Bring a friend for free to The Little Gym camps!

Summer's coming!   Have you planned all of your children's activities yet?   (My wife and I haven't.  She's actually working on that while I work on this!)

If you've been procrastinating on putting together your summer plans for your children, you're in luck.  Have we got a deal for you!!!  :-)   While space lasts, enroll in any Anytime Summertime summer camps at The Little Gym of Lake Oswego -- any dates in June -- and your child can bring a friend to camp for free!

The week of June 18 - 22 is The Little Gym Crazy Carnival week. Your kids will enjoy playing Roller Ball with our parachute, riding the 'ferris wheel,' and cruising on The Little Gym 'rollercoaster.' The following week, June 25-29 is Cars, Planes, Trucks, and Trains week. The 'daredevil ramp challenge' will be a big hit along with a game of 'Hide & Speed-Racer,' and more!

Our camps are 3-hours of fun, games, gymnsatics, activities, arts & crafts, and sweat! You can choose to come any number of days from 1 to 5 each week this summer. Activities change daily so your children will have a blast whether they come to one or 50 camps this summer at The Little Gym.

Children must be potty-independent, age 3-8, and space for friends is limited. Call the gym at (503) 595-9702 to check availability and to reserve your space. This special offer is for any camp during the month of June only. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday camps run 1pm - 4pm. Tuesday and Thursday camps run 9am - Noon. The cost is $32 per camper. Sibling and Member discounts are available and automatically deducted from costs.

So if you haven't figured out your summer fun plans for your children yet, give us a call!  Not only will you and your friends save money, your children will have a blast with their friends.  (Isn't it easier to convince your children to do something when they have a friend joining them?)

Other camp themes and dates can be found on our website at: http://www.thelittlegym.com/LakeOswegoOR/Pages/camp-schedules.aspx.

Fall Season Priority Enrollment information

Yes, I know... we still have 5 1/2 weeks left of the current school year, before summer starts, but we're already talking about the Fall!  We're going to be starting a 2-week Priority Enrollment period so current members may reserve space in the Fall Season (2012-2013 school year).   By enrolling now, you help us understand which class times will be the popular times for next year, so we can get our employee hiring and training planned and kicked off.  

So to help make enrolling early worth *your* while, we will be raffling off over $1200 in prizes over the next two weeks.  Plus everone who enrolls during Priority Enrollment will save $20 off tution.

Starting Monday, here are the daily raffles:

• Monday, May 14:
• One free Parents' Survival Night at The Little Gym
• Tuesday, May 15:
• The Little Gym Water bottle, T-shirt, and baseball cap
• Wednesday, May 16:
• One The Little Gym Summer Camp
• Thursday, May 17:
• The Little Gym t-shirt, slo-mo ball and Foam Flyer
• Friday, May 18:
• The Little Gym Annual Family Membership renewal
• Saturday, May 19:
• Two games of bowling for 4 people (2 winners) + 10 winners of 10 free arcade games at Gametime Dining (next door!)  Gametime is under new ownership and has recently been remodeled.  Check out Gametime for Great Food with a Side of Fun!"
• Monday, May 21:
• One free Parent's Survival Night
• Tuesday, May 22:
• One month of free Baby Boot Camp classes, donated by member, Kathryn Richard, owner of Baby Boot Camp. Baby Boot Camp balances the fitness needs of new moms with their desire to spend time with their baby. This innovative stroller-fitness program helps moms regain or enhance pre-pregnancy fitness levels and meet the physical challenges of parenting by emphasizing strength training in a supportive environment.   For more information on Baby Boot Camp and Kathryn's schedule of classes, go to: http://www.babybootcamp.com/or-portland-south.aspx.
• Wednesday, May 23:
• Gift certificate good towards an oil and filter change at Dan's Auto Center (across the street, next to Safeway) (2 winners)  Dan's Auto Center's mission is to “provide the highest quality, timely vehicle repairs and services, in a professional, friendly atmosphere, which consistently meets or exceeds our customer's expectations."
• Thursday, May 24:
• $100 gift basket of Mary Kay products from Mary Kay Independent Consultant, Teresa Osgood.  For a free consultation, you can reach Teresa at (208) 870-1625 or at  http://marykay.com/teresaosgood.
• Friday, May 25:
• $50 Gift Certificate to Hanna Andersson stores (2 winners)
• Saturday, May 26:
• Pediatric cleaning and exam (incl. x-rays and fluoride treatment) from Dentistry for Kids of Wilsonville - $349 value! (2 winners)  At Dentistry for Kids, their aim is to make dental experiences as close to fun as possible.  You can find out more about their services at http://www.dentistryforkidsonline.com/   or at (503) 582-8200.

