Rock Climbing

When Matthew comes to my work Sports Day he is always fascinated by the rock climbing wall at the event. It is the one thing he looks forward to for when that day rolls around. That event is usually with a line of kids waiting their turn.

Trini Rock Climbers is a company dedicated in promoting the sport of Rock Climbing in Trinidad and Tobago. They are a member of the T&T Rock Climbing Association.

Children's Courses

 - From beginner to advanced, suitable from 5 and up

- Safety aspects of rock climbing

- Basic holds and climbing techniques

School Clubs

The very first school to come on board is Presentation College, San Fernando. This club has been in existence since 2012. Membership is also open to other schools which do not have a rock climbing club at their school.


Location:  Presentation College, San Fernando

Date & Time:   Every Thursday 2:30pm - 5:00 pm

Start: The second week of each school term

Indoor Rock Climbing

30 ft high rock climbing wall

located at Central Athletic Club, Maraj Avenue, Chaguanas

climb any time between the hours of 1pm - 9pm (Mon - Fri) and 9am - 5pm (Sat & Sun)

What do you think about more gyms incorporating this?

Children's Dining Etiquette

Matthew has been taken to many fine dining restaurants from an early age and was taught how to use a knife and fork since he was five. He has been shown when to use the different cutlery, placing his napkin and how to close his plate when finished to signal to the server he's done.

It is always amazing to see how many adults out there do not know the basics in eating with a knife and fork, which cutlery to use for which course and where to place the napkin if excusing yourself before the end of your meal.




In this blog I felt this post equally important to be added, despite not being an activity as it can contribute to the overall development of a young boy and girl especially in their later years.

The Trinidad and Tobago Business Etiquette and Protocol Specialists Ltd carry out Children's Dining Etiquette.





They can be contacted at:
 868 743-0939 / 315 0926 / 799-7635.






Inquiries can be sent to

300 Queen Elizabeth Avenue
Petit Valley
Trinidad

Website

Do you believe a training like this is beneficial to kids or should they wait to be adults in the workplace and then learn basics etiquette dining?

Training Video

SouthClaine Cycle Club

Matthew learned how to ride a bike by age five and training wheels were off by age six. His dad Ross did a great job at teaching him.

Last month at a family gathering Matthew's cousins were complaining that their dad never thought them to ride a bike without training wheels. Unfortunately their dad himself did not know how to ride a bike. I mentioned they may be clubs where kids can be taken to learn to cycle and was told about the Southclaine Cycle Club as they reside in south.

The Southclaine Cycle Club is based in San Fernando and was the first established club in South Trinidad. They train Mondays and Wednesday at 5pm in Skinner Park.

Location

28 Butterfly Avenue

Pleasantville

San Fernando

Trinidad

Contact: 773 - 8606

Benefits of Bicycling

There's a special bond between kids and bikes. It is a right of passage, a passport to worlds beyond the front lawn. Biking's benefits includes:

- strengthening the heart, lungs and lower body muscles and bones

- develop and strengthen the muscles surrounding the knees without impact

Facebook Link


Do you think there are many kids out there who cannot ride a bike or ride at all?

UPick Vegetable Farm

The UPICK Vegetable concept is a great experience for kids to understand where fruits and vegetables come from and can be made into a day trip activity.

In today's society, not many parents have time for kitchen gardening and so kids have less opportunities to actually see a fruit or vegetable on a tree.

This is definitely the case at my house as every nook and cranny is a spot for flowers and not produce.

Location:

Tucker Valley Road, Chaguaramas
Chaguaramas, Sain George
Trinidad and Tobago

Contact: 868 271 2681

Services:

U-Pick Café

Fruit and Vegetable Market

Pick Your Produce

School and Private Tours


Facebook


Do you like this concept or is it for persons living in the non country areas.

Ziplining

At Zip-ITT, they offer the Kids Zip Line & Play Park at the Macqueripe Beach Facility, Chaguanas.

