My take on swim lessons at the Aquatic Center:

Pros:

*no sunblock necessary–no chance of sunburns!
*warm water
*fun, capable teachers

Cons:

*breathing chlorine-rich air for the duration of my kids’ swimming lessons isn’t the most pleasant thing, but there’s no way around that one.

*when I signed the girls up for swimming lessons I misjudged their abilities by one class; there’s no refund or recourse if their teacher says they should be moved down a class. So K___ has to miss out on swimming lessons; luckily, there was a spot for S___.

My favorite thing is watching the contrast between the four-year-old class, and the aquatic aerobic class for ladies of mature age–the time for both classes overlaps, so you get these wriggling, splashing, delighted children learning to swim just a few feet away from the dignified swoops and stretches of wise grandmas.