Must see
- Have the confidence to ask the nearest appropriate adult for assistance.
- Know to check and wear suitable equipment such as a life jacket.
- Know dangers around the home like pools or buckets full of liquid. Always keep the pool gate shut and empty buckets when not in use.
- Know dangers around farms and fields such as troughs, ponds, and irrigation.
Water safety and awareness
SEE TEACHER RESOURCE - skills to be achieved in the pool
Must see
Safe and confident entry and exit, including:
- Climbing in and out using ladder.
- Walking up and down using steps
Slide in:
- Two hands on the side and twist in.
- Toes slide down the slide of the pool.
Fall in:
- Head and chest protected with hands and forearms.
- Chin tucked to chest
- Legs together with knees bent towards chest.
- On entry, surface and turn body to safety.
- Exit unassisted from deep water using edge.
- Kick vigorously and fully extend arms to support body, use knee or foot on edge of pool to climb out.
Stages
Activity
Activity One: Discussion
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Discuss the various safe entry and exits into the pool.
Activity Two: Ladder Entry and Exit
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Walk down and up the ladder
- Demonstrate ‘slide in’ entry - explain reasons and locations for using this entry.
- Practise ‘slide in’ entry - face away from the water.
- Practise ‘slide in’ entries with control.
Activity Three: Fall in Entry
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Practise fall in entries.
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Emphasise tucking chin to chest, hold head with hands to protect face, press arms to chest, knees bent towards chest.
Activity Four: Deep Water Exit
- Practise exiting from deep water by kicking legs vigorously and using arms to lever body out of water.
Game: In and out
All students line up on the edge of the pool. On signal, they enter the water safely and wade as fast as possible to the designated line.
They submerge, come up, turn around and race back to the start.
First one out of the pool is the winner.
Game: Slithering snakes
Everyone sits along the pool’s edge. One at a time they slide into the water slowly and with control, trying not to make any splashes or alert the ‘prey’
Practise using two methods: twisting to face the wall; bending elbows to lower their body and sliding in facing the water.
Getting in and out of the water
SEE TEACHER RESOURCE - skills to be achieved in the pool
Must see
- Head between arms, fingers aiming towards pool.
- When pushing off wall, fingers touch water first, legs and feet last.
- Submerge whole face in water.
- Open eyes underwater.
- Blow bubbles (exhale through mouth and nose).
- Blink eyes to remove water on surfacing
- Slowly exhale through nose and mouth to sink down.
- Locate objects above water, open eyes and retrieve from bottom.
Stages
Activity
Activity One: Sit Dive
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Sit on side of wall at deeper end, place feet flat on wall, tuck chin down, position head between arms with arms forward. Aim fingers towards water and gently push into pool.
Activity Two: Yo-Yo Breathing
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With partner - holding hands, one bobs under and fully exhales, comes up and the other bobs under.
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Talk under water with partner.
Activity Three: Submersion
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Bob under a hoop held on top of the water.
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Shake hands with your partner under water.
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Watch your partner blow bubbles under water.
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Try to sit down on the bottom of the pool.
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Bob up and down then clasp both knees to keep feet off the bottom.
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Sit on the bottom for 10 seconds.
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Walk across the pool and sit down on each line.
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Pick up dive rings from bottom of the pool.
Game: Bobbing race
Players line up in chest-deep water.
At the signal “Go”, they bob up and down keeping both feet together, push off and straighten. Arms used for balance and extra forward speed.
The first to reach the opposite side wins. Can do as a relay.
Game: Bobbing hoops
Bob under a hoop held on top of the water.
Spread a number of hoops around. For 30-seconds, see how many hoops they can bob under.
Race against partner’s time.
Game: Mexican waves
Players form a circle and hold hands. Designate a leader.
The leader squeezes the hand of another player on one side, which will determine the direction the Mexican wave will go in.
The player takes a breath and goes underwater, squeezes the hand of the following person. They remain underwater until they need a breath.
The process is repeated until all participants have been underwater.
Change direction at any time. Players are bobbing up and down underwater creative a ‘Mexican Wave’.
Game: Flutter ring drop
The teacher ‘throws’ the flutter rings, which slowly descend.
The teacher nominates the number or colour of the ring each must receive.
Going under the water - Submersion
SEE TEACHER RESOURCE - skills to be achieved in the pool
Must see
- Floating on front, back and side with strong, flat body position at surface.
Stages
Activity
Activity One: Floating
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Floating on front, back and side in star.
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Use floatation aids to practise floating on front and back in range of positions.
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Front float with recovery - float on front with a kickboard under each arm, bring knees to chest, lift head and push down with arms.
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Float with minimal body movement.
Activity Two: Sculling
Demonstrate sculling on front and back.Students learn to scull as part of their floating position.
Game: Statues
Students are in the pool. On Go they all float on front without moving arms, hands, legs or feet.
They stand up when they need to move. Winner is the one who lasts the longest.
Repeat with floating on back.
Game: "Am I hot or cold?"
All participants sit along the edge of the pool. One person is turned away with their eyes closed.
The teacher submerges the object somewhere in the water. The person enters the water and commences looking for the submerged object.