 

 

 

Awesome Birthday Bash Parties: Now with Even More “Awesome!”

I love being a part of The Little Gym franchise.  Our "franchisor," The Little Gym International, is always looking for ways to enhance our programs, or enhance your membership.  Here's some information about a new partnership and "value-add" for your upcoming birthday party!

Nothing captures the magic of childhood better than a birthday party. This year, give your child a celebration they’ll never forget. The Little Gym birthday party places are the perfect way to make your child's big day extra special. Your group will have the whole place to yourselves with games, music and fun activities created especially for your birthday kid. Our trained instructors will lead all the fun and The Little Gym team will handle everything from setup to cleanup. That means you get to go home to a clean, quiet house free of icing and sprinkles ground into the carpet. Sounds like a wish come true? There’s more…..


This year’s The Little Gym birthday parties will be even more awesome, fantabulous, and splendiferous than usual. To help preserve these “awesome” memories, you and all of your guests will receive a special voucher for a free 20-page 8” x 11” Custom Cover Photo Book* from Snapfish valued at $29.99!! Book your child’s 2012 birthday celebration today and let us help make this the most memorable milestone yet!!

You can see our Birthday Party schedule online (and reserve a spot) at: http://www.thelittlegym.com/LakeOswegoOR/Pages/birthday-schedule.aspx

*While supplies last, at participating locations. Offer valid for parties booked March 15, 2012 through December 31, 2012. One per family.

Amazing testimonial from one of our The Little Gym customers

Last month, one of our members sent us a letter, letting us know about their experiences at The Little Gym of Lake Oswego over the past year.  It was such as nice letter that I asked if we could publish it.  It's very heart-warming to read about how our programs have impacted a family and it helps our team keep up their energy and committment to growing skills and self-confidence in children.   I've removed the names from the letter below...

Happy Handstands,
 Teacher Ron, Owner


January 16th, 2012


Dear Ron and Staff-

As my family approaches their one year anniversary of belonging to The Little Gym, I wanted to share with all of you how much we have enjoyed being a part of TLG family! We have been impressed from the start how every staff member goes out of their way to greet you at the door, answer your questions and daily demonstrates high energy and enthusiasm while working with children!

My son [age 7] is currently not interested in traditional ball-sports and my husband and I wanted to find a physical activity that would spark his interest. He expressed an interest in karate and we went to a local karate gym that was sterile and competitive. It was clear this was not what he had in mind. We then tried a preview class at TLG. BINGO! It was an instant success and a perfect fit. I’m very impressed with how well the karate program blends the skills of the martial art in a non-competitive manner along with gymnastics. Additionally, Teacher Adam is a master at making the class both engaging and educational. I appreciate his firm, yet friendly and fun approach to the class.

This past fall my younger son [age 4 at the time] joined the ever popular “Giggle Worms” gymnastics class. His enthusiasm for the class is evident when he talks about the moves they have worked on and how he counts down the days in between classes until his next visit. Teacher Jessica, Angela and James are all experts at incorporating the perfect balance of fun, imagination and gymnastics skills. They also take the time to get to know each of the students and reinforce manners and good sportsmanship during class.

Recently we had the pleasure of celebrating [our younger son's] 5th Birthday at The Little Gym. The party was literally the “icing on the cake” for what is already a wonderful place for kids to learn and grow. All the children, ranging in age from 21 months to 7.5 years, had a blast at the party. The instructors, Jessica and Qiana, were extremely enthusiastic and certainly gave the birthday boy the VIP treatment. [My son's] heart was set on a dinosaur theme, and with that, the teachers infused the party with dinosaur games and lingo. Both ladies were hands on helpful from the moment I walked in with my multiple bags of food, drinks and party goods. They helped with the set-up, orchestrated a fun-filled party and were gracious hostesses during our post-party snacks and cake. As we said thank you and good-bye to our guests, both Jessica and Qiana had everything cleaned up and back in bags for us, ready to go.

We are so grateful that we discovered all that The Little Gym has to offer families. We delight in the smiles and pure joy our boys display throughout their classes. It is important to us that our boys want to be active and TLG inspires them to feel good about themselves, while they learn and acquire new skills at a pace that is right for them. As a parent, I also appreciate the flexible make-up policies, camps, birthday parties and point accrual system. Your child friendly play area makes attending classes with younger siblings easier to manage.

