DIVE BACK INTO GOLDFISH SWIM SCHOOL

For the last few years our normal family routine has been spending Sunday afternoons at Goldfish Swim School as my kids have gone through lessons and participating in the swim team there. In mid-March as the coronavirus began spreading into Michigan little did we know that visit to Goldfish Swim School may have been our final chance to dive into their pool. As things began to get crazy with the pandemic impacting the State that Sunday in March was one of our last moments of normalcy as the next week my son and daughter's school shutdown while my wife and I's work places went into lockdown. As we all know now life has changed quite a bit over the last five months.

Originally, it was thought the virus would burn out and life would resume back to normal in a few weeks. Yet it is August and my wife and I are still working from home. It looks like the kids' school year will start off with online learning from home. And that Goldfish Swim School we enjoyed spending our Sundays at has been shuttered since our last visit in March. We were one of the last families in the pool before the pandemic closed the place down.

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Light turn out for swimming practice tonight but the pool is open at @goldfishswimschool --> chlorine in the water kills virus germs and outside their pool the facility is taking extra efforts to sanitize the rest of the place. #GoldfishPartner *********************************************** #goldfishswimschool #goldfish #swimschool #swimforce #coronavirus #corona #virus #pandemic #dadlife #swimdad #swimclass #swimpractice #competitiveswimming #swimlessons #swimmingclass #swimminglessons #swimming #pooltime #pool

A post shared by @ geekdad248 on Mar 15, 2020 at 2:38pm PDT

Fortunately for families some sense of normalcy may be returning as our local Goldfish Swim School just opened again. Kids can dive back into the water and resume swimming lessons starting today! The Swim Force has been cancelled so we may not be back but my kids have had a golden experience at this swimming school that we will always appreciate. Now during these tough times it is nice to know that Goldfish Swim School can brighten the days with swimming lessons for kids who have been sticking close to home for a very long time and are probably very stir crazy to get out and about.

During our time at Goldfish Swim School, the staff not only focused on building the kids swimming skills but also emphasized water safety. So you know Goldfish Swim School is going to be taking the safety of their re-opening during this coronavirus pandemic very seriously! Here are some of the ways that they'll be letting children dive back into the pool being conscientious of the ongoing public health crisis:

Screening Swimmers & Caregivers

• No one will be allowed in the building before being pre-screened for exposure to the virus and having their temperature checked.
• Only one caregiver per family allowed in with swimmers. No non-sibling swimmers allowed inside.
• The parent will have a designated socially distanced seat in the observation gallery corresponding to the lane their child will be swimming in.
• Wearing masks by everyone is required. Children can remove masks when in the water.

Building Adjustments

• Screening barriers have been added alongside the edge of the pool to separate children in their lanes when out of the water.
• Showers and some changing rooms will be unavailable. Please come having your child wearing their swimsuit. Please don't linger and leave immediately after classes.
• Shared amenities such as hair dryers have been removed.
• Decals promoting social distancing and circulation of traffic flow through the building have been added.
• The facility will be a cashless operation with all purchases being charged to your account.
• Will not have googles on the pool deck to borrow.
• Specially designated cleaning staff will be continuously sanitizing the facility throughout the day.

Swim Class Sizes

• Group lesson ratios will be 3:1 instead of the usual 4:1.
• Mini 3 lesson ratios will be 2:1 instead of the usual 3:1.
• Mini 1 and 2 lesson ratios will be 4:1 instead of the usual 6:1.
• Swim Force team training sessions and competitions are cancelled.
• No Family Swim or Birthday Parties at this time.

Staff Precautions

• All staff will be temperature checked and will complete a self-assessment upon arrival. Anyone experiencing a fever or any symptoms will be sent home. 
• All dry side staff members will be wearing masks and all wet side staff will be wearing face shields. 
• Staff will go through a number of trainings to help keep themselves and swimmers as safe as possible.

Dive back in! The pool is back open! Go to goldfishswimschool.com for more information.

