Teaching Tools at La Petite Baleen

We see our swim school as an aquatic classroom. As former classroom teachers, Irene and John Kolbisen know it takes many kinds of tools and aids to help a child understand a new skill.

We were also serious swimmers and took many tools and materials from other arenas, to "capture the imagination" of different children in the water.

Some tools are classics and fins are a perfect example. They help to elongate a child's kick, they slightly overload the leg muscles which make them stronger. They especially help a child 'feel' how the water pushes or flows with a kick. We don't use fins as a crutch, and children gradually get stronger and we gradually take the fins away.

Interestingly, advanced strokes go back and use the fins again. The fins again speed up the learning process and we remove them when a student gets to a certain level of confidence and ability. World class and collegiate swimmers use fins all the time to keep variety and strength training in mind (just ask our daughters Liesl and Anya who swam at U of A and Cal).

Fins, as well as other aids are simply a small support system through out the learning process.

Often parents don't realize the benefits of goggles. Try this little exercise: stand on one leg with your eyes open. Then, close your eyes and feel the difference. Our eyes give us a lot of balance.When children use goggles they have about 60% MORE balance as they can see better underwater. Swimming has as much to do with balance and breath control than it does with kicking and paddling. Goggles help children to find their balance in the water while allowing them to "treasure hunt" at the same time!

We have nose clips for some children who initially sniff water. This is something we really watch for. Getting water in the sinuses is not fun. We use the clip so there is a positive learning curve, much sooner.

I think we are the only swim school in the nation that uses the 'motorboat'. I bought it for my three kids as a trampoline but, being kids, they tossed it into the pool. I watched how creative and FUN it was. I also realized that going from up to down often gives babies a good clue for anticipating a breath hold. So sit jumps and motorboat have always been a part of our curriculum.

Within the swim school world we are famous for having such a variety of toys, mirrors, magic carpets, etc. to engage children. It looks colorful out on that pool deck...and happy, just like our swimmers!

(Lita) Irene

Summer Fun with Swimming

Families that go on vacation around a river, lake, water park, sea shore, etc. may think their children will jump right in and are surprised when Red Ribbon Jack or even, Purple Ribbon Emma, do not show off their skills in this different water right away.

Take heart because there are simple, supportive ways for your tribe to quickly enjoy the long planned fun time.

Remember that children pick up on how this new water looks, feels and perhaps smells different. Maybe they can't see bottom, or it is cooler than they are used to. Crashing waves sound loud or try to get their toes. There may be currents that unsteady them or fish that they can see (I was a young swimmer but fish scared me...still do!)

Before arriving at your destination talk with the children about how the water will look and feel different from a swim lesson swimming pool. Find photos if possible so they have a visual. I remember taking our three kids to Russian River and sketching how the river turned, and how maybe the currents would give you a ride. We explained how to swim at an angle to flow with the water. They didn't need to go straight to shore, in exactly the spot they wanted. My daughter Liesl can tell you that story when she jumped out of our canoe at the age of 3!

Take the first 10 minutes after getting to the water to review what the children already know skill wise. The children, especially the younger ones, need time to assimilate all the stimuli. If you have been sensitive to their hesitation and they balk after a reasonable time, gently carry them or hold their hand firmly and get them one step further into the water, keeping a positive, playful voice and attitude.

Do the 10 minute review every day. You can ask for suggestions from your teacher or the deck support person too. They can give 'homework' for the kind of water you visit and skill levels of your kids (http://www.swimlpb.com/classes/homework.html).

Lastly, whatever water you are around, please assign someone to be the designated "water watcher". This means they have been given a tangible item (we use a bracelet of some kind) and it means they will not use a phone, engage in conversation, or be distracted in anyway. Their sole job is to keep watch over the little whales in the pool. We have used the bracelet idea for Disneyland too when the crowds are big and children can get lost in the shuffle.

Everyone enjoys the water much more when water skills are good and everyone is more relaxed when a safety system is in place. Now go out and have a wonderful swimming summer!

(Lita) Irene

Summer Reading

Some ‘old’ books are still good information. Here are a few ideas I have always appreciated because while times have changed, children are developmentally the same everywhere.

“Emotional Intelligence” by Daniel Goleman emphasizes that the happiest and most successful people are those who have the capacity to:

Ability to empathize

Capacity to delay gratification

Competence to contain or manage emotions

In one of my favorite authors of child-rearing, Dr. T Brazelton, observed that the difference between two outlooks (children who are confident and optimistic versus those who expect to fail) start to take shape in the first years of life. Dr Brazelton, says that ”parents need to help generate the confidence, the curiosity, the pleasure in learning and the UNDERSTANDING OF LIMITS (my caps) to help children succeed in life.

“Letters for Our Children”, edited by Erica Goode, gathered letters that adults wrote to children. These authors were parents, grandparents, step parents, friends and relatives. One in particular caught my attention........

“Dear Randy,

Soon you will leave home and go off to college. The successes that will come your way will be great fun. But the failures will be your most valuable lessons. How a person decides to handle failure has a great deal to do with everything else in his life. Some people deny that the failure was their fault. Refusing to accept consequences seems to be a national pastime.

You see Randy, successful people are successes because they know how to handle their failures. You must learn to handle failure too.

DON’T FLUNK FAILURE!

Your stepdad, Skipper”

Let’s help our children learn the same; face our fears, face our consequences and thrive .

Swimcerely, Irene

Eczema and Swimming?

Dear Parents,

I have long had a theory that chlorinated water actually helps rashes and skin irritations rather than make them worse. I recently came across this article that seems to support this theory, and wanted to share it with you in case your child suffers from eczema and you are hesitant to allow them to swim:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/28/health/research/28regi.html

Perhaps we have even more to learn about the many benefits of swim lessons!

Best "Fishes",

Irene