I went to Mini Maestros with my eldest from her being a pre-crawler through to a pre-schooler and, as it turns out, finished classes just before the pandemic hit. Nine months on, and with a lockdown baby who’s ready to see a bit more of the world, I decided to start our Mini Maestros journey all over again.
I was intrigued to see how different the classes would feel with the Covid-19 measures in place.
One key change is that each child has their own set of instruments to bring to each class. You pre-order them beforehand and have the choice to get either new or cleaned & quality-checked secondhand equipment. There is also an option to pay to borrow a set at class. This does mean a little more upfront expense but they are selling them at cost price and things like rainbow rings and maracas are helpful to have at home anyway.
Another change for the Ossett classes is a new venue. My eldest always called the old venue “Irene’s House”, well Irene has moved! A Star Dance and Fitness is on the RCM Business Park with plenty of parking available. Before our first class we were sent a video to show what to do when we arrived and the one way system that’s in place inside the building!
So what about the actual classes? As is now the usual custom, you start with a squirt of hand sanitiser and then take your place at a mat that’s been carefully spaced to comply with social distancing. From then on in though it’s the usual mix of songs and laughs and chatter.
There are of course elements of the class that are different. I’m sure Irene is desperate to get things like the parachute out and she was definitely desperate for a cuddle with all the new babies! As I was in the tiny baby class, we only had one crawler and there was enough space in the room that she could easily stretch her legs without any issue.
One thing I really liked about the tiny baby classes first time around was the end of session hot drink and biscuit. It gives you the chance to get to know the other parents and grandparents and it became quite common for a group of us to head for lunch and soft play together afterwards. Well for anyone battling a sleep regression like me, the sad news is that Irene no longer puts the kettle on! It’s now bring your own drink (and biscuit!), but there is still time to stay and have a chat at the end.
It feels like a nice balance has been achieved between keeping everyone safe and having fun. There were lots of smiley babies in our class, and that’s what it’s all about!
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Disclaimer: Mumbler was invited along to review Mini Maestros Tiny Baby Class and was paid for this, however, all comments are from the reviewer and are an honest and accurate account of their visit to the class.
