Swimming... Inside!

Swimming is a perfect "sports" activity. Almost all the girls love it, and it is easy to plan! Our local high school offers swimming for 50 cents/person whenever school is in session. So we can swim indoors (no rain dates) and fairly cheaply. Both times we have done this activity our school has generously waived our fee since we are a church youth group, so luckily it was even free!

Here is what I need to do in advance for swimming:
1. Get bishopric permission, since we are traveling away from the building

2. Get parent permission as we will be transporting their kids. I print a permission slip that says the parent gives permission for me to supervise their child swimming and for their child to ride in a leader's car. The parents must sign the slip before the activity starts and I keep them till it is done.

3. Make sure other leaders are committed to come. This is a two deep (or more, depending on how many vehicle seats are needed) activity.

4. Plan a snack: I usually do Capri Sun juice pouches (cheap, easy to transport), Goldfish crackers, and either a string cheese stick or a fruit snack for everyone. Swimming makes you hungry, so we always provide snacks for this activity.

5. I remind the girls to bring towels! (You would think this would be obvious but... I have had girls forget them.) Also goggles, shampoo (if they want to wash their hair afterwards), floats, if they need them, etc.

The hardest part of this activity is getting everyone back to the building on time (because we all wish we could swim longer and no one wants to get out of the pool).

We usually meet at the pool so we can get swimming right away, and give ourselves 15 minutes to get out/get rinsed/dried/ have snack, and 15 minutes to get in cars and back to the church building.

• Because many parents have kids in other activities at the church building and/or are leaders at other activities at the church building, meeting off site is a logistics issue. Our regular meeting time is 7:00-8:30 p.m., just like YW, YM and Cubs. So on swim nights we meet at 6:30 so parents can drop off their girls and still get to the church in plenty of time. And we drive back with the goal to be back at 8:30 so everyone can leave at the normal time. Our pool location is a solid 15 minutes from the church, so we have to plan accordingly. The parents really appreciate the planning that goes into making sure everyone can get where they need to be on time.

And that's all there is to a pool party in the winter... or summer... or fall! It is one of the easiest, and most fun ways to do a Wednesday. Fitness/active activities are a fun change of pace from lessons, crafts, and service so we try to do them a least quarterly.

One final note: I am a plus sized person, and I have a pretty good idea how much NOT like a model I look in a swim suit. My natural inclination is to sit on the sidelines (fully clothed) while the girls swim. HOWEVER... the girls LOVE IT when the leaders swim and interact with them in the pool (tag, races, Marco Polo, etc.). So I shelve my body image issues and have fun in the pool with them, and it makes this activity great! If you have a swimming activity, swim with your girls! It is so much fun!