Aquatic Synonyms

November 18th, 2011

Parent Tot Swimming Class

We at SWIMkids USA know that each child is unique.  They all have their own learning styles; that’s why we have a variety of instructors.  Recently, our instructors did an exercise in how to say the same thing in a different way, in a way that would make each child understand.  Here’s what they came up with.

1. Legs together (Butterfly)
Make your ankles touch
Make your knees touch
Mermaid tail
Dolphin tail
Glue your legs together
Make your legs touch
Make your toes touch

2. Look down
Look at my toenail polish
Look at animals at the bottom
Tuck your chin
Look at the bottom of the pool
Find the fishes
Point nose down
Find the dophin

3. Straight Legs
No bendy knees
Point toes
Make your legs straight like a Popsicle
Long legs
Toes far away

4. Superman
Squeeze your ears
Hide your ears
Pizza arms
Clap your hands
Arrow

5. Tummy up (airplane)
Belly touch the sky
Hide toes
Stick tummy out like Santa
Make sure Dora can breathe
Can I see your belly?
Show me your suit

6. Don’t move
Freeze
Quiet legs
No wiggles
Popsicle
Pose
Hold still

7. Tighten arm in saddle
Arm by side
Tickle spot
Close the window
Rest arm

8. Keep going
Almost there
Just a little longer
Don’t stop
One more time
Quantify how many more
Make it a race
Eat their toes

9. Jump in straight
Jump on hand
Bunny hop—small jump
Look at fish
Keep your tummy facing that way
No spins
Jump on the…
Don’t turn around
Point to a spot

10. Touch your toes
Tickle your toes
Grab my hand
Bottom up
Bend down
Pike
Grab your ankles

11. Chest press
Body dolphins
Wiggle
Press down
Can you push my hand away?
Pop chest

12. Butterfly arms
Snow angel
Wings
Hot pockets
Tickle the water
Swing arm circle, big straight arms
Down together and around together

13. Breaststroke outsweep
Corners
Pizza and cut
Corners
Make y
Outsweep to y or corners
Push it away and pull it in

14. Lean back (airplane)
Chin up—look at me
Like lying in bed
Get forehead wet
Look at ceiling
Let the water hold you
Look for Nemo
Look at my eyes
Press chest down

15. Flagpole switch
V switch
Little freestyle
Tummy at wall, then window
Alligator arms
Arm up, then switch

16. Graduate
Ring the bell
Get your medal
Yay!
Get your picture taken
You have mastered it
Move up
Learn new things

SWIMkids USA Closed Next Week for Thanksgiving

November 15th, 2011

cornocopia

SWIMkids USA will be closed November 20-27 to celebrate Thanksgiving and to give our staff and pools a break.

We close four weeks each year, leaving 12 - four week billing periods.  Depending on the day of the week, you will receive five lessons some months and three lessons other months, averaging four per month over the year.  The next break will be Christmas week, December 25-January 1.

During breaks, we clean out the Lost & Found, so please check  for any of your families’ belongings before then.

Water Safety Tips

November 11th, 2011

guinness-rolling

Learning how to swim does not mean that children are completely safe around water. They are safer, but no one is water-safe or drown-proof.

  • LEARN TO SWIM - teach your child to swim
  • Use layers of protection around your pool.
    • Surround your pool on all four sides with a fence
    • Make sure the gates self-close and self-latch at a height children can’t reach. Lock the gate and place the key high, out of a child’s reach
    • Put a safety net over the pool
    • Use door alarms to alert you whenever anyone leaves the house
  • SUPERVISION - There is no substitute for parental vigilance. A responsible adult should be in the pool area within arm’s length of children, providing “touch supervision”.
  • Make sure adults are trained in CPR and life saving techniques so they can rescue a child in case of emergency
  • Keep rescue equipment (shepherd’s crook or life preserver) and a portable telephone near the pool.

ALSO:

Children drown in BATHTUBS, BUCKETS & TOILETS

  • Put toilet lids down. Never leave open buckets of water standing around the house
  • Never leave a child unattended (by an responsible adult) in a bathtub!
  • At parties, have a designated WATER WATCHER supervising the pool at ALL TIMES. Their job is to keep their eyes on the swimmers. They should not be talking, eating, reading or talking on the phone.

How Do You Let Go When They’re Ready?

