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Chapter 2 (PART - 1)

Ten Lesson Plans

LESSON I

Setting:

Pool or water with very shallow end

Teacher

Four children

Warm water (82 degrees, if possible)

Warm sun

Objective:

Adjustment to the water; to get the child's face under water.

Play follow the leader (teacher going first) down the steps, and walk across the width of the pool holding on to the gutter or railing with one hand. Turn at the end and return to the steps, holding to the side with the other hand. “Doesn't the water feel good?”"Walking in water is different than walking on the ground, isn't it?"

Repeat this process, only this time let one of the children be the leader, and the game is”No Hands on the Railing. “Since this little procession resembles a train, suggest the names of the cars on a freight train. Or suggest that the leader hold his hands on his hips, or over his head, and that the others follow suit.

Teacher and children all hold hands to form a circle and slowly walk around in a circle, then hop on one foot, then jump. The water in the shallow end of the pool should come somewhere between the children's waist and shoulders. It is important that the teacher place herself in the pool so that she can work part of the time at the children's height level.

In that way, the children will be able to see the teacher's face and hear her more easily. Furthermore, the teacher is in a better position to help the children in the water as the lessons progress.

Here are the directions for five games. (They'll suggest other similar ones. But remember that the children haven't yet gotten their faces wet, so the appropriate game at this stage will call for head out of water.

1. Poison. Form a circle, holding hands. In the center of the circle is a piepan or anything that floats. (A decoy duck is fun, if you have one.) The piepan is poison, so you must not let it touch you. It is fair to blow on it, or to pull another person toward it. But no fair using hands to fan the water, for it's against the rules to break the circle!
   
   
2. London Bridge. Two people form the bridge and the others walk underneath it, singing,”London Bridge is falling down, Falling down, falling down.
   
3. London Bridge is falling down, My fair lady. “On”lady”the bridge catches a victim, and it is then his turn to be half of the bridge.
   
4. Small or Tall. One child stands in the middle of the circle with his eyes shut tight. The others stand around him singing,”I'm very very small”(put hands on knees and bend knees so water is at the chin level),”I'm very very tall”(stretch high on tiptoe with arms way over the head),”Sometimes small” (down again),”Sometimes tall” (up high),”Guess what we are now?”The teacher takes the lead here and either stretches up high or bends down low, and the children mimic her. The child in the middle, who still has his eyes shut tight, then guesses. If he guesses”tall”and is correct, everyone claps. If he guesses”small”and everyone is”tall,”tell him to guess again, then everyone claps. Each child will want a chance to be in the center.
   
5. The Farmer in the Dell. Walk in a circle with hands joined, singing,”The farmer in the dell, The farmer in the dell, Heigh-ho the derry-o, The farmer in the dell. “Choose a farmer to stand in the center of the circle, and repeat verse with”The farmer takes a wife,”etc. Now there will be two children standing in the center. Naturally, if there are only five of you playing this game, you can no longer hold hands after the wife takes the child, and the child takes the nurse, and the nurse takes the dog.
   
6. Pop Goes the Weasel. “All around the shoemaker's bench, The monkey chased the weasel, The monkey stopped to pull up his sock [gesture], Pop goes the weasel. “On the word”Pop”all jump up as high as possible.

Children enjoy playing these familiar games anywhere, but find new delight playing them in the water. In the excitement of the game, they forget themselves and begin to feel at ease. They are getting accustomed and adjusted to the water by bending and stretching, walking and jumping.

None of the games listed in the special section”Water Games”should be attempted here, as those are all for swimmers. But many games for nonswimmers can easily be invented. You might even suggest to the children that one of them think of a game. How about a water version of Drop the Handkerchief? They could drop the piepan!

After playing games of this kind, you will be ready to attempt front and back glides. These are to be done individually. The purpose of the glides is to give the child the feel of the water as he is being pulled through it. You wilt already know which child seems to enjoy the water the most, so choose him first. If the others see that he finds the glide enjoyable and comes back unharmed, they are more likely to follow suit.