Thanks again for ALL you do to nurture and inspire young children! My children are benefitting not only from being active and practicing physical skills, but also learning the importance of kindness and zest for life as modeled by each and every one on your staff.

Sincerely,

E & R, Tualatin, members since March 2011

Happy New Year!

It's the Tuesday December 27th -- the lull between Christmas and New Year's.  Classes are a bit small so far this week so I have a few minutes to reflect.

Marie and I took the past week off, so we could spend some time with our kids in the mornings and get some home projects/to-do's done in the afternoons.  We had a small list of things that we really wanted to get done -- like fnally plan our "big" vacation we've been talking about, make some 2012 resolutions, clean our home office and garage, and get some old electronics and old clothes "recycled."  

I think 4 of the afternoons were spent working on that vacation... (Hint... if you wait too long, flight costs go through the roof!)   We finally got the flights set, and now we need to work on hotels...  We didn't really get to any of the other topics, unfortunately.  But last night, with the grandparents watching the kids, I was able to atack the office and garage enough to clear a wider passage through each.  I got just enough done to feel good.

For our mornings this past week, we tried to pack in a lot... We visited Pittock Mansion, ate a late brunch at Slappy Cakes (where you cook your own pancakes at your table!), visited the lights at the Portland International Raceway, delivered cookies to friends, and saw (the only?) G-rated movie out - the new Chipmonks movie.    (My favorite line -- "A double rainbow across the sky!!  What does it mean?!    Search YouTube for "double rainbow" to understand it better.)

We celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah as a family.  I mistakenly put the "big" Hanukkah present under the Christmas tree.  Oops.  My biggest laugh was when my son opened his stocking Sunday morning and was excited to find "piz."  (After a chuckle, we let him know that it's called "Pez.")   Happy Holidays!

It's cold outside - which makes it a perfect time to be inside at The Little Gym!

Teeth are chattering, jackets are zipping, and hot cocoas are pouring.

It‟s definitely getting colder out there, But here at The Little Gym of Lake Oswego, kids are staying toasty warm. Their bodies are in motion and their minds are too. Kids in The Little Gym Parent/Child classes are
exploring their worlds, gaining independence and trying new skills. The structured lessons of our Pre-K gymnastics programs are helping kids with listening skills and following directions while also emphasizing balance and coordination. Our Kindergarten level gymnastics kids are learning to work in groups and cooperate because we know controlling emotions is as important as body control and agility.

All the Flips, Twisters, Aerials, and Hot Shots of our Grade School Gymnastics programs are strengthening their bodies and getting a springboard (pun intended) of confidence. Plus, our Dance kids are twirling like snowflakes, Sports Skills kids are improving arm strength for throwing snowballs, and our Karate students are practically chopping firewood with their bare hands (okay, a slight exaggeration).
 
Check out the photos of The Little Gym kids (on our facebook page) having as much as fun as a summer vacation, no matter what the thermometer says.


Don‟t forget - We also have great winter day camps coming up (Dec 19 - 24). And if you want to squeeze in a date night (or maybe some holiday shopping without the kids around), we‟ll be having another Parents‟ Survival Night on Saturday, December 17th.
Finally, remember that giving someone some Serious Fun is an excellent gift. We have gift certificates available if you want to give the unique gift of skill building and Three-Dimensional Learning.

Til next time,
Your friends in fitness, fun and fundamentals at The Little Gym of Lake Oswego.

Special Novmember offer for your friends at The Little Gym of Lake Oswego

The ongoing success of our business is largely based on our members' glowing endorsements. If you've found value in The Little Gym programs, seen your children grow in our classes or have a blast in a birthday party or camp, we kindly ask that you spread the word!


If your friend enrolls in a class at The Little Gym of Lake Oswego, now through November 30, 2011, we will thank them by giving them a $25 consideration towards their tuition, AND we will give you a $25 credit that you can use towards any class payment, party, camp, or Parents' Survival Night. (This is in addition to the 1000 Member Milestone reward points you receive automatically when your friends enroll in a class.)

Your friend must be new to The Little Gym classes.


To receive this offer and ensure you receive your $25 credit, your friend should bring a print-out of this offer with the following filled in:


Child Name (who is enrolling): _______________________

Parent Name: _________________________________


Friend who referred us to The Little Gym: ___________


_____________________________________________



Please call (503) 595-9702 if you have any questions about The Little gym and this special November offer!