Well it's finally happening... we're opening a mermaid swim school
So! Our company has actually had a *mobile* swim school since 2010, where we'd provide materials and instructions and travel around doing day or weekend long workshops based on the age group. It's been a good time.
I was propositioned a few times by the woman who runs the other swim school in Canada but for several reasons I'm not on board with her stuff.
I originally liked the mobile based stuff (which we'll continue to do) because it's not my goal to just run a school all week. I like the flexibility. So when in chats with our local pool about several workshops we plan to offer, we came to some great understandings over how a school can be done to accommodate the demand and what the community would like, along with our company's hectic schedule.
My approach is a bit different than the other swim schools. First of all, I am doing it entirely in character. Sean and I will be working with a lifeguard and a swim instructor with groups of 15 at a time divided by age/swim levels. Sean and the lifeguard will provide extra support for safety, while the swim instructor and I will provide the course materials.
It's important to me that my info lines up with what they offer in swim classes, so I am excited to be working with another professional.
A big focus on what we're doing is the learning through play teaching approach, and focusing on safe use of monofins and mermaid tails. We'll be putting out a press release and doing some media in tandem with the pool. I am hoping this will help some more with the monofin concerns, and show how empowering they can be.
For now I am teaching 2-4 short classes in one day, once a week for 10 weeks. Once the schedule for the pool changes we'll be looking at adding additional. The first set will just be elementary aged kids. We already have the materials but plan on expanding classes for teens and adults.
We've got some techniques we'll be working on, safety procedures, games, and at the end of the 10 weeks we'll be doing a photoshoot and a videoshoot for all the participants to take home.
We're using a combination of Linden's body glove monofins and finis children's monofins until our order from Body glove comes in so we can use entirely them for the kids. The teens and adults will be using finfun but we plan on working up to monofins like foil etc, and perhaps even hosting a workshop where adults/teens can make their own customized fabric tail.
We're really excited about it. It has never seemed to be the right time in the past to settle down and start up a school But with all the monofin issues I think it's important more, now than ever.
Fins crossed!
