Ice Skating Lessons

     Today the kids had their second ice skating lesson.  It's through the parks & recreation program in our area, same as the swimming lessons.  Swimming is an important skill to learn and can be life-saving and so we'll be signing them up for that again, but the ice skating is just for fun.  :)

     Here are the pictures from last week and then today.  This was literally their first time on the ice.  Baby Girl is in the puffy purple jacket and Little One is in the puffy red-and-grey checkered jacket. 

Last week:

There were about 25-30 little beginner kids in the class---which I think is way too many, they needed about 8 teachers to help with the class---and half of the kids fell all the time, including our kids.

Both kids spent most of their time on their butts on the ice.  ;)  The rest of the time was spent being held up by the teachers.  In their defense, their skates were one size too big, which I didn't realize until after class.

The teachers decided to show the class how to fall down properly so they won't hurt themselves.

I'm proud of them.  They fell a lot, but they got right back up and kept going.

After the 30-minute lesson there's a 90-minute public skating session (the price for that is included in the cost of the lessons), and they highly recommend taking that time to practice.  Mc put on some skates and went out there with Baby Girl.

 I stayed with Little One because he was done.  Constantly falling takes a lot out of you!

Today:

Today was much better.  There were about 10 fewer kids this week, which was nice.  Last week the kids' skates were too big, so I got them each a size smaller this time and it made a huge difference.  Keeping their balance was much easier, and Baby Girl hardly fell at all.  Rather than focusing on being able to stay upright, she was able to focus on the lesson.

Little One still fell a lot.   He still needed help from the teachers to get anywhere.

     Mc had a dentist appointment today during their lesson and so it was up to me to get out on the ice with them for the 90-minute public time.  I laced up my skates, got on the ice, and went about 10 feet before going, "Nope, nope, nope, not gonna happen!" and I got off.  I ice skated a few times for fun as a teenager, but I haven't been on the ice since I was probably 17 years old.  And I've gotten a lot bigger since then.  You know the saying "The bigger they are, the harder they fall"?  Yeeeaaah, that's me.  I'm tall, I'm overweight, I have a history of lower back problems, and I've never been a strong skater.  If I fall on the ice, I'm going to have a hard time getting back on my feet and I'll end up hurting my lower back.  And I'll probably take Baby Girl down with me.  Mc's more stable on the ice and so he'll have to go out there with her from now on.

     Little One said he doesn't like ice skating.  Seeing how unsteady he is out on the ice, I can see why he wouldn't like it.  So we'll finish out these lessons for both kids and see how they feel after that.  As of now, it looks like we'll be signing up Baby Girl for more lessons but Little One will opt out.  And that's okay.  Mc and I don't have dreams of them being professional figure skaters or ice hockey players.  ;)  This is for fun to see how they like it.

     Next week I'm making a few changes.  I'm going to send them with a couple of sweaters but no puffy jackets.  I think it will help them keep their balance better if they're not dealing with puffiness and limited range of motion.  I'm also going to tie Baby Girl's hair back so it will stay out of her face better.  And finally, I'm considering getting them helmets.  It's not mandatory for this age group but it's recommended (as you can see, quite a few kids wear them), and I think our kids might need the extra head protection.  I'll evaluate next week after making these changes first to see if they keep their balance better.