swim, swim!"
Peanut LOVES the movie Despicable Me. The minions are her favorites and she tries to ask for the movie by name "depicapicapicable me!"
Daddy is said with an English accent in our house. I'm not sure where she picked it up from, but she says "Dah Day" when she wants her Dad. So cute. Although she was a Mama's girl when she was itty bitty, since she's been about 15 or 16 months it's all about Daddy in this household.
I'm sure I'll think of more and update later, but these are just a few of the adorable things our kiddo does!
Instead of saying bumble bee, Peanut says beeble. I LOVE that she does this. Her Grandpa O'Brien says a bumble bee rhyme and when Peanut wants to hear it she puts up her pointer finger, wiggles her hand around, and says BEEBLE! In fact, I love it so much that for the few days she actually said bumble bee, I would say beeble because I was so sad she was using the correct term. Bad Mama, I know, but it was just too cute! Thankfully she's been saying beeble again and it makes me smile every time.
On Mother's Day this year (Peanut is 18 months), we tried to get her to say Happy Mother's Day! and instead she managed to say Happy BoBo Cake! Too funny :).
There is a Michigan ABC book that we read all the time together - it's one of Peanut's favorite books. A is for the apple blossom and Peanut says "apple! apple!" over and over again while we are on the page. On C is for cherry the rhyme reads "little sweet ones fill my belly" and Peanut points to her belly with a huge smile on her face
Peanut is really good at animal noises and for fish she moves her hand around to do "swim, swim, swim!"
Peanut LOVES the movie Despicable Me. The minions are her favorites and she tries to ask for the movie by name "depicapicapicable me!"
Daddy is said with an English accent in our house. I'm not sure where she picked it up from, but she says "Dah Day" when she wants her Dad. So cute. Although she was a Mama's girl when she was itty bitty, since she's been about 15 or 16 months it's all about Daddy in this household.
I'm sure I'll think of more and update later, but these are just a few of the adorable things our kiddo does!
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Week 4, Day 2
Peanut had another great day at gymnastics! She's really getting the hang of waiting her turn and listening and being part of the group, which I love. Today the kids started out playing on the real gym floor, trying to jump through hula hoops that we rolled around. Peanut was a little young (as were the other kids) to really get the idea that she was supposed to jump through, but she was walking through the hoop if I stood it up on its side. The moms were all laughing because the kids were awfully cute trying to do what they were supposed to!
After floor, we went to bars. Peanut did great with the flip around the bar, walking across the mini uneven bars, and then doing chin ups on the larger uneven bar set. She also walked across the floor beam by herself for the most part. She did the rotation three times until it was time to switch. She was so happy and talkative the whole time!
From bars we went to beam. Miss Lina switched things up today and the kids hopped on and off of the floor beam, walked backwards across the low beam, and did "scoops" across the high beam. Peanut needed help for the floor beam, but did awesome across the low beam, and then did scoops with a lot of help for half of a pass on the high beam until Miss Lina said she could just walk across it - then she did great with that! Peanut did two full passes through the beam rotation and then took a mini break before it was time for trampoline.
On trampoline our kiddo was awesome - getting off of the trampoline on multiple occasions and trying to do seat drops like the other kids. The group also did something new toward the end, where they all held onto a hula hoop and sat on the trampoline while Miss Lina bounced them. There were lots of giggles from the group and the kids had a ton of fun.
After trampoline was tumble track for one pass and then stamps. Peanut made it all the way down the tumble track (still working on jumping down it instead of running) and I threw her in the pit at the end. She loved it - huge smiles. A great day all around!
Just so that I don't forget when she gets older, here are the breakdowns of the kids in her gymnastics class each day:
Monday - Braelyn, Addison, and I'm forgetting the other names at the moment. I will have to update later
Wednesday - Cole, Isla, Virginia (Ginny), Abigail
After floor, we went to bars. Peanut did great with the flip around the bar, walking across the mini uneven bars, and then doing chin ups on the larger uneven bar set. She also walked across the floor beam by herself for the most part. She did the rotation three times until it was time to switch. She was so happy and talkative the whole time!
From bars we went to beam. Miss Lina switched things up today and the kids hopped on and off of the floor beam, walked backwards across the low beam, and did "scoops" across the high beam. Peanut needed help for the floor beam, but did awesome across the low beam, and then did scoops with a lot of help for half of a pass on the high beam until Miss Lina said she could just walk across it - then she did great with that! Peanut did two full passes through the beam rotation and then took a mini break before it was time for trampoline.
