Every Saturday, grand-daughter Amy goes to Little Tiger Cubs, a fun and fitness club for 3-5 year olds. It meets in the Braeport Centre, Dunblane, and for 45 minutes the children do exercises and play games that will lead, if they stay with it, to Taekwon-Do (Korean martial arts). There's a national network of these: Amy's class is run by the Taekwon-Do School which Stephen Rooney (6th Dan) founded in Alloa in 1990.
The Little Tiger Clubs are taught by the wonderful Liane Rooney (herself a 5th Dan, and Stephen's sister) who has terrific rapport with the children. She sets high standards for herself, too: I was asking how she got on in the recent European Championships in Barletta, Italy, and she was a bit crestfallen: "only" a gold and a silver! Her expertise comes across in her manner, and the children knows she is no push-over. What is brilliant is how she organises and motivates them, letting them compete while also gently teaching that winning isn't everything. They played a chasing game wearing animal tails: the object is to grab as many tails as you can while trying to retain your own. Below is Amy in the act of a tail-snatch:
Anyway, today she earned her stripes and 1st Cub certificate (having completed ten classes), so she is looking pleased and proud, with the formidable Miss Rooney:
Today was also the day of her Easter treasure hunt at Landrick, in which I had rewarded intermediate clues with tiny sugar eggs and the main treasure was virtuously chocolate-free: Emily Gravett's wonderful hardback "The Rabbit Problem". Amy is starting school in August, and certainly seems to be growing up fast and becoming a really interesting little person.