MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCSC) – Starting Tuesday, homeschooled kids in the Lowcountry will have a new option for getting their P.E. credit.
A Mount Pleasant fitness studio specializing in inclusive gym classes for homeschooled, challenged or neurodivergent children is celebrating its grand opening Tuesday afternoon.
The Beach Cowboy Fitness Studio will open its doors to children in Kindergarten all the way up through 5th Grade to offer their spin on a traditional gym class.
It’s located in the Queensborough Shopping Center off of Johnnie Dodds Blvd. and Anna Knapp Blvd.
Cynthia Lett, who co-owns the studio with her son, Cameron, said part of the reason they wanted to open the fitness center was that she saw an increase in children being homeschooled.
According to the South Carolina Department of Education, the percentage of homeschooled children in the state has increased by 71 percent since 2015.
Lett stressed the importance of the interpersonal interaction and physical activity that a traditional gym class provides children.
She said the traditional gym classes they offer will teach homeschoolers how to work in a group, get along with people they don’t know, root for the other team, and win appropriately.
They follow the South Carolina Department of Physical Education Program, so students can earn academic credit after completing at least two classes per week for 18 weeks in a semester.
“We are adapting our classes so the homeschooler does not have to be physically fit already, they can be even in a wheelchair,” Lett said.
On top of their classes for homeschoolers, they will also offer inclusive, adaptive fitness classes called “get up and move.” These classes are designed for students who attend traditional school to burn off pent-up energy from a long day of learning.
Lett said all classes will have two coaches and be capped at 10 students. For a link to their website to sign up, click here.
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