FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- "I'm ready to run!" said 3 year-old Natalie Alvarez as she bounced up and down, unable to contain her excitement while waiting for her class to begin. "I'm ready right now!"
As Natalie's mother checked her shoelaces, other kids began to chime in, eagerly awaiting the instructor's signal which would let them know to take their places on the mat.
With a wave of his hand, the children stopped in their tracks. One by one, they quickly ran onto the mats which were set up into multi-stations for the day's class, taking their spots, waiting for the instructor's next command.
This was the scene at the Fort Campbell SKIESUnlimited facility June 17, as parents and children arrived for one of the Monkeynastix fitness program sessions.
"Monkeynastix is a movement and education program," said Jurie Gouws, instructor. "It's a broad-based, holistic approach to kid fitness that combines creativity and music."
"It's non-sport specific," continues Gouws. "We try to prepare the kids for any kind of sport later by trying to develop their core balance strength coordination."
From the looks on the children's faces, it also seems to be tons of fun. Twins Gunnar and Kiera Dettlof, 3, have participated in the program for two months and according to mom, it is the highlight of their week.
"I like it and they really enjoy it," said Jennifer Dettloff. "They can't wait 'til Mondays to get here and to the class."
Never having heard of Monkeynastix, Dettloff almost didn't sign her kids up for the class.
"I found out about SKIES late. [At the time of registration] all the other programs were full and only two other classes were available -- this one and ballet. I thought I would try this one."
"They love the running and jumping," said Dettloff. "It's something that's interesting to watch, especially at this age. All the kids I've seen [take the class] seem to really enjoy it. It's a lot of exercise and every week it's a different set-up - perfect for children with a short attention span."
Monkeynastix has been in existence for more than 20 years and is currently taught in 22 countries to over 40,000 children worldwide, according to Gouws, who had been with the program for more than four years.
Divided into three separate curriculums for ages 1-2, 3-6 and 7-8, the Monkeynastix program "helps develop general motor skills, general fitness, strength, speed and agility, flexibility and cardio vascular fitness," said Gouws. "It assists children to develop physical, cognitive and social skills."
"We have a two-year overall curriculum lesson plan and each week we work on different skills," said Gouws.
At first glance, the Monkeynastix set-up resembles a mini gymnastics or tumbling class, however each station provides a specific function. Every lesson begins with a warm up to music followed by stretching, toning and then working with the specialized equipment (balance beam, trampoline, ball skills, floor work,) which changes weekly.
"We try to keep it interesting and keep it moving so they don't stand in line more than 30 seconds or so," said Gouws. "We keep them occupied."
Gouws acknowledges that teaching young kids can be challenging, especially maintaining their focus for an entire 30 minutes, however the program is designed to accommodated change.
"Sometimes the kids don't feel like exercising, so [I] have to tweak it a little bit and try to keep their attention or try to do something else if you see something doesn't work for them on that particular day," said Gouws.
This week's class focused on equilibrium and agility where the children tackled mini-balance beams, which were adjusted throughout the class to raise the level of difficulty.
"I did it!" said a smiling Natalie after navigating over the elevated balance beam for a second time -- this time without assistance from Gouws. "By myself!"
Her accomplishment served as motivation for her classmates, who now focused on doing the same.
Monkeynastix is offered at SKIESUnlimited on Monday and Tuesdays. Each class is 30 minutes long and the cost is $40 for a package of four classes. For more information, contact (270) 412-5811 or visit www.fortcampbellmwr.com.
"With the Monkeynastix program, they never know what to expect," said Gouws. "It's a lot of fun and we try to maximum participation so all the kids get a good workout every time."
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