UPDATE:
The Saskatchewan Teacher's Federation announced Jan. 29 that another full day of strike action will take place Feb. 1, and classes will be cancelled for the day following the already scheduled Jan. 31 professional development day. To account for this change, Olmstead has confirmed that Gymtastiks will expand the daycare program to run for both of these days and programming will follow the same format on each respective date.
The Gymtastiks day camp program is now available on both Wednesday, Jan. 31 and Thursday, Feb. 1.
There will be no school on Wednesday, Jan. 31, due to a professional development day for teachers and to accommodate the semester change for high school students. To help support working parents who aren’t registered for a daycare program, Gymtastiks of Moose Jaw is offering a full day of activities for children over the age of four.
The day camp for children will take place from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. to match the typical school-day schedule parents would otherwise be following.
“We want to help the community have a safe place for their kids to go and stay active,” explained Jamie Olmstead, the administrator and one of the coaches at Gymtastiks of Moose Jaw.
Once children arrive at the start of the day, everyone will take attendance and prepare for the day’s activities by doing some warm-up stretches.
“We have multiple stations and events set up and we kind of just rotate through that,” Olmstead explained.
Included in the program will be colouring, mazes, and a variety of crafts. Halfway through, children will have a snack break and then return to do some strength building and balance work, followed by a lunch break.
After lunch, there will be a quick craft project, a snack break, and then a final game that takes place for around 45 minutes. This will be followed by a cool-down and a quick stretch.
Olmstead said children enrolled in the program will get to work on several faucets of gymnastics, including forward and backward rolls, balance beams, springs, jumps, and coordination.
“So yeah, there’s lots for the kids to do here,” she confirmed.
Gymtastiks of Moose Jaw has been in operation since the early 80s and offers classes that include trampoline, pre-school programs, and a pre-competitive and competitive gymnastics team. Many programs work on a badge level system that’s tallied on each student’s report card, so that instructors know where to provide additional training and focus.
The competitive gymnastics team will have their first competition on Feb. 3 and 4 in Humboldt, Sask.
“We offer a class pretty much for everybody. We start our Parent and Tot (program) at age two, so we’re one of the early sports for sure that you can sign your kid up for. From there, we (include all ages and have) an 18-year-old still training.”
Olmstead also noted that Gymtastiks of Moose Jaw is the perfect venue to plan your child’s next birthday party, which is a service they offer to anyone in the community.
Parents may also be relieved to learn their children will have a chance to burn off any excess energy throughout the day as it’s focused on active, hands-on participation.
“The kids spend about five hours out of the day doing physical activity. They are very tired at the end of the day.”
The cost for the program is $35 to enrol your child for the entire day. As the organization is a registered non-profit, the fee does not include taxes.
All your child will need to bring is a lunch, two snacks, and a water bottle. Children are advised to come dressed in active wear and a pair of socks for activities in the gym.
The best way to contact Gymtastiks of Moose Jaw is by email at office@gymtastiks.com. Alternatively, Gymtastiks can be reached by phone at 306-692-2303.
To register online, visit Gymtastiks.com and look for the “Registration” tab on the website’s top menu.
Gymtastiks of Moose Jaw is located at 24 Chester Road across from Murray GM.