Front Glide: Take the child by the wrists or elbows and slowly pull him through the water. Children will tend to do one of two things; either they will pull their knees under their stomachs or immediately start kicking. Tell the child that his legs are trying to come to the surface, and that he is soooo easy to pull when his legs are up high. Say simply,”No kicking, just easy and slow. “

You may find that he is as stiff as a board. Tell him that you want to see how long his body is in the water, to stretch as far as he can. Sing to him:”Chug, chug, chug, I'm a little tug, I pull the big boats, Chug, chug, chug. “If you don't like to sing, you can chant it. But children are not a bit critical of an adult's singing voice, so here's your chance.

What will the others be doing while you are giving rides? Give them a ping-pong ball out of your Bag of Tricks and have them sit on the steps of the pool blowing the ball back and forth to each other. No hands, just blowing.

Back Glide: Hold the child's head firmly in both your hands, covering his ears. Pull him through the water on his back. If he is relaxed, his feet will automatically come to the surface. You can tell him to hold his arms out at his sides, but since he instinctively will grab your wrists, you might as well tell him to hold on to your wrists if he wishes.

An apprehensive child will really turn to stone on this one, since most children feel more helpless and fearful on their backs. Your words and tone of voice should be very reassuring. If you hold him under his arms he will jut his head way up in a stiff and awkward position. (The normal back position is with the ears in the water.) As he relaxes, tell him to look up at the sky and make an airplane out of his body by holding one arm out, then the other. Make certain you do not let his head go under. He is easy to get back on his feet. Simply pull him to an upright position, never releasing your hands from his ears until you are sure he is standing.

During the time you are giving these rides to each child, the chances are that the rest of the group-are pretty suspicious, waiting to see if you are going to do anything in particular with them. You will find that while you are walking backward through the water, pulling one child, you can be conscious of the children on the step, watching them with your third eye, and still give instructions to the glider. From your glides you can proceed to face-wetting and the first breathing exercises.

Face Wetting: If you have the children form a circle, you will find it much easier to keep your group together, doing the same thing at the same time and learning from each other. If children have gone through kindergarten, when you say”Get in a circle”they automatically take hands. For preschool children you need to be more specific. “Paul, take Anne's hand, Anne take Barbara's,”and so on until your circle is formed.
"Now, we have all just gotten out of bed from a long sleep and we're not quite awake yet, so let's stretch [demonstrate and they will mimic] and wash up for breakfast. First let's wash our cheeks, then our chins. Tom, have you washed your ears today? How about your eyebrows? Whoever heard of washing eyebrows? Shall we wash our hair? Here's some shampoo. “Pretend to pour shampoo over each child's head (even with caps on it's fun) and scrub vigorously. Also pretend to pass the soap if you like, and wash all the sensitive parts of the face. Dip into the pool for more water with each new area to be washed. “Now are we wet all over?"

Holding Breath: Tell the children to watch you take a big breath and hold it while they count out loud to five. Exaggerate the inhaling and exhaling process by opening the mouth very wide, pursing the lips tight to hold the air in and letting out the air slowly after the count of five. Go around the circle having each child do it alone, and then the whole group all together. As each child performs alone, have the rest of the group chant in chorus”One-two-three-four-five. Blow it out!”When the whole group does it together, the teacher does the counting. Remind the children to hold hands; remind them, also, to keep themselves lowered with shoulders covered by the water.

Blow Bubbles with Mouth: Everyone should squat with chin at water level. Demonstrate how you can blow bubbles in the water with your mouth and sound like a motorboat. Now it's their turn, and some will need to be reminded to bubble the water, not just blow the air. Hold your hands together, fill, them with water, and bubble the water in your hands. (This last is for the hesitant child or the one who doesn't have the courage to submerge his face just yet.)

