Flick Park Pool

The public pool in Glenview has toddler hours in the summer, where the shallow pool is open in the morning for a small fee to kids ages 6 and under.  I really wish there was a pool in Madison that had hours like that.  The girls and I went on Wednesday morning, and had a wonderful time!  Amelia's favorite thing at the pool was the frog slide.  Megan was afraid of it the first time, and wanted to climb back down the stairs, but I gave her a push and she ended up enjoying it so much that she did it again and again.

When I asked Megan what her favorite thing was, she said "fishy" which meant when she was walking on her hands in the water with her body floating behind her, which my girls call "swimming like a fishy".

Megan especially likes when she can follow Amelia around the pool like this, and when Amelia plays with her by bumping into her and laughing.

Megan occasionally got into water that was a little too deep for her, and got water in her mouth, but she'd come up coughing for a few minutes, then go back and do it again.  She is definitely braver in the water than Amelia.  But, Amelia has become a lot more brave in the water since she started swimming lessons this summer.  At this pool, she blew bubbles, got at least part of her head in the water, and practiced laying down in the pool (all things she had been afraid to do earlier in the summer).

They also enjoyed playing in the fountains and splashing on the side of the pool:

 

Amelia just told me that her real favorite thing at the pool was when she got to wear a life jacket and practice swimming.  I am so glad that she liked this!  The pool had preschool sized life jackets, and when she had one on, she could float on her tummy, kick with her legs, and paddle with her arms, just like she was really swimming.  Keep in  mind, the water was only 1' 6" deep, so if she kicked too hard, her feet would hit the bottom of the pool.  But I'm so proud of her for even trying this, given how afraid she can be of the water.

The girls LOVE their new Tinkerbell swim suits that I found at a garage sale for $0.50 a piece.  We had been playing in the water so frequently, that I thought they each could use another swim suit.  When I found these, I knew they would be perfect.  The girls are going through a Tinkerbell and fairy stage right now, and Megan even says "BELL".