Scarlett Scheich, 3, of Clarks Summit, walks along the balance beam at USA Tiny Tumblers in South Abington Township, holding the hand of Emiia McCormich, who owns and teaches at the preschool gymnastics center.
Mary Therese Biebel | Abington Journal
Evangeline Yenchik, center, soon to turn 2, walks along a balance beam with some steadying support from her mom, Taylor Yenchik, and instructor Jolena Treese as dad Curt Yenchik offers encouragement.
Mary Therese Biebel | Abington Journal
Gia Fasciana, who is going on 3, uses the climbing wall at USA Tiny Tumblers under the watchful eye of instructor Mackenzie McAndrew.
Mary Therese Biebel | Abington Journal
2-year-old Ethan, son of USA Tiny Tumblers owner Emilia McCormich, demonstrates how to move objects along a line, using your feet only.
Mary Therese Biebel | Abington Journal
Instructor Jolena Treese, right, helps 2-year-old Campbell Abresch from Waverly Twp. flip around a bar while Campbell’s grandmother, Marianne Cognetti, looks on.
Mary Therese Biebel | Abington Journal
Gia Fasciana, soon to turn 3, gets used to working on a horizontal bar, with help from teacher Emiliia McCormick at USA Tiny Tumblers in South Abington Township. Looking on is Gia’s mother, Gabby.
Mary Therese Biebel | Abington Journal
Playing a game with a parachute marks a transition time in the class. After jumping, climbing, and working on their balance, the preschoolers are about to work on fine motor skills such as pinching and grasping as they sort colorful objects in another area at USA Tiny Tumblers.
Mary Therese Biebel | Abington Journal
Mackenzie McCarthy, right, an instructor at USA Tiny Tumblers in South Abington Twp., helps students work on their fine motor skills at the end of their Monday morning session. Here, Caterina Giordano-Sales and Evangeline Yenchik work on sorting colorful objects and inserting them into a grid.
Mary Therese Biebel | Abington Journal
“Let’s bend down and smell our piggy toes,” instructor Mackenzie McAndrew urged the preschoolers who were sitting in a circle at USA Tiny Tumblers gymnastics facility in South Abington Township. “Let’s move to our pike position … let’s move to our tuck … and back to our butterfly position.
The children in this Monday morning class, ranging in age from 14 months to 3 years, seemed to know what to do — bending and stretching at the appropriate times, trying to bring their nose down toward their toes and ending up in what looked like a yogi’s lotus position — even if they needed a little guidance from the parents or grandparents who had accompanied them.
After that warmup, there was a chance to jump through a hopscotch diagram on the floor, and it was more than simple fun. “It’s a challenge for them at this age to jump with their feet together,” said Emilia McCormick, who established the school almost one year ago.
Then the kids were encouraged to crawl over and under objects of different shapes. “Even through they’re running and walking all the time, it’s good for them to crawl,” McCormick said, explaining it helps develop eye hand coordination, spatial skills and other visual skills that can help lay the foundation of reading comprehension.
Still later the children visited exercise stations where, with help from an instructor and/or a parent, they were able to work on handstands, flip around 360 degrees on a horizontal bar or climb on a climbing wall.
Tiny Tumblers is dedicated to fostering not only physical skills such as balance, coordination and flexibility but social and cognitive growth as well, McCormick said. The children also work on such fine motor skills as grasping and pinching in addition to such gross motor skills as climbing and jumping.
“This is my first time here, and I’m very impressed,” said Marianne Cognetti of Waverly, who accompanied her granddaughter, 2-year-old Campbell Abresch to the class. While it was Cognetti’s first time, Campbell had been to Tiny Tumblers before. The little girl usually comes with her mom.
“I could never do a cartwheel,” Taylor Yenchik, of Clarks Summit, said a little wistfully, explaining she and her husband, Curt, would like to see their daughter, Evangeline, soon to turn 2, have the opportunities for all sorts of gymnastic feats. They both attended the session, encouraing their daugter as she crossed a balance bean and took part in other exercises.
After the children had spent about 40 minutes working on their gross motor skills, they lifted and ran under a parachute together, and then moved to another area of the gymnastics center where they worked on fine motor skills, engaging in such activities as sorting blocks and buttons of different colors.
“I love it here,” mom Gabby Fasciana said, explaining why she brings 2-year-old Gia to USA Tiny Tumblers. “It seems like a safe space for her to explore her skills. She’s really becoming confident, and it’s been fun to watch.”