OUR GOLDFISH SWIM SCHOOL EXPERIENCE

For the last few years swimming at Goldfish Swim School has been part of my family's regular weekly routine. After struggling to learn to swim through programs offered by our local parks and recreations department, my daughter excelled at Goldfish Swim School. It has been a golden experience!

She has consistently been in the pool at Goldfish Swim School every week for the last four years. Moving up from basic swimming lessons to participating in the Swim Force team my daughter loves swimming at Goldfish Swim School. So with the coronavirus pandemic closing our local Goldfish Swim School and reversing our summer travel plans turning this time into a staycation we decided to invest in putting a pool in our own backyard.

In addition to providing instruction on swimming skills, Goldfish Swim School always put an emphasis on kids learning about water safety too. As a parent that makes it nice to know that in addition to being able to swim, my daughter is also smart about being safe in the water. It provided us with confidence in getting our own pool for the family to enjoy at home.

Having graduated through all the programs at Goldfish Swim School, we didn't want my daughter to just stop swimming. As Dory says in Finding Nemo, "When life gets you down, you know what you gotta do? Just keep swimming." That seems like a good mantra during these tough coronavirus times!

So we've been having her recreate Swim Force practices, competing against her brother in races plus been having lots of fun family time swimming in our new pool. After a few months break from diving into the pool at Goldfish Swim School, jumping back into the water has brought a lot of joy to our family. Swimming is wonderful for adding exercise and entertainment into your day. Also a great way to destress from tension that may be in your life. So true with all the troubles caused by this virus that is impacting us all!

Thank you Goldfish Swim School for making swimming a cherished part of my daughter's life. We are keeping her enthusiasm for swimming alive! Hoping these tough times will pass quickly and kids will soon be back in the pool at Goldfish Swim School. We are putting our Goldfish experience to good use this summer!

A MUCH NEEDED EVENING AT GOLDFISH SWIM SCHOOL

Beyond going to work and school, my family had been staying around the house playing it safe this week as concerns about the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease) began spreading throughout the country and here in Michigan. Then things really hit close to home on Thursday when the kids' school district began cancelling classes. Looks like they won't be returning to school until mid-April at the earliest now! As Sunday rolled around we were all getting a bit stir crazy being home.

So it was nice to find out Goldfish Swim School was still open! Sunday nights are Swim Nights at Goldfish Swim School for my twins. Both of them are on the Swim Force competitive swimming team. They have an hour long practice once per week and quarterly competitive meets. My son and daughter were really excited to get out of the house for some pool time.

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Light turn out for swimming practice tonight but the pool is open at @goldfishswimschool --> chlorine in the water kills virus germs and outside their pool the facility is taking extra efforts to sanitize the rest of the place. #GoldfishPartner *********************************************** #goldfishswimschool #goldfish #swimschool #swimforce #coronavirus #corona #virus #pandemic #dadlife #swimdad #swimclass #swimpractice #competitiveswimming #swimlessons #swimmingclass #swimminglessons #swimming #pooltime #pool

A post shared by @ geekdad248 on Mar 15, 2020 at 2:38pm PDT

My son and daughter enjoyed having fun in the water and getting some exercise in during their Swim Force practice. Both of them put the stress of the coronavirus out of their minds for an hour as they focused on swimming. I wasn't too worried about them getting sick while being in the pool because the chlorine kills germs like coronaviruses and had peace of mind about the rest of the facility as I watched staff constantly taking actions to sanitize the place as we were there. Chairs, countertops, door handles, the pool deck and more were being doused with antiseptic in an effort to hold the virus at bay. No one showed signs of being sick and everyone kept a distance from each other to respecting one another's space.

From what I witnessed Goldfish Swim School understands our society is facing a serious health emergency but also realizes that people need to maintain some normalcy to their lives. They are striving to provide a safe space where families can get away from the stress of current events for a moment. We really appreciated that!

For more information about their swimming programs go to goldfishswimschool.com. A Geek Daddy is a brand ambassador for Goldfish Swim School receiving complimentary goods and services for sharing my family's experiences participating in their swimming programs. All opinions shared by this dad blogger are honest and my own.