Opening Hours:

• Saturday, Sunday & Public Holidays: 10:00am – 4:30pm (last tour starts)
• Tuesday – Friday: 10:00am – 4:00pm (last tour starts)
• Monday: Closed

Play Time: 2 hours

Included the use of the facility, riding all zip lines and net bridges /canopy walks

Cost - TT$ 85 / child, only debit and credit cards. NO CASH

Group rates available, $75 for groups of 10 or more and $ 65 for groups of 20 or more

Birthday parties packages available for $ 1800

Activity Level: Moderate

Maximum weight: 80 lbs

Footwear: closed sandals or sneaker (no slippers)

Clothing: comfortable clothing, generally normal sportswear.

Zip-ITT Adventure Tours

Give your comment if you've tried this.

Miniature Golf

Miniature Golf is an exciting indoor sport that was modeled after the regular sport of golf. Matthew has always wanted to try his hand at miniature golf but we somehow never got around to taking him or trying ourselves. Last week on Matthew's WhatsApp chat group, his friends were raving about playing golf at Bedrock. I did not know what this was and upon research was pleasantly surprised to learn that we had our own miniature golf course in Trinidad.

FACTS OF BEDROCK

BEDROCK MINIGOLF, GAME CENTRE AND NOW MINIWATERPARK!!!

It's the Only Mini Golf Centre in Trinidad!!!
18 Holes of Entertainment!
We also have other Gaming Activities -Karaoke, Mind Games, New Age Interactive Video Games, Fuss Ball, Air Hockey, Dominoes, Bingo & More!...

Prizes for WINNERS! *Think you can make a Hole-in-One!*

Bring your Family & Friends!

There is now KULA CAFE for great eats!

Parking is on the street for now, but parking lot coming soon.

Celebrate

Celebrate birthdays (kids, teens and adults); have the coolest limes; have interesting corporate Team Building experiences and party events.

Guiness Book of Records

BEDROCK MINIGOLF AND GAME CENTRE in Maraval is attempting to get into the Guiness Book of Records with the longest minigolf hole..."The Anaconda" is 230ft and the current record holder is at 201 ft.


Have you been to Bedrock? What has been your experience?

CNC3 At Bedrock

Music

Music plays an important role in children lives. Matthew as begun to learn the recorder at school and though he is enjoying it, he wishes it was amore spectacular piece of equipment.

The Brain Works Harder

Research indicates the brain of a musician, even a young one, works differently than that of a nonmusician. “There’s some good neuroscience research that children involved in music have larger growth of neural activity than people not in music training. When you’re a musician and you’re playing an instrument, you have to be using more of your brain,” says Dr. Eric Rasmussen, chair of the Early Childhood Music Department at the Peabody Preparatory of The Johns Hopkins University, where he teaches a specialized music curriculum for children aged two months to nine years.

Classes

Alabanza Music specializes in a diverse range of classes for Kids or Juniors as they are called:

Keyboard
Tenor Steelpan
singing with Keys
Children's Chorus Ear Training
Music Theory











Class activities are designed to provide the most natural music experience which are compatible for specific age group.

List of Classes

What instrument will your child like to learn?

Cricket

Matthew's dad Ross, introduced Matthew to cricket since he could walk. He was taught all the signs for 6, 4 and out. I learnt as well what they were ..LOL.  I imagine this is the scene in many households.


The IPL (Indian Premiere League) is happening now and it is only fitting that Cricket be discussed.

Cricket is a staple in Trinidad, and is played in school from primary to secondary levels. It is no longer limited to boys and is slowly gaining popularity in girls, more so since our women were part of the West Indies team that was victorious at the ICC Women's World Twenty20 in 2016.

Listed below are two camps. The first is located in Central and the latter in Port of Spain.

K Rampat Cricket Academy

Highly qualified and experienced coaches deliver a remarkably challenging and riveting programme to children between the ages of 5 and 16. Kumar Rampat has been at the helm of all the development work of the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board for the past fifteen years. They are based in Central Trinidad.

Services include:

1) Cricket Coaching
2) Personalized Coaching

Contact

Mobile: 293-5608

krampatcricketacademy@gmail.com

FaceBook

Queen's Park Cricket Club

Cricket Training
QPCC’s Cricket Coaching School is run by Gregory Davis at the QPCC indoor nets on Saturday & Sundays, 9:30am to 11:00 am. There is an hour session on Sundays from 8.30 am to 9.30am catering for 4 to 7 year olds

Contact their office at 622-3787/2295 for further information.