November 10th, 2011

jesse-w-baby

Swimming is learning to balance oneself in the buoyancy of the water. A good instructor will gently bring the child outside his comfort zone each lesson, but not so far as to invoke fear. The gradual path is most often the most successful in this arena. Building trust with the child student in the water is paramount when teaching a child to swim.

Encourage underwater exploration. Let them play on the steps. If they step off into deeper water, calmly and gradually help them back to the step, the side of the pool or rotate them onto their back where they can rest and breath. Let them retrieve toys of rings from the top step, then a lower step and eventually the bottom.

-by SWIMkids USA President Lana Whitehead

Lots of Great, Recent Media Coverage

September 8th, 2011

CBS Early ShowWe are the Valley’s Water Safety Experts!  We’ve been featured lately on local and national media.

CBS’s Early Show visited SWIMkids USA to learn more about Water Smart Babies.  Along with the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona, SWIMkids USA is helping bring Water Smart Babies from Florida, a program in which a doctor gives a non-binding prescription for swimming lessons at a child’s 9 or 12 month well visit.  Check out the well-done video.

Look at all these great stories from this summer:

Channel 15

Channel 10

Channel 5 Momster Monday

Channel 12

Channel 15

Raising Arizona Kids Mompreneur

Our Kids Blog

Points of Light

US Swim School Association Newsletter Swimformation

Grandparenting Today Show on Radio WMKV in Cincinnati

World’s Largest Swimming Lesson coverage on June 14:
Mesa’s Arizona Republic

Fox Channel 10


Pediatricians Sign-On to Swim Lessons

June 17th, 2011

US Swim School AssociationUS Swim School Association“Prescription for Water Safety” is the latest movement in drowning prevention. With a backing from Florida pediatricians, “Well Baby” visits will now include water safety education. On the child’s nine month visit, their pediatrician will write out a “Doctor’s prescription” for water safety lessons. The parents will also be given the Water Smart Babies handbook which includes tips on home water safety, water safety lesson facilities (by county), CPR classes (by county) and safety device information, such as pool fencing, door and pool alarms. As the child visits the pediatrician in subsequent months the doctor will follow up to make sure the family is getting their home equipped with the layers of protection and the child is participating in water safety lessons.

The brain-child of Kim Burgess, the pilot program was originally launched by the Broward County Task Force, February 2010 in Florida. Along with a position paper written by Mrs. Burgess and Lana Whitehead, the entire program was adopted by the Florida Pediatric Society, the state chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Drowning Prevention Coalition of Arizona task force is scheduled to pilot their programs in April of 2011; with a program roll out scheduled for August.

Members of the US Swim School Association are helping the Water Smart Babies Prescription Program to gain momentum and launch throughout the entire United States. Karen King (Broward County Task Force), Sue Mackie, Lana Whitehead and Bob Hubbard (Arizona Task Force) and Jim Hazen (New York Task Force) are encouraging all member schools to join with them to form drowning prevention task forces in their areas and adopt the Water Smart Babies Prescription Program. Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children ages 1 to 4. If we all work together, we can help curtail needless child drowning in our neighborhoods.

-by Lana Whitehead, from the Summer 2011 newsletter of the U.S. Swim School Association

Tragic Drownings and Near Drownings; Real Preventions

May 20th, 2011

Pool Safely

So far this year, six children, one teenager and nine adults – 16 people in all – have been reported to have drowned in the Phoenix area, according to AZFamily.com.

Moms, dads, folks of all ages: Just knowing some simple safety steps in and around the water can help prevent your child, your parent, or your loved one from drowning.

Here are some recent tragedies that have been reported in Phoenix along with ways that you can prevent these scenarios from happening to you:

What happened: A 2-year-old reportedly escaped the supervision of his parents and grandparents in their home through the doggy door. They looked for him for about 30 minutes before finding him in the backyard pool. The pool had very little water in it and the water was green. (Source: MyFoxphoenix.com)

Prevention: Install a 4-foot tall fence with self-closing, self-latching gates around the entire perimeter of the pool. Urge neighbors with pools to do the same. Install door alarms on any door that leads to a backyard pool to alert you if your child leaves the house. If a child is missing, look for him or her in the poolFIRST. Finally, install pool and gate alarms to alert you when children go near or enter the water.

