Free half term fun with Virgin Active – the Barbie Mermaid Swim School

Barbie, mermaids and swimming are three of Bubby D’s favourite things – and this weekend she had the opportunity to combine them all with a sneaky peek at what will be on offer from the Barbie Mermaid Swim School this February half term.

Virgin Active have teamed up with Universal Pictures to celebrate the DVD release of Barbie™ The Pearl Princess (out on the 17th February) to offer free swimming classes at 50 Virgin Active health clubs across the UK – all with an underwater mermaid adventure theme.

In The Pearl Princess, Barbie™ is transformed into Lumina, a mermaid with a royal secret. Together with best friend Kuda, a seahorse (something else that Bubby D loves!), she embarks on a fun aquatic adventure to discover her true destiny.

Much like Barbie™, little mermaids aged 3-6 are invited to investigate their own underwater kingdom: ‘hunting for pearls’ (colourful plastic balls) atop of a seahorse ‘noodle’, swimming underwater through rainbows (noodles again) and mastering mermaid strokes thanks to the help of a friendly dolphin shaped float. Even the smallest 3 year old mermaids are able to enjoy standing up in the pool and taking part thanks to the big foam blocks on the bottom of the pool which alter the depth. Bubby D was amazed by being able to stand on top of a tropical paradise of fish, seaweed and pearls, as well as happily launching herself off the side to jump on it!

Despite the fact that Bubby D has regular weekly lessons, and is confident in the water, I wasn’t sure how she would react to the underwater bit as she hasn’t really done underwater swimming much since she was a baby – but she really enjoyed all of it, and was rather annoyed about having to get out of the pool at the end of the session!

The sessions are split by age ability, and accredited by the Swimming Teachers Association. And at the end of the session, every little mermaid receives their own exclusive Barbie™ swim diploma!

The Barbie Mermaid Swim School is taking place on Wednesday 19th February, and luckily for us our local Virgin Active is running sessions – I’ve got another budding Mermaid (the Wee Man) who is hugely excited about giving them a go! To find out if your local Virgin Active is running sessions, further details and how to book, take a look at the Virgin Active website.