QPCC


Are there any clubs in the East?

Ballet Dance

The moms in Matthew's class have been reading earnestly on the various activities posted and their one wish is to have some activities specifically for the girls! This post is for my "mummy friends" with daughters - Ballet Classes at Le Ballet School.

     

Where it Started

Ballet dance originated in the Italian Renaissance courts of the 15th century and later developed into a concert dance form in France and Russia. It has been globally influential and has defined the foundational techniques used in many other dance genres.

Becoming a ballet dancer requires years of training. Baller has been taught in various schools around the world, which have incorporated their own cultures to evolve the art.

.

Location & Start

Le Ballet School is located in St Augustine and offers classes in classical ballet from 4 years to adult. Classes are designed for the study of ballet and its syllabus includes technical steps, music education, character steps and mime.

The new term starts Mon 24 April @ YWCA, St Augustine and Sat 29 April @ Atwell's Tacarigua.

Contact: 225-2807​

Email: leballetschooltt@gmail.com

Join School

Do Ballerina shoes have a special name or is it simply "ballerina shoes"?

Tobago Cocoa Estate W.I LTD

The Easter Holidays are here and a quick trip to Tobago with Matthew for rest and relaxation. In addition to the beach I decided we would search for something new, something different to explore and found the Tobago Cocoa Estate, located in Roxborough.

The drive to Roxborough was lovely and a break from the hustle and bustle traffic in Trinidad. When we got there we were greeted by a sprawling estate. The tour arrangements were booked days in advance.  The other persons awaiting the start of the tour were mostly European tourists.


The tour guide was well informed and he explained at lengths how to grow cocoa and then the harvesting process. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that cocoa was exported towards the manufacture of the chocolate bar "Tobago Estates Chocolate". We were given samples of cocoa pods to taste after it was cracked open. This was all new to Matthew as we do not grow fruits or vegetables at home. He did not like to taste of the small pods, however when we were offered samples of their chocolate, it was met with quite the opposite reaction - lots of YUM! Matthew did not like trekking through the heat, but he was most interested in what the tour guide had to say and his explanation on growing and processing cocoa.

Visit the site for tour bookings and other information:

Tobago Cocoa Estate

Did you know this estate existed before? Should there be more advertising?

Gymnastics

Gymnastics is not very popular in our country but with T&T representation at the last Olympics, there seem to be more interest now. Marisa Dick is the first T&T national to represent us at the Olympic games.

A little history....

Gymnastics is a sport involving the performance of exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, endurance and control. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, shoulders, chest and abdominal muscle groups. Alertness, precision, daring, self-confidence and self-discipline are mental traits that can also be developed through gymnastics.  Gymnastics evolved from exercises used by the ancient Greeks that included skills for mounting and dismounting a horse, and from circus performance skills.

In my search to discover if there were any classes offered in Trinidad, I went to the Trinidad and Tobago Gymnastics Federation's site. I was surprised to discover over ten (10) clubs listed, see below:

Gymakron: gymakron@yahoo.com

Tots & Tumblers Gymnastics Club: annettet@tstt.net.tt  www.totsandtumblers.com

Lamberts School of Dance & Gymnastics: lamberts@rochfords.org

St. Andrews School Gymnastics: 4.sandra@hotmail.com , gdcdesigns@hotmail.com

Lee's Gymnastics Club: gymnastics.funtastics@gmail.com

Mucurapo Artistic Achievers Gymnastics Club: lexianagymnastics@yahoo.ca   

Rhythmika School of Rhythmic Gymnastics: club_rhythmika@yahoo.com 

Gymnastics Training Centre: susan41@hotmail.com 

International School Gymnastics Club: aali@isps.edu.tt

Gymnastics Explorers: ictopaz@hotmail.com

Olympia Gymnastics Club: ogc.tt@hotmail.com

S&S Gymnastics Club: nalie88@hotmail.com

Gym Dynamics: gym_d@hotmail.com


Do you think gymnastics in Trinidad is more popular among boys than girls?



Trinidad and Tobago Gymnastics Federation

Swimming

Swimming I believe is a must have skill for every child. It can offer some peace of mind to parents who know their kids are strong swimmers, especially as children grow older into the teenage years and are exposed to pools and beaches with their friends alone.