On trampoline our kiddo was awesome - getting off of the trampoline on multiple occasions and trying to do seat drops like the other kids. The group also did something new toward the end, where they all held onto a hula hoop and sat on the trampoline while Miss Lina bounced them. There were lots of giggles from the group and the kids had a ton of fun.
After trampoline was tumble track for one pass and then stamps. Peanut made it all the way down the tumble track (still working on jumping down it instead of running) and I threw her in the pit at the end. She loved it - huge smiles. A great day all around!
Just so that I don't forget when she gets older, here are the breakdowns of the kids in her gymnastics class each day:
Monday - Braelyn, Addison, and I'm forgetting the other names at the moment. I will have to update later
Wednesday - Cole, Isla, Virginia (Ginny), Abigail
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
Week 4, Day 1: Gymnastics
Another great day at the gym for our little lady! The group started out by doing a hopscotch exercise, that our kiddo didn't really get just yet. She marched all around with her rubber star that Miss Lina gave her, and watched the other kids. I was a little worried it might be a rough day, but she did fantastic after that!
After the warm-up, the group headed to bars. Peanut did her forward flips on the bar, walked across the mini uneven bars and tried to hang on to the high bar (she didn't quite hang on though). She also attempted some pushups with my help for the first time - absolutely hilarious and adorable all at the same time, and walked across the floor beam like it was nothing. She did that three times, until the group moved to beam/floor.
Miss Lina announced that the kids could choose to do beam or floor, so Peanut chose to do a mix of both. We did a full round at beam - forward rolls, kicks, side steps, then did a forward roll or two at the floor station and a back walkover, then went back to beam for some forward rolls and kicks and walking across the high beam.
After beam/floor, the group went to trampoline. Peanut was bouncing on the trampoline with two other girls, since she doesn't really move all that much. She was so funny trying to keep up with the bigger kids and managed to jump off of the trampoline a little bit!
From trampoline the kiddos went to the tumble track and Miss Lina tried to get them to jump through the hula hoop. Peanut stepped through it, but she tried to do what she was supposed to. She was so stinking cute I couldn't help but smile. Then she got right in the foam pit and didn't want to get out again! Too funny.
At the end of the night Peanut got her sticker and we headed home. Back to go again tomorrow! I'm amazed at how far she has come in such a short amount of time. Unbelievable!
After the warm-up, the group headed to bars. Peanut did her forward flips on the bar, walked across the mini uneven bars and tried to hang on to the high bar (she didn't quite hang on though). She also attempted some pushups with my help for the first time - absolutely hilarious and adorable all at the same time, and walked across the floor beam like it was nothing. She did that three times, until the group moved to beam/floor.
Miss Lina announced that the kids could choose to do beam or floor, so Peanut chose to do a mix of both. We did a full round at beam - forward rolls, kicks, side steps, then did a forward roll or two at the floor station and a back walkover, then went back to beam for some forward rolls and kicks and walking across the high beam.
After beam/floor, the group went to trampoline. Peanut was bouncing on the trampoline with two other girls, since she doesn't really move all that much. She was so funny trying to keep up with the bigger kids and managed to jump off of the trampoline a little bit!
From trampoline the kiddos went to the tumble track and Miss Lina tried to get them to jump through the hula hoop. Peanut stepped through it, but she tried to do what she was supposed to. She was so stinking cute I couldn't help but smile. Then she got right in the foam pit and didn't want to get out again! Too funny.
At the end of the night Peanut got her sticker and we headed home. Back to go again tomorrow! I'm amazed at how far she has come in such a short amount of time. Unbelievable!
Gymnastics: Week Three, Day Two
Oh my goodness, I can't believe I forgot to write this post last week! Last Wednesday was the best gymnastics lesson Peanut had done to date! She did everything multiple times and was so excited to be there. It was a great day overall.
The group started off on the actual gymnastics floor (the one older athletes compete on) doing a line of stretches and things. They did a back walkover, then a forward roll, some donkey kicks, straddle jumps over the cones, a cartwheel, and a cat stretching mat. Peanut did these exercises four or five times through until the entire group changed stations. She was awesome!
From the floor, the kiddos went to bars. Peanut did the flip with me/Miss Lina, she walked across the mini uneven bars with very little help (I WAS SO PROUD!), hung on the high bar with some help, and walked across the floor balance beam all by herself. She did awesome - bars isn't usually her favorite event but she did everything three or so times before she wanted to take a break and only do the parts she wanted (like walking along the floor beam - it's her favorite!).
