Gymnastic Fantastic!

Beth has been going to a gymnastics class for about five weeks. At first she wasn't too bothered since she wasn't allowed to run madly about doing just as she pleased. However, she has now settled down and is doing really well. She can do a perfect forward roll and last night was on the high bar doing pretty good 'bowl' and 'arch' moves (swinging on the bar, keeping her legs and feet together so they swing back in an arch behind her then curve up in a bowl shape in front of her).

It does crack me up watching her (and the other little ones) try to jump onto the box using the spring as they are just too light and never quite get the coordination right. She still manages to get up - uses her 'natural' springiness!!

Anyway, at the end of last nights session she got presented with her first award - the British Gymnastics Proficiency Award, Level 8. I can't find a list of things she had to be able to do to get it but I think it is connected with body management at this level. I remember doing these when I was younger but there were only four levels then (and I only got level 4). Level 1 is stuff like splits and flips so it'll be a while yet though she is rather flexible and I don't think it would take much for her to do the splits (one slip on a wet floor might do it!). Beth was very proud of her award but will probably appreciate later ones since she wasn't actually aware that she was working towards this one.

Toby is doing great - he goes to gymnastics too but it's rather less structured and he tends to spend his time racing from one thing to another flinging himself off anything/everything. Here he is with a fish he made at pre-school.