Unschooling the swimming lessons

Both my children have had swimming lessons. My daughter has had a few terms now my son only one.

My son had a really bad experience with his lessons with the whole putting the head under part...all the rest was fine. On his last lesson he was really put off as the teacher took him from me, trying to be fun and light...zoom zoom and under the water and pop up in front of Mummy...tears shaking and very very upset.

I asked him if he want to do the next seasons lessons once he'd had a few weeks off and it was a very loud "NO".

So my daughter had lessons on her own. She did really well...until the last lesson where she was accidentally knocked in the pool by her friend and she was quite hurt. We didn't make a fuss...it was an accident.

But she didn't want to go back to lessons.

I let her cool over the term holidays. I said that I would be booking her next lot of swimming lessons...and was told. "No Mum, its too cold to swim in winter".

So that was the end of lessons.

But not the end of learning and not the end of swimming.

We do not go to the pools on cold days cause it really is just too cold and the kids go blue...but we go once a week if we can.

Their swimming has come along in leaps and bounds. My daughter is pushing herself constantly. I've had to buy 'treasure' which I throw out into the pool and she swims and dives for it. Loving every minute.

My son who was really scared of putting his head under the water is now letting go of me walking around the baby pool and slowly dunking his own head under the water...and coming up smiling.