Since Matthew was five years old, we started him with swimming classes. However we seemed to not find a good fit between coach and him. The main disadvantage was waiting on his turn (behind 12 -15 kids)  to return to the water to try the new stroke demonstrated at the start of class. Eventually we stopped him from the class as progress was deemed barely noticeable and instead enrolled him in a class for individual attention - one on one. Finally we saw progress, the coach was moving at his pace and Matthew spent the majority of time in the pool, except for when they would come out to practice the hand movements.

Facts on Swimming Sessions:

Choose an instructor that is child centered

• 
  
Arrange private classes for 1 child or can even include other siblings or cousins to take group up to four. Use this option if regular classes leave little progress.

Regular swim classes are less expensive than private and offers your child the social factor of making new friends. \

Always supervise your child regardless of how many coaches are around. There's no such things as too much supervision when it comes to your child's safety around water.

Community Swimming Pools (Source: ttconnect)

Facility	Location	Telephone No.	Email
Diego Martin Swimming Pool	Wendy Fitzwilliam Boulevard Diamond Vale, Diego Martin	(868) 633-6756	dmcsp@sport.gov.tt
Sangre Grande Swimming Pool	Sukhram Street, Sangre Grande	(868) 668-1180	sgcsp@sport.gov.tt
La Horquetta Swimming Pool	Slinger Francisco Boulevard, La Horquetta	(868) 643-3609	lhcsp@sport.gov.tt
Couva Swimming Pool	Railway Street, Couva	(868) 636-6606	couvacsp@sport.gov.tt
Siparia Swimming Pool	Park Street, Siparia	(868) 649-9571/2	sipariacsp@sport.gov.tt

Do you know of other clubs that offer swimming classes to children?

Tennis

On television, the sport of Tennis appears effortless to its onlookers. Three years ago Matthew and I signed up to learn how to play tennis. It was supposed to be two different classes, but there were no other adults and I was left with no other choice but to learn with a group of 8 and 9 year olds. It was at first embarrassing as they learned faster than I but Matthew had the most fun laughing at me.

Picking a tennis coach:

What are you looking for -  Advanced tuition? Social development? General fitness?

• Do you need to buy a tennis racket prior to your child joining the class? Ask coach before buying
• Are there any specific clothes they need to wear? This will depend on the venue and the coach.

Benefits of Tennis

Tennis is a great sport for developing hand-eye coordination, gross motor control through court movement and ball striking, balance and body coordination, all the while building acceleration, speed, leg strength, agility and flexibility. Tennis also promotes overall good health in children through improved bone strength, density and a robust immune system.

List of Clubs in Trinidad

Share your feedback on Clubs you are part of .....



Video Showing 9 Year Old Prodigy

Football

In Trinidad and Tobago there are several football clubs that cater to both the preteens and teens for both boys and girls.

Matthew is totally in awe with football as he is always on his Xbox playing FIFA and of course with his character as the famous Messi footballer in either a Barcelona or Argentina game against the much dreaded Ronaldo (in his mind) as he won the golden boot in 2016.

If Matthew could play this virtual game with so much passion, why not the real deal.

On searching the internet for clubs, I realized there were several out there, they all looked good but how do we choose? In the end we settled for the one who began conducting classes at his school on a weekday - SKHY. The coaches were well trained and brought a new level of discipline to Matthew's world. The registration process was simple. The lady was extremely pleasant and allowed Matthew to change into the uniform immediately to join the class with the rest of children. Yes there were girls too on the team and they were better than some of the boys!

A few weeks into the program and SKHY had arranged a friendly tournament with another club. Matthew was selected to play and it was all he could talk about for a week. Every night he would watch YouTube highlights of games Messi played in, as if to get tips for the upcoming game. This was fascinating to see, he was enjoying himself running up and down and interacting with the other kids.

See below for SKHY's contact information. Do you know of any other great football clubs for kids?

Contact Information

98 Eastern Main Road

Cane Farm

Tacarigua

Trinidad and Tobago

  + 1 868 640 7921

support@skhyfc.com

website

Article on tournament with young players


Do you feel football is equally popular among our girls?