After bars, the group went to beam. Peanut did her forward roll on the floor beam, her kicks across the low beam, and side-stepped/walked across the high beam. Miss Lina told the group they could walk forward, backward or sideways across the high beam so I let Peanut pick what she wanted to do. Peanut did beam two times through before decided she wanted to rest a little bit.
When the group was finished with beam they went to trampoline. Peanut actually jumped off of the trampoline a little bit which was exciting and she tried to mimic the other kids doing seat jumps and jumping to her hands and knees like a puppy dog. She had a huge smile on her face the entire time and was trying her very best!
Following trampoline, the kids each did a pass down the tumble track and then had a party with Miss Lina in the foam pit. After all the work we did to get Peanut into the foam pit over the last three weeks, she didn't want to get out at the end of the 'Party'! Too cute.
Stamps and stickers all around to end out the day. A great day at gymnastics!
The group started off on the actual gymnastics floor (the one older athletes compete on) doing a line of stretches and things. They did a back walkover, then a forward roll, some donkey kicks, straddle jumps over the cones, a cartwheel, and a cat stretching mat. Peanut did these exercises four or five times through until the entire group changed stations. She was awesome!
From the floor, the kiddos went to bars. Peanut did the flip with me/Miss Lina, she walked across the mini uneven bars with very little help (I WAS SO PROUD!), hung on the high bar with some help, and walked across the floor balance beam all by herself. She did awesome - bars isn't usually her favorite event but she did everything three or so times before she wanted to take a break and only do the parts she wanted (like walking along the floor beam - it's her favorite!).
After bars, the group went to beam. Peanut did her forward roll on the floor beam, her kicks across the low beam, and side-stepped/walked across the high beam. Miss Lina told the group they could walk forward, backward or sideways across the high beam so I let Peanut pick what she wanted to do. Peanut did beam two times through before decided she wanted to rest a little bit.
When the group was finished with beam they went to trampoline. Peanut actually jumped off of the trampoline a little bit which was exciting and she tried to mimic the other kids doing seat jumps and jumping to her hands and knees like a puppy dog. She had a huge smile on her face the entire time and was trying her very best!
Following trampoline, the kids each did a pass down the tumble track and then had a party with Miss Lina in the foam pit. After all the work we did to get Peanut into the foam pit over the last three weeks, she didn't want to get out at the end of the 'Party'! Too cute.
Stamps and stickers all around to end out the day. A great day at gymnastics!
Monday, May 7, 2012
Gymnastics: Week Three, Day One
Today Peanut started off the class with her Daddy for the first time. It began really well, Peanut did the gallop between stars while holding his hands and then touched the ground and jumped up. With his help she did the candlestick exercise. She also participated in the bean bag activity, even though she ran instead of jumping. Overall a great warm-up for our kiddo!
After warm-up, the kids went to bars and that's where things started to get shaky. With Miss Lina's help, Peanut made it through the bars rotation one time completely, and then she fought with Daddy about doing it again. She was having a rough night even before the class started, so I wasn't surprised we hit a snag on the bars.
From bars, the group went to beam. Peanut threw a huge fit for Daddy, so we switched roles for the remainder of the class. With Miss Lina's help, I got Peanut to do the kicks on the middle beam and the side step on the high beam. Miss Lina decided that Peanut just needed her to be goofy to participate :).
After beam the kids did floor. Peanut did great with the back walkover exercise twice, and did one rotation all the way through the floor exercises (donkey kicks, forward roll, straddle jumps over the cones, cat stretching on the mats). After one rotation though, she was ready to be done. She wanted to go bye-bye until I reminded her the the trampoline was next - then she lit up like a flashlight. She was SO excited.
The kids stayed on trampoline for a long time. Peanut was all smiles. Huge grins from ear to ear - and she even got off of the trampoline!! A HUGE accomplishment for our kiddo. She stayed on the trampoline and had a blast for the entire time.
From trampoline, the kids did one pass each on the tumble track and Peanut actually went into the pit with Miss Lina and my help. YAY Peanut! Then the kids got stickers and stamps and said thank you and bye-bye to Miss Lina. So sweet. Another day at the gym!
After warm-up, the kids went to bars and that's where things started to get shaky. With Miss Lina's help, Peanut made it through the bars rotation one time completely, and then she fought with Daddy about doing it again. She was having a rough night even before the class started, so I wasn't surprised we hit a snag on the bars.
