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| Hamilton Pool Little Kids area - notice all the parents huddled in the one shade spot under the umbrella on the right |
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| Arrowhead Pool - Lap pool - where they hold the lessons |
There are some beautiful pools in Arizona for swimming lessons during the summer and into the Fall. We live in Chandler, AZ and have been very impressed with the
city pools.
Many of them have large waterslides, beach entry, lazy rivers, vortex pools and sprinkler wet playgrounds inside the pools.
This summer our boys are on their second session of swimming lessons. The first session was four mornings in a row and the session they are in now is two weeks of four evening classes in a row (25 minutes each) running from Monday - Thursday.
This was the first summer they had taken lessons since they were very small. They are 4 and 6 and are in the Tadpole and Duck levels. Our oldest was able to learn enough in the first session to progress from Shrimp to Duck. The class size is small (5 kids each) which helps the kids get a decent amount of time with the instructor and also some socializing with other children.
The price for the lessons really can't be beat for Chandler residents but is very reasonable compared to private lessons for non-residents also. It was around $10 a child for the 4 day session and $19 a child for the 8-day session. When they were really little we had taken them to a swim school in Tucson and it was over $100 a session. They were quality lessons but we have been as impressed with the city lessons if not more impressed with the amazing aquatic facilities.
Having the lessons multiple days in a row really seems to help the kids master the skills quickly because the repetition is there and they are excited to show off their moves to the other kids in the class and get the thumbs up from the instructor when they learn a task.
It was definitely a workout for our schedule to go to the classes everyday for these stretches of time but we came up with a system for keeping the swim gear ready for the next day. Every evening I make sure the swim bag is packed up and by the front door to grab on our way out the next day. Some nights we have Karate class first so have to pack that bag also and plan in changing into suits before the swim lesson and also a snack on the way to the pool.
Swim Bag:
2 swim trunks
2 swim shirts (AZ sun is brutal, saves time not having to apply as much sunscreen)
2 towels
1 toy for our 4 yr old
Chewing gum to keep them occupied watching each other's lessons (really works for our youngest)
1 Water Spray bottle with fan (for me and Dad to stay cool watching the lessons)
1 Street shorts (for our 6 year old because he has the first lesson and likes to change while waiting for his brother to be done)
1 set of clothes in the car for both boys to change into
Water for everyone
Camera/phone to take photos of them
This is our swim bag. I picked it up at Target a few weeks ago for around $9.99 but they had a few bright colors on sale for around $5.00.
We have been pretty lucky grabbing chairs in the shade at the lessons but it is a good idea to bring a hat and sunglasses just in case.
We are getting used to the schedule and I honestly miss it the days we don't have class. There is something relaxing about sitting by a pool watching the kids have fun and learn.
Also, if you didn't know, it only costs $1 for kids and $2.25 for parents to go to free swim at the pools. It really is like a mini-water park at
Hamilton and
Mesquite Groves pools. We really enjoy them and there are different options for every level of swimmer in the family.
You can read more about the City of Chandler Aquatics pools here (with photos) -
http://www.chandleraz.gov/default.aspx?pageid=301
and find out about signing up for swimming lessons here:
https://www.chandleraz.gov/default.aspx?pageid=293
(This was not a sponsored post)
