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LAYTON -- Kids now can learn gymnastics in Utah through a gym on wheels. It's a bright yellow school bus that travels around teaching fitness.
"Show me pike! Good! OK, show me tuck!" says Amy Hales to a group of kids as they warm up on the Tumblebus.
She and her husband Shad then take the children through an obstacle course of rings, mats, a slide and other gymnastics equipment.
"Children love school buses, and so the combination of a gym and a school bus is the perfect match," says Amy.
The Hales were laid off in October and thought this would be a unique way to own their own business. Since March they have been driving the Tumblebus to parties, special events, schools and day care centers. They come here to the Play2Learn academy in Layton on Wednesdays.
"The kids love the Tumblebus," says Play2Learn director Tammy Merrill. "I love that it comes to our facility, the parents love that it comes to the facility, and they can have an extracurricular activity here at the day care."
"It's a great joy to see the confidence in the children. They get on the bus and we teach them the different gymnastics skills, and just the big smiles on their faces after they accomplish a forward roll," says Shad.
"They very quickly go from ‘I can't do it,' to ‘Let me do it myself,'" says Amy.
E-mail: mrichards@ksl.com
