The Lessons Every Minnesota Child Needs!

For years, we have tried a wide variety of swimming lessons for our kids, including everything from different swim schools to private lessons to group lessons at many different locations. While we have had mostly positive experiences at each place, our kids have progressed just normally and being around water with all three kids still makes me anxious. Even as our oldest child has progressed out of the swimming level that most parents stop lessons at, I still worry about his safety around water. In all honesty, parents should feel anxious around the water even when their kids are great swimmers. Drowning doesn’t discriminate and occurs even in kids who can swim, but have become fatigued, don’t know their limits, or fall in the water with more clothing on than a swimsuit and get bogged down with weight.

Growing up, I was a true water baby. My grandparents lived on a lake right off Lake Michigan and our summers were spent swimming, sailing, tubing, sunning on the dock, and attempting to water ski. All of my siblings went through all of the swim lesson levels before the lifeguard class. Yet, where we truly learned our best swim skills was when we were tested each summer by our grandpa. At the beginning of every summer, we had to swim across the lake and back that my grandparents lived on. Our grandpa canoed next to us, ensuring that we were always safe and making sure we weren’t getting fatigued. Learning our limits and knowing when our body needed to just float while building up our swimming muscles allowed us to survive in the water instead of just checking off the checklist of being able to do a stroke for so long. So, when I found out there was a drown prevention/self-rescue swim school in Minnesota, I knew we had to get our kids in.

Enter Education for All Squid School. Despite only being four classes in, our kids have progressed in their skills already far surpassing what they learned in eight classes in normal swimming lessons. Not only are the instructors kind and super knowledgeable, they are incredible teachers who have a teaching method which gradually releases kids to be successful in their skills for survival. Depending on their ability levels, kids start with wet suits, flippers, and a fin on. As their skills build, they lose the fin, one flipper, both flippers, and then the wet suit. Then, they begin building up the clothes back on to swim, putting on clothes, pajamas, and even snowsuits to ensure they are able to survive with additional weight and material on. While learning how to swim with clothing on, they also, learn how to remove clothing while still being in the water to lighten up the load. Imagine knowing that your child would not only remain calm if they fell in accidentally while ice-fishing, boating, or walking along a dock, but they could surface and get to a floating position for an extended period of time. Game changer, right?

As for skills that are worked on, our kids swim lap upon lap during their lesson. Their strokes don’t have to be perfect and they are free to float on their back if they get tired, but they swim from end to end for a major portion of the lesson. Think about how little actual swimming kids get in a group lesson where they wait along the wall or sit outside of the pool while every child takes a turn with their strokes or floating. Other skills practiced are: jumping into the pool and coming up to a floating position immediately, extended floating for minutes at a time, being pushed into the pool in all different positions (which is truly a real-life simulation for how often kids and adults fall in unexpectedly), and even flipping over into the pool while immediately going into an extended floating position (much like what could happen if you fell off a boat into the water). Kids also, practice falling off boats, such as kayaks, and getting back on. All of these skills are important to practice, remain calm, and know what to do as they are real-life situations that occur often in the world while frequently resulting in sad results.

Why does your child need to learn how to swim with clothes on? Did you know 87% of people who drown are fully clothed? Does this change your opinion on teaching your child how to swim with clothes on? It should. What about this statistic? Drowning is the number one cause of death in children and most drowning victims over 5 were listed as average or above average in swimming skills by their friends and family. Putting your child into Squid School is an easy way for kids to learn skills that will actually save them in surprise circumstances.

Education for All Squid School pride themselves on working with all kids, despite disabilities or medical challenges. Being a special education teacher for trade, this makes me SO incredibly happy for families who really need these lessons to ensure their kid’s safety. What a joy for all children to be able to thrive in water! While witnessing the instructors at Squid School with a mix of kids of all abilities, including some with disabilities, they are truly amazing at what they do. Not only do they teach vital life skills, but they make it feel both fun and safe. When my daughter was scared to fall in backwards, they asked her to advocate for herself, but then adjusted the lesson to ensure she could learn the same skill with a few adaptations to make her feel at ease.

One student didn’t show up for their lesson, so when they saw our youngest daughter sitting and watching her siblings, they invited her in. Our last swimming lesson with this child included her screaming at the top of her lungs for the ENTIRE lesson every single time. At that point, Dad had been in the water with her and we had been hesitant to spend the money and try Squid School with her when her last lesson had been so brutal. Yet, this lesson looked like a completely different child. Her smile said it all. Squid School allows kids to feel safe and love the water while learning these life-changing skills.

These lessons are offered throughout Central Minnesota. We drive a decent amount of time for the lesson and I would 100% drive much further if needed to ensure my kids got a chance to attend. One last thing I wanted to address was the price. It is more expensive than most swimming lessons and kind of an investment. Yet, after going through some of the classes, I would definitely say the money is well spent. Your child will learn far more skills and be safer in and near water from what they learn here versus any other swimming school or lesson. Kids get way more repetition and practice from their lessons at Squid School than at other lessons.

Living in Minnesota, you will be near water. You will need to invest in water safety skills to ensure your child is safe. Squid School is your best option in not just ensuring that your child learns how to swim, but that they learn how to not drown. Visit their website at https://www.squidschoolmn.com/home for signing up your child for classes this summer or next fall/winter. They are also found on Facebook and Instagram.

Until my next adventure,

Allie