Saturday, 3 November 2012

That's Just How We Roll - part 2

The gross motor work we do engage in is often at a local play gym called Gymboree. Gymboree has levelled play gym and music activities, usually in 30 minute or 45 minute sessions. Phoenix takes the 24 month to 28 month class, so she is likely the oldest in the class. The instructor is wonderful as are the other kids and parents. No one has ever said anything about Phoenix being different, and they all include her just like they would any other child.

What I especially like about this class is that it is a regular type of activity that any family could do. It isn't targeted towards kids with DS. It's not run by therapists. It doesn't 'feel' like therapy. And to Phoenix it isn't therapy. It is having fun, at her own pace and her own ability. I brought my camera today to take pics, so here are a few.






The other great aspect of Gymboree is that there is a partnership between this company and our local Down Syndrome Society, so we pay 50% off of the regular monthly fee. This is wonderful for lots of different reasons, but mostly because if I miss a day because I am busy or Phoe is not feeling well or the roads are bad I don't feel guilty about wasting money. We could make up classes if I could find the time during the week, but that usually isn't possible. Maybe we'll pick up a few extra classes over the Christmas holidays while I am home with her for 2 weeks.

2 comments:

  1. It was great to see you at Music Therapy on Friday! Phoenix is such a joy. Hey, quick question...is it Ups & Downs that Gymboree has a partnership with? If so, how do you go about accessing that? I think that would be awesome for Jake, especially as he gets more mobile!
    Hope you're having a fantastic weekend...

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  2. Hi Karyn, it was nice to see you and Jake too. He is such a sweety and so fast with his crawling! Yes, it is Ups and Downs. I just mentioned that we are supposed to get a reduced rate when we registered. The staff had to call the manager to figure out how to put it into the computer but that was it. They do music classes too. I did those with Phoenix before she was walking. I felt it played more to her strengths than the gym did at that stage.

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