Hi, I am interested in putting my daughter into a gymnastics or swimming classes (she is 2). I am looking at the Burnsville, Apple Valley, Lakeville, Eagan area. Any suggestions of some good places around this area would be appreciated. Thanks for your time!
My daughter is 2 1/2 and just started gymnastics at northfield gymnastics. It's $48 for 7 weeks. The class just started last week and you can make up any missed classes. Also, we did swimming through the lakeville community education...it was about $50.00 for 8 weeks, I think. The water is cold, but it's cheap and they learn a lot. My oldest child went to Foss and it was great, but expensive! Good luck!
Swimming:
FOSS Swimming is great. Yes, its spendy. But if you get a good teacher...it definitely pays for itself over a million times. Because the lanes are short...the kids learn specific skills needed for swimming really FAST! Both my kids have grown leaps and bounds after each swimming session. For those that haven't been happy... With any teacher-child experience....You can have 'off' sessions...where your teacher does not connect with your child. But the staff at FOSS is very open to working with you to get your child with an appropriate teacher. The key is to know your child and know what type of teacher will work best with them. Then.. Take charge of the situation right away, and address it right away. Don't wait til the end of the session to say this in the 'feedback form'...it only ruins your life for that duration, you wasted money and did not fix anything for your child. It is definitely ok to have a talk with the site manager right away...think they'd be super hapy to get things fixed sooner for you rather than later in seeing a bad feedback report.
Gymnastics:
We go to IGM Gymnastics in Burnsville. www.igmgymnastics.com. The equipment is very colorful and fun. They have Olympics quality gym equipment there too actually (not many places have this!). The owner competed in the Olympics and so did her sister. In fact her sister was a judge in the Bejing Olympics. They have a cool foam ball type of pit the kids just love. And the teachers are really nice. The class sizes aren't huge either...so the kiddos aren't just wasting time waiting in line non-stop for their turn. Its got a relaxed laid back style. Weekdays it can be quiet...good to see how the small ones start out. But, you may also want to check it out on a weekend to see how good the kids eventually do get!
Have also heard that TAGS in Applevalley is good. Never have gone there...its too far. But have heard really, really good things.
Best of Luck!
Renee
Hi,
We brought our oldest daughter (when she was 9 months - 2 years) to Wise Swim School in Apple Valley (corner of Johnny Cake and 42). We loved it. Small, classes (4-6 swimmers), super clean and great instructors. Good luck!
My daughter has gone to swimming classes at the YMCA in Eagan since she was a baby. We are very pleased with them. They offer gymnastics, also.
I love Foss for swimming! I enrolled my daughter in five sessions of swimming lessons in community swimming lessons and despite that she was completely comfortable in water she was being held back from learning how to swim independantly because the lessons were age based and she would have to wait for the kids who were scared of water each session. I got frustrated and asked mamasource and was heavily encouraged to try foss. Now 2 sessions at Foss she can swim independantly, dive underwater to get toys, swim on her back, it is just awesome because the lessons are skill related not age related. There is a Foss down in your area.
My now 3 year old went to the parent/child class at IGM Gymnastics in Burnsville (off of Southcross on the western side of Burnsville). They were wonderful. The equipment used was toddler sized and they were graduated to the next level according to their abilities. The class size was very small and the teachers are encouraging and helpful. http://www.igmgymnastics.com/
I'm sorry to hear some folks had a bad experience at Family Swim School - we had a *great* experience there (Eagan) with our shy son. They let me get in the water with him for the first three or four lessons (something Foss will not let you do past the "parent/child" classes) until he was comfortable enough with the teacher (who was wonderful) to go on his own. Then they were really flexible and worked with us to keep him with that same teacher in subsequent sessions until he could swim independently - at which point he had confidence in himself, and so was willing to try a new teacher. (We did try Foss at one point, and found it to be loud and crowded, with teenaged teachers - and they refused to allow me to go in the pool with him until he had gotten to know the new teacher.) Family Swim school is quiet and calm, with adult teachers, and they really take the time to get to know your kid.
I highly recommend the Family Swim School with locations in Eagan and Lakeville. It is family-owned and operated. It isn't cheap, but the class sizes are small and the water is warm. The teachers are adults and well trained. The Lakeville facility is a lot nicer, but both locations offer excellent swimming instruction.
We had a "timid swimmer" and tried lessons at both the Family Swim School in Lakeville and through community ed. Both were horrible and not at all willing to try to make him feel more comfortable in the water. So, then we tried Foss Swim School right at Cty Rd 46 and 35W in Lakeville and it has been great! They really know how to work with kids. My son is now in his second round of lessons with them and loves it.
Wise Swim School and TAGS Gym are right next to each other right off of HWY 42 in Apple Valley. Our kids enjoyed both activities at those locations.
