It was just another Thursday night. Giggles and splashing filled the air, rising over the tune of “I’m a LittleTeapot.” Four toddlers grinned in their mothers’ arms as they filled cups with pool water and watched as the water filtered out through the holes poked into the bottom. Some dumped it over their heads, laughing loudly.
Brandey Fine, director at the Stroud pool, led the singalong, the early evening sun glinting off her bright sunglasses.
“Good! Now we’re going tolearnanewsong.Thisone is ‘Pop Goes the Weasel,’” she chirped, gathering up the cups from the kids.
To a casual observer, this could be another play day in the pool in Foster’s Park. However, the songs and activities were carefully curated to help introduce little ones to water, swimming, and pool safety.
“We do swim lessons for our 5 and older kiddos at the beginning of the summer, and we had several people on Facebook as if there was going to be any Mommy and Me classes. So, I talked with Marsha (Thompson) and we just thought we might try it out,” Fine said.
They started with a three-day class held on July 15-17 and kept the group size small. Fine said she researched online and found materials through the Red Cross to put together a three-day curriculum. The classes were short -- only about 35 minutes actually in the water.
It’s important for infants and toddlers to be introduced to water and water safety, because that’s who is getting hurt the most, Thompson said, who’s worked at the pool for the last 11 or so years, and was the previous director.
“The parents turn their eyes off. In fact, they just had that two days ago.Amom was getting her stuff together,” and a two-year-old ended up in the pool, and a lifeguard pulled them out,” she said. “That happens quicker than parents realize, especially when they’re not used to being around a pool.”
Thompson said small children should know basics like how to flip onto their back and how to get out of the pool, all things that they learn in the Mommy and Me class, with Mom holding them.
Fine added that another goal is to help teach parents some skills and techniques that they can use with their kids on their own.
“It gives us an opportunity to talk to the parents about water safety and be able to teach them how to work with their kiddos on their own,” she said.
“And at that age, having mommy with them is going to be more beneficial than it is with strangers,” Thompson added.
Not to mention, even though regular swim lessons start for age 4, Thompson said there are always a few 3-year-olds snuck in. And they can always tell -- they’re usually the ones crying for mom.
In the class on July 17, Fine led activities designed to build the children’s comfort with the water. They sang songs and went from dumping water over their heads to blowing bubbles in it, then eventually sticking their faces in. They also worked on floating on their backs.
By the end of the class, some had graduated to going completely underwater. All of them had practiced climbing up out of the pool and then jumping into their mother’s arms. Each time a child completed a task, everyone cheered.
This was the first time the pool offered a class for younger kids.
Fine said if it goes well, they will offer it again next, and possibly open it up to more sessions.