What happened: A mother was reported to be supervising her 5-year-old son at the pool. He was horse playing and “possibly pretended to drown,” according to AZFamily.com. The mother jumped into the pool to help her son, but struggled herself because she couldn’t swim. The mother is in critical condition at the hospital. (Source: ABC15)

Prevention: If you don’t know how to swim, now is the time to learn. Swimming courses are available in local communities through a variety of public and nonprofit groups. Keep lifesaving equipment handy, including a telephone and tools that can be thrown into the pool. Some examples of these tools are a life ring or a reaching pole. Be sure to wear a Coast Guard approved life vest if you don’t know how to swim and are going into the water.

What happened: A 3-year-old Mesa, Ariz., girl was reportedly swimming in the family pool with her six brothers and sisters, the oldest of whom was 14. The pool had a gate and appropriate safety precautions. When the six other children got out of the pool, the 3-year-old was found. She had drowned. She had been missing for 20 minutes. (Source: AZCentral.com)

Prevention: Adults rather than older siblings should supervise children in the pool at all times. One adult should serve as a “Water Watcher” whenever children are in the pool. Stay within arm’s reach of non-swimmers and step in to stop excessive horseplay. Regular headcounts can help you keep track of all the children who are in the water.

What happened: A 7-year-old girl was staying with her grandparents, who had an above-ground pool in their back yard. The girl reportedly moved a ladder to the pool, climbed it and drowned in the pool. Police say she was in the water for 20 minutes. (Source: AZCentral.com)

Prevention: Ladders for above ground pools should be stored out of reach of children. Above ground pools are just as attractive to children as in ground pools. Fencing in an above ground pool will help keep young children out.

Related: CPSC Chairman Inez Tenenbaum in the Arizona Republic: Act to keep kids safe around water

Looking for Summer Programs in Arizona? SWIMkids USA’s Got You Covered

May 11th, 2011

diver

As temperatures rise, it’s time to think about your summer plans. Here are some winners:

Jump Start Sessions-Thinking about enrolling a sibling or need a boost? Our two week swim sessions (Monday - Thursday) are for survival levels and accelerate your children’s learning.  Jump Starts are available in the evenings, and will start May 16 in the mornings. The cost is just $124, a great value per class.

Summer Swim Team-Build teamwork and goal-setting skills in your child at our fun Summer Swim Team June 6 to July 30. Levels Silver and above are eligible to participate. The cost for Gold/Gold Competitive and above is $90 (plus your regular monthly fee and a $30 facility fee) which includes a weekly skill practice (in addition to your child’s regular weekly class), a weekly team practice, team cap, team photo, and championship party.  Silver level is $20 less but do not get the weekly skill practice.   There is a Parent Orientation Meeting on May 7 which is the registration deadline; after that date, there is a $15 late fee.

Second Class-Add a second class, whether it’s swim, gym, dance, or our new martial arts.  Cross training helps with coordination, strength, endurance, and flexibility. If the second class is a different activity, the cost is 50% off. For the same activity, it’s 10% off. Try a class for free.

Baby swimming brings benefits

April 27th, 2011
April 28, 2010 - Teaching babies to swim turns out to be more than just fun. Baby swimmers have better balance and are also better at grasping at things than non-swimmers. This difference persists even when children are five years old, when babies who have been taught to swim still outperform their peers, research from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) shows.

Illustrasjonsbilde/FOTO

“Practice makes perfect,” say Hermundur Sigmundsson, a professor of psychology at NTNU.

Now Sigmundsson and Brian Hopkins, a professor of psychology from Lancaster University, have shown that baby swimming is good for developing balance and movement in infants and young children.

Very clear results
The study involved comparing 19 baby swimmers against a control group of 19 children who had not participated in baby swimming. The only factor that separated baby swimmers from the control group was swimming. All other factors, such as the parents’ education, housing and economic status, were the same.

The baby swimmers had participated in swimming classes for two hours a week from the age of 2-3 months until they were about 7 months old. A typical session might involve helping the baby do a somersault on a floating mat, having the baby dive under water, jump from the pool edge, and balance on the hand of a parent while reaching to pick up floating objects.

At approximately age 5, both baby swimmers and the control group were tested with similar exercises. The exercises included walking on tiptoes, balancing on one foot, skipping rope, rolling a ball into a goal and catching a beanbag. The results were crystal clear, the researchers say.

“We saw very clearly that baby swimmers were the best in exercises that related to balance and the ability to reach for things,” says Sigmundsson.

Swimming in Iceland
The survey took place in Iceland, which is Sigmundsson’s homeland.