From bars, the group went to beam. Peanut threw a huge fit for Daddy, so we switched roles for the remainder of the class. With Miss Lina's help, I got Peanut to do the kicks on the middle beam and the side step on the high beam. Miss Lina decided that Peanut just needed her to be goofy to participate :).
After beam the kids did floor. Peanut did great with the back walkover exercise twice, and did one rotation all the way through the floor exercises (donkey kicks, forward roll, straddle jumps over the cones, cat stretching on the mats). After one rotation though, she was ready to be done. She wanted to go bye-bye until I reminded her the the trampoline was next - then she lit up like a flashlight. She was SO excited.
The kids stayed on trampoline for a long time. Peanut was all smiles. Huge grins from ear to ear - and she even got off of the trampoline!! A HUGE accomplishment for our kiddo. She stayed on the trampoline and had a blast for the entire time.
From trampoline, the kids did one pass each on the tumble track and Peanut actually went into the pit with Miss Lina and my help. YAY Peanut! Then the kids got stickers and stamps and said thank you and bye-bye to Miss Lina. So sweet. Another day at the gym!
Thursday, May 3, 2012
Gymnastics: Week 2, Day 2
Mackenzie did great at her gymnastics lesson yesterday! She continues to make progress and has a ton of fun during parts of the lesson so I think it's a success so far :).
The class started off doing frog jumps with bean bags down the mat and back. Peanut needed help with the exercise but did pretty well participating. After the warm-up we went to bars, where she did the exercises (flip on the bar, hanging from the bar, touching toes to the bar, walking along the floor beam) once through but then started losing interest. She didn't hold on to the bar as well yesterday as she did Monday, but that's okay.
After bars the kids went to beam. Peanut did the forward rolls on the floor beam but she wasn't very excited about it. Then she did great with the kicks on the mid beam and the side step on the high beam. It was her first time making it across all three beams. I was so proud of her, way to go Peanut!!
From bars the class did floor. Peanut did the floor exercises all once (back bend with walk-over on the mat, donkey kicks, forward roll down the incline mat, straddle hops over the cones and cat mat exercises) and then totally lost interest so we sat on the mat and cheered the other kids on while we counted.
All of the kids were losing interest so Miss Lina decided it was time to go to trampoline. Peanut was great! She bounced on her own with a huge smile, she tried to go down into the doggie position and seat bounce like Miss Lina asked her to, and she had a ton of fun. We stayed on trampoline for longer than any other activity I think - the kids all love it.
After trampoline the kids did the tumble track and Miss Lina tried the slide when I reminded her. It worked! Peanut loved the slide and ended up in the foam pit three times I think. Yay Peanut!! I was laughing as Peanut went down the tumble track because the kids were supposed to straddle jump these foam blocks Miss Lina put on the track but instead Peanut pointed to each block and said "BLOCK!" Then the kiddo who went after her did the same thing - Miss Lina couldn't help but laugh!
Oh! I almost forgot...at the end Miss Lina gave the kids stickers instead of stamps, and asked what color star the kids would like. Mackenzie (with a little prompting) asked for a yellow star!! I was so proud of her :). Granted, yellow is the only color she knows how to say right now, but she still asked!
The class started off doing frog jumps with bean bags down the mat and back. Peanut needed help with the exercise but did pretty well participating. After the warm-up we went to bars, where she did the exercises (flip on the bar, hanging from the bar, touching toes to the bar, walking along the floor beam) once through but then started losing interest. She didn't hold on to the bar as well yesterday as she did Monday, but that's okay.
After bars the kids went to beam. Peanut did the forward rolls on the floor beam but she wasn't very excited about it. Then she did great with the kicks on the mid beam and the side step on the high beam. It was her first time making it across all three beams. I was so proud of her, way to go Peanut!!
From bars the class did floor. Peanut did the floor exercises all once (back bend with walk-over on the mat, donkey kicks, forward roll down the incline mat, straddle hops over the cones and cat mat exercises) and then totally lost interest so we sat on the mat and cheered the other kids on while we counted.
All of the kids were losing interest so Miss Lina decided it was time to go to trampoline. Peanut was great! She bounced on her own with a huge smile, she tried to go down into the doggie position and seat bounce like Miss Lina asked her to, and she had a ton of fun. We stayed on trampoline for longer than any other activity I think - the kids all love it.
