A few weeks ago, I took the kids to the Upper West Side open house of The Little Gym. I know, super swanky! This bridge-and-tunnel family was excited to get out to the Big City and have some fun. Thanks to Mom Central, the kids and I were both able to go and have fun, make new friends, and learn something new.
The Little Gym is a wonderful company where they encourage children to participate in their “Three-Dimensional Learning” program:
- Get Moving! – Fosters flexibility, strength, balance, and coordination.
- Brain Boost! – Fosters listening skills, concentration, and decision making.
- Citizen Kid! – Fosters sharing, teamwork, cooperation and leadership abilities.
Since The Little Gym caters to children ages 4 months to 12 years, my 2 and 7 year olds were in their element during the exercises. The Duchess loved the originally composed songs that they sang during circle time, while Sonny loved flipping on the uneven bars and bouncing like mad on an air-blown trampoline. Immediately the kids made friends. With all the activities and obstacles all around, it was easy to become buddies with others. While the kids made friends, I made with with a few moms. It’s always a great conversation starter when your kids are attempting to tumble together and all you can do is laugh. Although it was a sweaty day in NYC, it was all smiling faces inside the Gym.
After a little play and a few snacks for kids and parents, we sat to hear a big announcement from Little Gym. We learned that they would be partnering with the wonderful non-profit organization, Soles4Souls, to start the campaign “Big Heart, Little Shoes.” Both entities are challenging families to donate one million adult and children’s shoes. This announcement was close to my heart because I have become an advocate for Soles4Souls. I learned about the organization during a twitter party last year and was so touched by it. The fact that The Little Gym is dedicated to this cause instills in me that this company is full of heart.
Just when we thought the day was over, the photographer asked if my little buggers would be part of a quick photo shoot. They wanted to show “our kids” give the “kids of the world” their shoes, to start off the campaign. Of course I had to oblige.
Totally awesome. The little girl in the front was beyond adorable, by the way. Pretty much all the kids were. The kids are now hooked on The Little Gym and I can’t wait to continue to help Soles4Souls.
Thank you to Mom Central for inviting us to this event. Although we were invited(and given snacks!), I was only compensated for our travel expenses and given a thank you gift for coming. All of the opinions in this post are my own.