Listen for fishes
£0.60 – £1.75Price range: £0.60 through £1.75
The ability to submerge and be unphased, with at least one ear into the water.
BE2
Description
This award can celebrate a huge break through in water confidence by placing their ears into the water. Allowing water to run into their ears does create a new sensation to experience in the water, the sound and the whole concept can be very scary for many children. By allowing the child to lower their ears into the water is first step in being able to hold a relaxed and controlled floating position on their back. The head position with ears in the water, is the first step in holding a correct backstroke position.
This award can be offered when one or both ears can be placed into the water or when both ears are simultaneously submerged in the water.
Additional needs
For many children, submersion is a key worry and concern for them. This needs to be taken in stages for them to build their trust and disarm them. Children with learning difficulties, sensations such as the water being in their ears add additional levels of unease as well as altering noise/voices. Therefore with the child able to put their ears into the water is a key stage in development for body position for backstroke as well as head submersion.
This skill therefore for some will take lots of hard work and perseverance from both the swimmer and the teacher so should be celebrated.
Lesson ideas
Encouraging swimmers to do something out their comfort zone is always made easier if the staff join in as well as the other swimmers participate as well. It may be a gradual process starting with their cheek or back of their head lowered into the water. There is no rush.
Games can be made up with fishes in the pool where swimmers are encouraged to listen for fishes singing and then looking for them.
Looking for spiders on the ceiling will help the swimmers head to stay in the correct position whilst travelling on their backs, whilst games can be made up with fishes in the pool where swimmers are encouraged to listen for fishes singing and then looking for them.
For the more advanced swimmers an object can be placed on a float (held across their chest) whilst they kick on their backs. The object of the game is to keep the head still and in the correct position without the item falling off. This will help the swimmer to control their body and head because if the ears are not kept in the water the object floats away.
It is always good to practice this whilst holding the side (placing one ear at a time in the water) before swimmers push off, this helps to overcome the initial feeling of the water in their ears.
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