UPDATE [3/16/20]: Because of a county state of emergency being enacted that restricts occupancy within public venues, including pools, to help reduce the spread to the COVID-19 contagion our local Goldfish Swim School is closing from March 16 to tentatively April 6, 2020. Check with your local Goldfish Swim School franchise to find out how they are being impacted by the coronavirus outbreak.

MY GOLDFISH ARE LEARNING TO SWIM LIKE BUTTERFLIES

Ugh! The Spring weather in Michigan has been frigid this year. So my kids have especially been enjoying jumping into the comfy 90-degree heated indoor pool for their weekly swimming lessons at Goldfish Swim School.

This month the kids have been working on improving their butterfly and breast strokes.  We received our quarterly progress reports on my son and daughter's proficiency on what they are being taught in their PRO 2 swim class level.  The butterfly and breast strokes both came up on their progress reports but for completely different reasons.  My daughter excels at the butterfly but needs to make some improvements on her breast stroke. While my son is the opposite; he's doing great with his breast stroke but needs to improve upon his butterfly technique.

My swimming skills are adequate but limited pretty much to the general freestyle stroke, doggy paddling, and floating on my back.  So I've been learning quite a bit about all the different types of strokes along with my children while our family has been going to Goldfish Swim School. For those of you who like myself may not know the ins and outs of all the different swimming strokes, here is a description for the breast and butterfly strokes:

The breast stroke is a style of swimming where you push your arms forward and then sweep them back in a circular movement while the legs utilize a motion that has them tucked in toward the body then kicked out away from it.

The butterfly stroke has a swimmer's arm move in a windmill fashion from the back to front of the body while doing dolphin kicks. These kicks mimic the movement of a dolphin's tail with the legs being kept together and moving up and down with knees bent at the motion's upswing. Butterfly strokes can be difficult to perfect but when done right make the swimmer look as if he or she is flying through the water.

These two strokes have been what my kids have been working on mastering during their recent sessions at Goldfish Swim School.  With my son, the teacher is working on his arm motions being more accurate and having him not use different types of kicking styles while doing the butterfly. For my daughter, the instructor is working with her on head placement to make her more efficient with the stroke and improving on the kicks to add more speed to her pace.

It is nice that my children get a lot of personalized attention at Goldfish Swim School.  Their classes never contain more than four kids in a session and they always get a lot of one-on-one instruction. After each class, the teacher at the edge of the pool always provides me with an updated evaluation on how each one of them has done in the class and what she would like to see them improve upon.

Many Goldfish Swim School locations, including the one we attend, have Open Swim hours during weekday lunch hours that are free for families who are enrolled in swimming lessons to get in the pool to practice swim strokes or just play around in the water. During my kids Spring Break week off elementary school this month, we took advantage of the Open Swim time on a couple of days.  Of course my son and daughter spent some time practicing their butterfly and breast strokes while we were there, but they spent a bulk of the time having some fun with their good ole dad in the pool.

I have to say we've had a "golden experience" during our time being involved with Goldfish Swim School. For more information and to find a location near you, please visit goldfishswimschool.com.

A GEEK DADDY is a brand ambassador promotional partner with Goldfish Swim School.  My family receives complimentary products and services in exchange for sharing our experiences with the swim school.  All opinions expressed are honest and my own.

SNOW DAY AT GOLDFISH SWIM SCHOOL

It was -15 degrees outside but my kids were nice and warm inside our local Goldfish Swim School's shiver-free pool that is always heated to a comfy 90 degrees.  Because of bone-chilling cold weather my kids' elementary school decided it wasn't worth the risk of exposing students to the frigid conditions and called off classes for the day.  It was too dangerous to let the kids go outside to enjoy the snow day off school and they were going stir crazy inside the house.  Fortunately, a call over to Goldfish Swim School confirmed they were still open for the day so we headed over there to take advantage of their afternoon family swim time.

