Splash Week

Dylan's daycare took part in Splash Week put on by the Monroe YMCA this past week.  It was a daily lesson on water safety and some basic swimming instruction and only $10 for the week which is a great deal and also includes passes to open swims there throughout the summer.  I was apprehensive seeing that Dylan's last lesson at the LS High Pool didn't go well, for some reason he decided he was totally against swimming and wouldn't even get in the pool.  I had even signed him up for the next session but cancelled that night because I didn't want to go through five more weeks of struggling to get him to get into the pool.

I was pleasantly surprised that he was much more willing to do it when the other kids from daycare were there for this swim session.  I was able to take him the first day, Monday, as well as Wednesday, and he went with daycare the other days while I was working.  We'd never been to the YMCA in Monroe and discovered it is huge!  The pool is great because it has a shallow end where Dylan can touch (the Lake Stevens HS pool didn't, they sunk a small platform for the kids to stand on) and was warmer than the LS pool which Dylan really liked.  The first lesson, they learned how to safely enter and exit the pool, practiced blowing bubbles and floating on their fronts and backs. These swimming pictures are actually from Wednesday, when the learned life jacket safety, I had forgotten my camera the first day.

Afterwards, Dylan and I spent a little time at the nearby Fryelands Park before catching Brave at the Monroe theater.

Swimming with the help of a life jacket

Back float on the life jacket

Back float with the noodle

He had a great time at his "safety lessons" (what he called them) and seems to be more comfortable in the water.  I think it did a lot of good having him go every day, back-to-back and have his friends from daycare with him.  I think we'll try to do another session of swim lessons again in the Fall.  Maybe this time at the YMCA.  I do think he liked that pool better since he could touch.  I didn't like the swim instructors as well, they weren't as caring and compassionate as his instructor at the HS, who was really great.  I'll have to think about it and see what Dylan thinks too.  I also am not sure how many opportunities we'll have this summer to practice his skills so hopefully there's not too much relapse either.