“Water is as important to Icelanders as snow is for Norwegians. A typical Icelander swims on average once or twice a week, and there is great deal of interest in baby swimming. I know an instructor who has been teaching baby swimming for 20 years. He had a great deal of information about children who have participated in swimming courses. So it was natural for us to conduct the study in Iceland,” Sigmundsson says.

Sigmundsson says he was simply overwhelmed by what the instructor was able to get the babies to do.

“The instructor was able to bring three-month-old babies right up to a balanced position, standing on his palm. The babies locked joints — it was amazing to watch,” Sigmundsson says.

Training makes a difference
He believes that the survey shows that specific training in young children gives results.

“It’s incredibly exciting that specific training for young babies has an effect later in life. Development is a dynamic interplay between maturation, growth, experience and learning. Our study shows that we must never underestimate the learning aspect,” Sigmundsson concludes.

The study was published in the May 2010 issue of Child: Care Health and Development.

Citation: Sigmundsson, H. and B. Hopkins. 2010. Baby swimming: exploring the effects of early intervention on subsequent motor abilities , Child: Care Health and Development. 36:3, 428-430. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2214.2009.00990.x

http://www.ntnu.edu/news/babyswimming

Raising Arizona Kids Mompreneur: LANA WHITEHEAD, Swim instruction and saving lives

April 25th, 2011

Lana WhiteheadLana Whitehead of Mesa runs SWIMKids USA, a program that teaches kids the basics of safe swimming. She has written four books and the scripts for three videos on drowning prevention and has trained more than 50,000 children to be safer in the water with a method she developed that involves a series of steps children should take in an emergency situation.

This month, she received the 2011 National Drowning Prevention Alliance’s Community Lifesaver Award at the a national convention in Colorado Springs. The award honors individuals or organizations that have advanced the efforts of drowning prevention through education, research, public awareness, legislative changes or engineering advancements.

How did you get started with your business? What inspired it?

I was living in California and teaching high school. When I had a baby I decided to go to the YMCA and teach my baby swimming. The people there saw me and asked if I would develop a program for them. This was 40 years ago, so at that time, it was a pretty big deal that they asked me that.

We decided to move to Arizona because California was so crowded and the Bay Area wasn’t the best place to raise kids.

Tell us about your children.

All of them work with me and for me and also go to school. They are coaches for me. Lance is 39 and an accountant, Brandon is 34 and was in emergency medicine, but now coaches and loves that, and Bryce is 25 and is graduating in psychology this year.

What do you hope that your business brings to people?

We have a unique business that basically saves lives, so that’s our ultimate goal. We have a program that we are heavily involved with called Prescription Swim that will be going national soon. It’s where pediatricians give parents a prescription for babies to go get swimming lessons because it’s so important in Arizona. More importantly I want to make this place a loving and warm environment where employees and people feel safe. We also teach gymnastics and dance. It’s so great getting to teach small children.

Does being located in Arizona help your business?

It was definitely a booming business in California as well because of the very high need for drowning prevention there. And Arizona as well as Florida are good places to have swimming instruction businesses. The gymnastics and dance that we offer would go well anywhere.

What are the biggest challenges with your work?

To be sure that every child who comes to us gets taught in a way that he or she is able to learn the skills and to do them and to be successful in the lessons that we teach because we deal with life and death. Every child is different, and when we train teachers we tell them that. There is not just one way to teach a child. When something doesn’t work we have to move back down the scale and find the missing links that they haven’t gotten and then have them master that and move on. We also have a lot of special needs children and they need to be taught in a different way.

Any changes looming?

We are adding martial arts. We would like to expand but we haven‘t yet. We have land but haven’t expanded because of the economy and don’t know how it will play out. We also have swim teams and we are expanding that into older and older ages and some are eventually going to be trying out for nationals and maybe someday even the Olympics.

You recently won the 2011 National Drowning Prevention Alliance’s Community Lifesaver Award. How do you feel about that?

It was humbling to receive this award from so many dedicated professionals in every field who are dedicating their time, talents and finances to combat the increase in child drownings.

Anything else you would like people to know?

We have three or four babies to be born soon to moms who work here and our moms are having babies all the time. We have a babysitter here so that the moms can come to work and keep their children on site. They also can work for us part time and at their convenience and choose hours that work for them. I really feel it is important that the moms have onsite childcare.