A nice perk of attending Goldfish Swim School is that they have an open swim time taking place every weekday afternoon that is included at no extra charge as part of a family's membership with the facility.  During the facility's break between morning and evening classes, families that have children enrolled in a swimming program or the Swim Force can take a dip in the pool.  Times and participation vary from franchise to franchise but for the location we attend open swim is Noon to 1pm Tuesday - Thursday and Noon to 2:30pm on Mondays and Tuesdays.  It was a Friday so my kids had almost three hours to enjoy playing around in the pool during their day off from elementary school.

Moms and dads can jump in the pool along with their kids during these open swim hours at Goldfish Swim School.  Work with your kids to get some practice on their swim strokes or relax  in the pool yourself while watching them have a good time.  My kids always have no problem making new friends to pal around with whenever we go to an open swim.

While just swimming is fun in itself, open swim time also provides a time to bring out some of the pool toys. My daughter loves to put on flippers and practice her underwater swimming while pretending to be a mermaid.  While my son likes the floating mock ups of an automobile, airplane and atv that kids can spin around the pool on.  Plus there is a canoe kids love to paddle across the pool in.  Though they normally spend more time having spills than floating in it!  Plus both my children like to throw dive toys to the bottom of the pool and compete to see who can retrieve the most during open swim times.

Open swim times are a great way to entertain children while also having them get some exercise. Especially in the winter time when they aren't getting outside as much! Just come in during the designated times and swipe your key fob to check in.  Remember you have to be enrolled in Goldfish Swim School to take advantage of this exclusive benefit.  If you have children at home between the ages of 6 months and 11 years old and aren't having them participate in programs at Goldfish Swim School you really do need to check the place out!

Goldfish Swim School has franchises in 22 states as well as within the province of Ontario, Canada.  There are nine Goldfish Swim Schools here in Michigan including 6 in Metro Detroit as well as locations in Ann Arbor, Okemos and Grand Rapids.  Michigan is actually home to the very first Goldfish Swim School which originally opened in Birmingham, Michigan and based upon the great customer service, first class facilities, and wonderful lessons provided they have been expanding locations ever since.

If your kids are off from elementary school for a winter break, holiday or snow day, I absolutely recommend heading over to your local Goldfish Swim School for a jump in the pool.  Taking advantage of open swimming hours in the 90 degree heated pool at Goldfish Swim School on a cold winter day is always going to get you a thumbs up of approval from your kids!  For more information about the facility and its programs, please visit goldfishswimschool.com 

Disclaimer:  A Geek Daddy receives free products and services as a brand ambassador for Goldfish Swim Schools.  Opinions expressed are honest and my own.

FUN THINGS TO DO OUTSIDE THE POOL AT GOLDFISH SWIM SCHOOL

** This post was sponsored by Goldfish Swim School **

We always arrive a half hour early to my kids swimming lessons at Goldfish Swim School so they are ready to go and don't miss a minute of class.  My kids are never bored showing up early though because there are plenty of fun things to do outside the pool.  Just another reason we've had a golden experience at Goldfish Swim School!

The twins love to draw on the large chalk boards in the waiting area and sometimes I have to pull them away so they aren't late for class even though we arrived early and are only a few feet from the pool.  They've really created some impressive drawings and the kids enjoy having the feeling they are helping decorate the place.  Plus there are always activity sheets and coloring pages tied to the swim school's monthly theme available to keep children occupied.  July's theme is "Celebrate Ocean Life."

Rushing out the door and forget to give the kids something to eat before leaving home?  Goldfish Swim School stocks a snack bar filled with affordable family-friendly items to help energize kids for their swimming lessons or re-fuel after class.  Items to eat range from bowls of Cheerios to Rice Krispy Treats along with juice or bottled water to drink.  They have coffee as well to help perk up moms and dads.

My son can't go into class without checking out the pair of turtles and tank of goldfish that are on display.  It is amazing how as many times as we've been there he is always fascinated with checking them out.  Have to admit I always go over and look at the turtles too whenever we're at Goldfish Swim School.

If you have toddlers and preschoolers there is also a play area stocked with games and toys to keep the little ones amused before they get in the pool.  As part of the theme of the month program, they also give out to students a small toy or puzzle that ties into it.  They really do a nice job with these giveaways and my kids are always on the lookout for them.

