Priority Enrollment for Summer and Fall classes starts soon - April 11th

Several times a year, for the two weeks before open enrollment starts for our next semester(s), we have a 2-week window in which only current members may select their spots early.  During this "Priority Enrollment" period we try to make things festive around the gym.   The two things that everyone likes are the snacks (popular with the kids) and the raffle drawings (popular with the parents).

We do Priority Enrollment so our current customers can have their first choice of classes;  popular class times like evening and weekend classes can fill up during or just after Priority Enrollment.  Plus it helps us understand which classes will be more popular this semester and helps us determine needed staffing levels. 

Each Priority Enrollment, I try to make things more exciting than the previous one.  This year, we already have secured 26 prizes, worth over $1400.    The odds of winning something are better than ever!  

You will receive a raffle ticket for each child who enrolls in any Summer or Fall classes.  For example, if you have two children enroll in a summer and fall class each, you get four raffle tickets.   The best part, is if you win a raffle prize on one day, your raffle tickets go back into the drawing towards any of the other future days' prizes.   It is possible to win a prize every day!   That way there is no penalty for enrolling early!

As with all of our programs, if things don't work out, if you change your mind anytime, we refund your tuition from that date forward... so if you need to unenroll before a semester starts, you get a full refund of your payment.  If you unenroll after a semester starts, your refund is pro-rated appropriately.

This year, along with over $550 of The Little Gym prizes, we have over $850 of additional family-friendly prizes. Plus the first 50 students who enroll will get a buy-one, get-one free frozen yogurt from Yogurt Shack of Oregon City. Here’s the list of what we’ll be raffling off, plus the dates of the raffles. For days in which there are multiple prizes, we will be drawing one winner per prize.

We are extremely thankful to all of the families and businesses who have donated to our raffle drawings. We ask that you visit them, purchase from them, and thank them!


Apr 11:

• One free Parents’ Survival Night at The Little Gym ($21 value),
• Three “Have one on us” 3-topping pizzas from Papa Murphy’s of West Linn 

Apr 12:

• The Little Gym T-Shirt & Baseball Cap ($18 value),
• $25 gift certificate to Players 

Apr 13:

• One The Little Gym Summer Camp ($21 value),
• Five $25 Mary Kay gift certificates from Mary Kay consultant Mary Bicknell

Apr 14:

• The Little Gym t-shirt, slo-mo ball and Foam Flyer ($27.50 value),
• Two adult and two children tickets to ComedySportz ($28 value)

Apr 15: The Little Gym Annual Family Membership renewal ($35 value)

Apr 16:

• One free Parent’s Survival Night ($21 value),
• Annual membership and 2 hours of playcare at Portland’s WeVillage ($75 value)

Apr 18:

• The Little Gym T-Shirt & Baseball Cap ($18 value), 
• $25 gift certificate to Frog Pond Toys and Lily Pad Café.

Apr 19:

• One The Little Gym Summer Camp ($26 value), 
• $30 gift certificate from Pampered Chef consultant, Angelika Heidelberger

Apr 20:

• The Little Gym Annual Family membership ($35 value),
• $75 gift certificate from Flourish Pilates in West Linn

Apr 21:   One night’s stay at the Residence Inn by Marriott, Lake Oswego ($129+ value)

Apr 22:   90 minute outdoor family photo shoot with William Fisher Photography. ($300 value)

Apr 23:   Grand Prize – free Winter/Spring 2011 semester of classes! ($350+ value)


Please let me know if $1400 in prizes is good enough... I don't know if I can do better than this for next year! :-)

Whole lotta stuff goin' on at The Little Gym!

We've been a bit quiet on Facebook and our blog lately... Well, we've been very busy.  This coming Monday the 21st is Spring Break week.  We won't be running classes that week; we'll be running 3-hour camps for your 3-8 year olds.  We're pulling out the stops to make Spring Break really fun and really active for your children.  Almost all of our morning camps are full with the exception of Friday the 25th (and Saturday the 26th has just 3 spots left as of this writing).

