Fourth of July– Part one: Where to catch the fireworks!

Get ready to watch some fireworks! We’ve found the best places in the Valley for you and your family to take in a beautiful night of fireworks to honor our nation’s Independence Day. Not to mention, many of these events have lots of additional fun for the whole family, such as good food, water games, live music and more!

Tempe Town Lake’s celebration is the largest display in Arizona, and if you’re a baseball fan, head out to the Surprise Stadium to take in a game before their fireworks. There are even pre-4th celebrations taking place, such as the Great American Picnic and Fireworks Spectacular at the Wigwam Golf Resort & Spa.

Click here for more information

Happy Fourth of July from Kidtastics!

Safety FIRST

Our swimming lessons are meant to be fun, but our deepest commitment is to ensure that children are learning how to stay safe and swim on their own.
Similarly, we want our parents to know the importance of water safety. Drownings often occur because of errors in judgment, such as leaving the pool gates open and leaving a child unattended in the water. There has already been 7 drownings reported in the Phoenix area. We agree with local fire departments in urging parents to keep diligent practices in pool safety (see article http://www.kold.com/global/story.asp?s=12606677).

In addition to basic safety measures, we also recommend that at least one specific adult be designated to monitor children in the pool and REMAIN focused on that specific task ONLY. This is especially important when there are many children present and the adults want to socialize with each other or are being distracted by other tasks.

That’s why in our Swim Fins Fun Pack (given to each child at semester end) you will find a safety whistle for parents. This whistle lets everyone know that you are in charge of the supervision, and if for any reason you need to attend to something else, you will pass off the whistle to another adult. Our hope is that this will help to keep safety in the forefront of parents’ minds while their children are enjoying swimming this summer.

Swim but be safe!

Celebrate Father’s Day Part 3 – It’s BBQ Time!

Splashing in the pool, good food on the grill, the company of friends and family—all reasons why we love summer! This season brings many fun days spent poolside, especially during Father’s Day and Fourth of July, which is just around the corner!

If you are hosting any BBQs and pool celebrations this summer with children in attendance, it is vital that you ensure all your guests are not only having fun, but they are kept safe.

Kidtastics, LLC offers a unique and convenient mobile lifeguard service that comes to the comfort of your own home. We offer competitive pricing and most importantly peace of mind.

Our lifeguards are certified, experienced, insured, responsible, friendly and come prepared in their lifeguard attire, along with rescue tubes and a whistle. Kidtastics’ lifeguards are trained in rescue, ready to help prevent injuries and are there to protect your swimming guests.

Please visit our site http://kidtastics.com/az-lifeguard-services.cfm for booking information.

And before you enjoy ANY poolside fun this summer—whether it is a quick afternoon swim or a festive soirée— we ask that you please learn, enforce and review these important water safety rules with your children:

-No swimming alone
-Only adults unlock the gate
-No running around the pool
-No pushing your friends in the pool or underwater.
-No jumping into shallow water
-Count 1-2-3 1, 2, 3 before jumping in, no matter what age. This will help children know they need to audibly let adults know they are about to go into the water.

Celebrate Father’s Day Part 2 – Local events this weekend!

If you and your children are having a hard time deciding on that perfect Father’s Day gift this year, head out on a day of fun together instead! Time spent with family is a gift in itself.
There are several events happening this weekend in Phoenix to help celebrate our great Dads…

One of our suggestions is the Arizona Science Center (600 E Washington Street Phoenix, AZ 85004) which is offering free admission for Dads—and Grandpas!—all day on June 20th. This special event is sponsored by Dixon Golf, and the first 500 dads will receive a coupon booklet for golf products and accessories. So not only is this a wonderful place for your children to engage in a day of learning and interactive fun, but golf-loving Dads will be thrilled. In fact, one of Kidtastics’ partners, Laurie Bentzen, was recently married and hosted a day filled of fun at the Arizona Science Center for her wedding party and guests. Everyone, including the adults, had a fantastic time! Be sure to check out the hurricane exhibit and the wire-line bicycle.
Other great events (include a story time of books honoring Dads and crafts at Barnes and Noble at Desert Ridge, discounted stays at the Montelucia Resort and Spa, and a sports-themed day at the Phoenix Art Museum.)Each can be found at azcentral.com.

Happy Father’s Day!

Celebrate Father’s Day Part 1 - Kid-friendly crafts

A great way for kids of all ages to show their appreciation for Dad is with a homemade gift! They will enjoy creating something special just for Dad and learn the importance of gift-giving as a way to say “thank you.”

Here is a homemade card idea from Martha Stewart that was just too adorable not to share with our Kidtastics Moms…
Father’s Day Cutout Frame

Photo cards are always a great way to showcase photos of your children. Did you know that after your swimming semester at Kidtastics, we will send you under water photos of your children taken during their lessons? So for this Father’s Day – and any day! - what a perfect way to show Dad your child’s accomplishments with this homemade card! He will smile when he sees his little one kicking, diving, and swimming around.

Directions:
1. Cut out a sheet of colorful paper with a width that's divisible by three; ours is 12 inches (the height is 7). Use a ruler to divide width into three equal parts; fold paper at those points. Unfold. Fold left flap over middle (these panels will be card's front), then fold both in half. Draw a half circle (or half square) over outer fold as shown; cut out, cutting through all layers, just outside line.
2. Trim cutouts. Lay one on photo; trace. Cut out photo; glue onto cutout.
3. Glue string between photo and the other cutout (or another photo). Place string in fold of middle flap, positioning photo in hole; glue left flap to middle, trapping string inside. Trim string.

More fun craft ideas: http://www.marthastewart.com/photogallery/fathers-day-crafts-for-kids

Water safety and drowning prevention

I was reading an article today that was released last month and I think it a great article for all parents to read. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has released a statement about DROWNING PREVENTION. The article explains that swimming lessons are helpful to prevent drownings, but no matter what age you are you have to be careful around pools and water. Safety should always be considered number one, especially for parents with toddlers. The Doctor in the article summarizes the importance of water safety by saying the following: "Children need to learn to swim," Dr. Weiss said. "But even advanced swimming skills cannot 'drown-proof' a child of any age. Parents must also closely supervise their children around water and know how to perform CPR. A four-sided fence around the pool is essential."

KIDTASTICS believes in the same philosophy as the Doctor. We love teaching children to swim it's rewarding for kids to accomplish new skills, get exercise while having fun, and is an important & valuable skill to have for a lifetime. But this activity, more than others, needs constant supervision. We ask parents, family members, friends, and neighbors to listen and watch for any person in need of assistant in a pool. Help protect our community from future water accidents by listening and watching out for dangerous water situation. If you possibly see or hear someone in water danger (despite if you know them or not) please intervene quickly and politely to find out if your assumption is correct or not. As an Arizona community we need to help protect others from water accidents since our state has always led in the number of water accidents. I hope by sharing this article everyone who reads it will learn something new.

At KIDTASTICS, we are here to help the community prevent water accidents by offering LIFEGUARD SERVICES. We’ll come to your home to help watching children in and around the water so everyone can have a safe and fun time. Contact us at 480-994-KIDS for lifeguards. You can take a look at the article yourself by following the link below: AAP GIVES UPDATED ADVICE ON DROWNING PREVENTION