After class is over don't forget to grab a FREE balloon to take home with you!  At Goldfish Swim School your kids are sure to have fun in and out of the pool.  For more information, please visit goldfishswimschool.com.  You can also follow along with my family's fun times on Twitter and Instagram.

Goldfish Swim School Water Safety Day 2017

** A Geek Daddy is a brand ambassador for Goldfish Swim School **

My daughter and I attended the annual WATER SAFETY DAY event hosted by Goldfish Swim Schools at the location where she takes her lessons this weekend. Bubbles, the school's mascot, provided a safety tips presentation where kids who participated earned special ribbons and safety badges.  Plus kids could work on their water safety skills in one of the facility's pools with some help from the school's instructors.  It was a great safety refresher for the children who are members of the swim school and the event was also open to the general public so parents considering signing up their kids for lessons could take advantage of the presentation and activities with their children as well while checking out the place and meeting some of the staff.

While water safety is a serious matter there was also a lot of fun and games associated with this free event. Kids were treated to face painting, a goofy photo booth, bounce houses, and balloon animals.  Plus there was a family open swim time going on in the main pool that was available to anyone who wanted to jump in.

The highlight of this year's WATER SAFETY DAY though for my daughter was the foam bubble battle she had with her swim teacher in Goldfish Swim School's parking lot which was closed off to provide a carnival space for entertaining activities. It was nice to see the kids getting to know their instructors outside of the pool and having a good time hanging out with them.  I'm sure that will have a positive impact on their rapport during lessons.

If you weren't able to attend this year, here are six important questions every parent should ask themselves before allowing a child to be around the water that Goldfish Swim School's staff emphasized during the event:

1. When can my child swim alone?
Depending on a child's swimming skills you don't necessarily need to be in the water with them, but juveniles should always have someone within eye contact of them. Here are some more tips to keep in mind to help you determine if your child is ready to swim alone.  That being said, kids should always swim with a buddy and actually adults should too!  Having a buddy present in the water means there’s someone there to assist if needed, or to go get help should an emergency arise.

2. When should we use puddle jumpers and/or life jackets?
When learning to swim, we believe it is more beneficial for kids to learn without water wings, puddle jumpers or life jackets. However, every child should always wear life jackets when on a boat (and it’s generally the law in every state that kids ages 13 and younger must wear life jackets on boats). Beyond that, you’ll have to consider what kids of water you’re in, how deep it is, your child’s skill level, if you’re in the water, and other issues.

3. What are the signs of drowning?
Drowning happens quickly, and it can be difficult to notice because it doesn’t involve crazy splashing and loud yelling. If someone is having trouble in the water, they may quietly slip under the water. That’s why it’s important to recognize the signs of drowning and what to do if someone appears in distress.

4. How can I help my kids become better swimmers?
Did you know that teaching kids water safety helps kids to become better swimmers? It’s true. When kids – and all of us, really – understand what it takes to be safer in the water and implement those points, the focus can be on improving swim skills. Perpetual (year-round) swim lessons are best and truly helps keeps kids safer in the water.

5. How can we stay safe in an indoor pool?
Even if you’re not swimming outdoors, there are certain considerations that need to be made to stay safe at an indoor pool.  For instance, make sure young children aren’t enticed to go near the pool unattended to scoop up toys randomly floating around – and always keep an eye on your kids, even if there’s a lifeguard on duty.

6. What to do if I don’t know how to swim?
It can be quite the conundrum: How do you keep your kids safe in the water when you don’t know how to swim yourself? First of all, it’s important to not impart any fear of the water onto your kids. And teaching your kids to swim and learn the 5 things every kid should know how to do in the water helps empower your kids and yourself to be safer and confident in the water.

If you didn't attend WATER SAFETY DAY make sure it is on your radar to swing by your local Goldfish Swim School next year to join in the activities.  The event is full of family-friendly fun plus also provides some valuable educational information to help keep kids safe.  And as I mentioned before...it is FREE to attend for any family with preschool and school aged children. We really had a good time!

For more information about water safety tips and swimming lessons at Goldfish Swim School, please visit goldfishswimschool.com.