Camps are 3-hours of fun, games, theme-based activities, gymnastics, snack and arts & crafts.  Our afternoon camps, from 1-4pm on Monday through Friday still have room, so call us at (503) 595-9702 to reserve your spot. 

An example lesson plan for a camp consists of:

• 10-15 minutes of free play time in the gym to get the children warmed up and ready to go.
• Opening Circle to set the tone of the day, review rules and expectations, and do a fun name activity so we can get to know each other.  For example, on Friday, we're doing a Bean Bag dash -- the instructors call out two names, and those children, sitting opposite each other in a circle must run to the center of the circle and grab a bean bag each, before the instructor makes it to the center and gets both bean bags.  Who knows... maybe the instructor will "trip?"  :-)
• Warm-up - motor skills and movement to our favorite The Little Gym songs
• Group Game - We might play a game like "Duel," where children tuck scarves in their waistband and team up with a friend to try to snatch their friend's scarf before they get theirs.
• Group Activity - We'll use various equipment like rhythm sticks, hula hoops, stretch rope, parachute, frisbees, and more, typically set to The Little Gym music.  On Friday we'll be using bean bags as "pancakes" during our McFlake's pancakes activity.
• We'll do 30 minutes of gymnastics staions, practicing fun skills, like underswings into the "hot tub", rolls over the donut, walks up an *inclined* balance beam, and even soccer dribbling and kicking around The Little Gym equipment.
• Snacks include healthy treats like pretzels, apple slices and carrots.
• After snack and craft time, we'll ramp up the fun with some time on the Air Trak and a different special feature each day, like "carnival" and parachute games. 

Your children will have a ton of fun, plus we'll wear them out for you!  :-)

Camps run Monday through Friday, 9am - 12 Noon, or 1pm - 4pm, plus Saturday 9am - 12 Noon.  The cost is $31 per session. There is a $5 savings for members, and siblings receive a slight savings.

Camp themes are:

• Monday  - Big Top Bonanza
• Tuesday - Tarzan & Tarzanna
• Wednesday - To Infinity... And Beyond!
• Thursday - Harry's School of Magic
• Friday - Hip Hip Hooray!
• Saturday - Karate Kids Camp

During the week of camps, all members will be receiving a copy of our Summer class, camp, and Fall class schedules in the mail.  We're gearing up for Priority Enrollment, in which current members get first opportunity to reserve class spots for Summer and Fall.  Popular classes fill quickly, so from April 11th through the 23rd is a prime time for members.   We'll be having daily raffle prizes for The Little Gym merchandise and services, plus gift certificates for items donated from The Little Gym members and friends.   (If you have something you'd like to donate to our raffle, let us know!)

Have a great Spring Break next week!   Hope you have fun with your children.  I know we will!

Make-up policy updates....

Could we now have the absoluted best make-up policy in the world?  We think so!

We've been listening to your requests and are now changing our make-up policy to make it ever more flexible for you. As you may know, you receive a make-up for any missed class, whether you call us in advance or not. (Of course, we really do appreciate it if you can call us prior to missing a class! That way others can do make-ups in your spot, and we can adjust our teachers schedules appropriately.)


Up until now, your make-ups could only be used while you are enrolled in classes. Going forward, as long as your membership is current, your can use any make-ups you may have accrued. So if you finish a semester with extra make-ups available, you can schedule those as long as your membership is still valid.  Make-ups never expire, so you *always* get your money's worth!
Additionally, you can now trade three make-ups for a summer or holiday camp, or three make-ups for a Parents' Survival Night. AND... make-ups can now be shared across siblings, whether they're enrolled in classes or not! 

We think we now have the most flexible make-up policy in all of Portland.  If you can think of a place with a better make-up policy, I'll give a free The Little Gym tattoo/sticker!  :-)

Happy Handstands,
 Ron