After trampoline the kids did the tumble track and Miss Lina tried the slide when I reminded her. It worked! Peanut loved the slide and ended up in the foam pit three times I think. Yay Peanut!! I was laughing as Peanut went down the tumble track because the kids were supposed to straddle jump these foam blocks Miss Lina put on the track but instead Peanut pointed to each block and said "BLOCK!" Then the kiddo who went after her did the same thing - Miss Lina couldn't help but laugh!
Oh! I almost forgot...at the end Miss Lina gave the kids stickers instead of stamps, and asked what color star the kids would like. Mackenzie (with a little prompting) asked for a yellow star!! I was so proud of her :). Granted, yellow is the only color she knows how to say right now, but she still asked!
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Week 2, Day 1 - Gymnastics
All week last week we practiced ta-da's, bouncing/jumping, and somersaults (forward rolls). Peanut was doing really well at home and having a ton of fun, and I was excited to see what she'd do for Miss Lina in class.
The kids started out with a warm-up of galloping between stars, which Peanut started to get and was doing pretty well with. Then they tried to touch their toes and she did NOT want any part of that. They also did some forward rolls and Peanut refused (bummer!) and we practiced the candlestick maneuver that Peanut did but wasn't thrilled about doing. Afterward the kids did the beanbag activity and Peanut participated, but they added an extra challenge with "french fries" that they were supposed to hop over and our little one just went around them :).
From the warm up area we went to bars, and Peanut started getting the hang of what she was supposed to do, but it will still take a while and that's okay. She's still by far the youngest one of the Monday group so most of the other kids are old pros by now. Peanut also walked across the yellow beam/mat on her own with me holding my hands out for her at the end. She fell off (the mat is right on the ground so not really a fall) a couple of times but kept trying. YAY PEANUT!
After bars the kids went to beam and Peanut would not do the forward roll but she did the kicks really well on the middle beam for about half a length and then she did the side step a few times on the high beam. Making some improvements little by little, which is really good to see.
Following beam the kids went to the trampoline and it became clear we need to work on sitting and paying attention at home. Peanut is little but because she's not in daycare or any other activities yet she's still new to really following directions. BUT, Peanut "jumped" aka bounced on the trampoline by herself!!!! I was so proud. That was Miss Lina's goal for her over the entire 8 weeks and Peanut did it in one week! Yay kiddo!
Then we did the tumble track - Peanut ran down the tumble track again and with the help of Miss Lina, finally went in the foam pit. Twice! I think Miss Lina forgot she was going to do the slide, but maybe they will try that on Wednesday.
I am so proud of Peanut and the progress she's made already. I'm not expecting miracles or a phenomenal gymnast, but the fact that she's learning and having fun (she LOVES the trampoline time) is so great to see. Now we need to work on listening and following directions! :)
The kids started out with a warm-up of galloping between stars, which Peanut started to get and was doing pretty well with. Then they tried to touch their toes and she did NOT want any part of that. They also did some forward rolls and Peanut refused (bummer!) and we practiced the candlestick maneuver that Peanut did but wasn't thrilled about doing. Afterward the kids did the beanbag activity and Peanut participated, but they added an extra challenge with "french fries" that they were supposed to hop over and our little one just went around them :).
From the warm up area we went to bars, and Peanut started getting the hang of what she was supposed to do, but it will still take a while and that's okay. She's still by far the youngest one of the Monday group so most of the other kids are old pros by now. Peanut also walked across the yellow beam/mat on her own with me holding my hands out for her at the end. She fell off (the mat is right on the ground so not really a fall) a couple of times but kept trying. YAY PEANUT!
After bars the kids went to beam and Peanut would not do the forward roll but she did the kicks really well on the middle beam for about half a length and then she did the side step a few times on the high beam. Making some improvements little by little, which is really good to see.
Following beam the kids went to the trampoline and it became clear we need to work on sitting and paying attention at home. Peanut is little but because she's not in daycare or any other activities yet she's still new to really following directions. BUT, Peanut "jumped" aka bounced on the trampoline by herself!!!! I was so proud. That was Miss Lina's goal for her over the entire 8 weeks and Peanut did it in one week! Yay kiddo!
Then we did the tumble track - Peanut ran down the tumble track again and with the help of Miss Lina, finally went in the foam pit. Twice! I think Miss Lina forgot she was going to do the slide, but maybe they will try that on Wednesday.
I am so proud of Peanut and the progress she's made already. I'm not expecting miracles or a phenomenal gymnast, but the fact that she's learning and having fun (she LOVES the trampoline time) is so great to see. Now we need to work on listening and following directions! :)
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