The rest of the participants kick with their legs. They kick hard and fast when the person is close to the object (hot) and softly when the person is far or moves away from the object (cold).
This continues until they find the object and submerge to collect it.
Floating on the water - Personal Buoyancy
SEE TEACHER RESOURCE - skills to be achieved in the pool
Must see
- Confident, with face relaxed in water, legs together and body flat at surface. On back breathing with chin off chest and eyes up, belly button and legs at surface.
- Students in crouch position confidently rotating around themselves in both directions with feet off the ground.
Stages
Activity
Activity One: Kickboards
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With the use of two kickboards / milk bottles, stand with arms out feet on ground, lean forward with chest and slowly putting face in water lift legs off ground and stretch out behind at surface.
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Who can be the flattest? Tuck knees to chest, lift head and come back to vertical position. Lean back and stretch legs out in front until body is flat at surface of water.
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Can the whole action be performed without touching bottom?
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Repeat without the aid of a floatation device.
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With the use of two kickboards / milk bottles, crouch with legs off ground and with arm and body momentum move left and right touching the bottom and without touching the bottom.
Game: Spinning tops
Students stand in the pool away from each other.
Standing up they must twirl in the water to the left and to the right (360 degree rotation each way).
When they are done, they bob under the water and stand up.
Raise their arm in the air when done.
Must see
- Students able to recall / identify an adult must be there at all times when they are by the water.
- Correctly answer oral questions.
- Responses may be prompted.
- Lifejacket is fitted correctly and student knows why.
- Students being able to throw an object into the water safely.
Stages
Activity
Activity One: Discussion
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Discuss the importance of always having adult supervision in and around water.
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Discuss and ask questions on a range of water safety topics.
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Discuss who can help if you or others are in trouble in the water.
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Discuss why the students must NEVER enter the water to help someone in trouble.
Activity Two: Safe Entry & Exit
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Discuss the depth of the water and the best entrance and exit point.
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Students to decide their best entry point and advise teacher of their exit point.
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Enter the water by the best method to suit the student’s ability.
Activity Three: Signalling for Help
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Demonstrate the Signal for Help gesture – Arm up and waving. Yell ‘Help’, ‘Help’ ‘Help’.
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Students practice the Signal for Help gesture – Arm up and waving. Yell ‘Help’, ‘Help’ ‘Help’.
Activity Four: Throwing a Regular Object in the Water to Help Someone Float
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Discuss how some objects can float and help someone in trouble in the water.
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Students to look around and select an item to throw.
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Have a number of objects at poolside such as: a chilly bin, empty milk bottles, plastic chair, ball, bucket.
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Students to line up and practice throwing the object into the water safely. Ensure students are positioned away from the edge of the pool and show them how to throw without stepping into the pool.
- Demonstrate the rope rescue. Teacher holds onto the rope and throws other end into pool. Teacher lies on tummy poolside and pulls the rope towards them.
- Students practice the rope rescue.
Activity Six: Fit a Lifejacket
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Demonstrate fitting a life jacket.
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Discuss when and why life jackets must be worn by them (and others).
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Students select their own lifejacket and put it on themselves. Does it fit correctly?
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Show students whether their choice fits well and if not explain why.
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Once lifejacket is correctly fitted, students to enter the pool safely.
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Students to bend their legs in the HELP position and float.
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Students to experience floating in their lifejacket. Students to make starfish shapes on their backs, and moving about the pool by paddling with their arms (sculling).
Game: Naming dangers
Can children name a danger around water?
Game: Floating objects
Children to name items which could float in the water. Why or why not?
Game: Object floating
Half the students are in the water. The other half are poolside. Poolside students throw object to water student. Water student floats on the object and doggy paddles to poolside.
Must see
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Confidence in moving around the pool unassisted.
- Hills and Valley hand action (thumbs up, thumbs down).
- Hand moving faster than forearm.
Stages
Activity
Activity One: Moving in the Water
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Run across the pool forwards, sideways, backwards, skipping, hopping and jumping.
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In chest deep water, submerse to shoulders with arms out in front, practise horizontal arm sculling.
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Start with knees bent feet on the ground, then try to take feet off the ground while supporting body with scull.
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Discuss aquatic dangers at home.
Game: Slithering snakes
Everyone sits along the pool’s edge. One at a time they slide into the water slowly and with control, trying not to make any splashes or alert the ‘prey’.
Practise using two methods: twisting to face the wall; bending elbows to lower their body and sliding in facing the water.
Game: Hoop towering
Each pair hooks their feed under the rim of a hoop, facing opposite ends.
On the word “Go”, the one facing the deep end sculls head-first, towing the other feet-first. When they reach the other side they swap over.
This can be on backs or fronts.
Game: Red light / green light
Sitting on boards, when the teacher calls either “red light” or “green light” the students must move themselves, using only their sculling arms,
from one side of the pool to the other.
They can only move on “green light”. On “red light” they must scull on one spot.
If they fall off their board they must go back to the wall they started at.
The winner is the first student to get to the wall.
Moving through the water - Propulsion
SEE TEACHER RESOURCE - skills to be achieved in the pool