Blow Bubbles with Nose: Demonstrate blowing air through nose with mouth closed. Tell the children to do it exactly as if they were blowing their nose. Have them all try blowing air through their nose a few times before you try it in the water. This is important because it is almost instinctive to sniff in any water that is around the nose. If they sniff in a noseful, it is not only frightening but painful. So they need to learn to consciously blow out. Teacher does it first, group follows.

What you want is for the children all to lean over, submerge nose, and flow bubbles with nose.

Count on several

who won't. If they were able to mouth-bubble water in their hands, perhaps they will blow bubbles through their nose in water in their hands. It's worth a try. Some will not do this the first day. Do not despair. The first lesson continues in some aspects over the next two or three lessons.
Blow Bubbles at Same Time with Nose and Mouth: This would naturally follow. Take a big breath, make motorboat sounds, and stress making bubbles through nose. (Later, in the description of the bobbing exercise, the importance of breathing out through nose and mouth is explained.)

Face-Down: Hold breath to the count of five, again with head out of water. Then tell the children to count to five while you hold your face down under the water. The children will watch to see what happens to you. So when you do come up, emerge with a look which shows that this is the most pleasant and natural phenomenon in the world. When their faces are in the water, the children should be bending from the waist, their faces parallel to the bottom of the pool. (Later, in learning bobbing, they will submerge in a different way as the whole head goes down in a fashion similar to a jack-in-a-box.) Since this is the first time they put their whole face under, don't complicate it by telling them to keep their eyes open.

Now”Face-Down”is a big step. Don't be discouraged and don't let the children feel like failures if they couldn't do it, or if they could do it but didn't enjoy it one bit. Children have not been conditioned in any way in their young lives to having their heads under the water. They do not even enjoy washing their faces with the small amount of water a washcloth will hold.

They may react to”Face-Down”in a number of ways. Some may wipe off the water as if it were poison. Some may look at you as if you were the greatest deceiver of all time. You said swimming was going to be fun, and if this is fun, I'll have no part of it. Some may look as if they'd like to try to
do what you did, but simply can't bring themselves to this heroic act. Some may get water in their nose or mouth, and you may have a crying child to cope with. Do not be too sympathetic with excuses or complaints. Tell the crying child lots of really good swimmers often get mouthfuls of
water, but they just spit it out like this and demonstrate by getting a mouthful of water and spitting it out. If you look ridiculous enough, he may stop crying. Tell the child who-just-can't that you know it's not as simple as you make it look, but just to keep on trying. Tell the child who is still wiping the water off his face that every time he puts his face down it will be easier for him. It is at this point that your group would like to break up. Insist they keep holding hands, and proceed.

Eyes Open: You can bet your bottom dollar all eyes were shut tight on that last trick. Your instruction now is”Big breath, hold it, face down, eyes open. “Tell the children that the water may sting a little the first time they open their eyes under water. (The reason for this is that all water contains irritants and eyes are supersensitive. Chlorine is not usually the cause of the irritation. Chlorine keeps the water clean and keeps them healthy. After having killed the bacteria during the night, chlorine is dispersed as gas when the sun hits the water.)”Well, you don't have to open them sooooo wide; just take a peek. Just a squint. Now let's all take a big breath and look in each other's eyes to see what color they are. “

It is important that children learn to enjoy swimming with their eyes open. It is for their own safety as well as for the safety of others that they see where they are going. If they will open their eyes, they will eliminate or relieve some fear of the water. However, do not make an issue of this in the first lesson.
Just coming up from a successful game of Ring-around-a-rosy.

Face-Down Games:

1. Ring-around-a-rosy, Pocket full of posy, Ashes, ashes, All fall down. On the”All fall down,”everyone is to go clear under. Don't be surprised if you come up to find four dry faces staring down at you.
   
   
2. What Color Suit? Suggest that Barbara go under the water and see what color suit Anne is wearing. (Big breath, face down, eyes open, up, blow out air.)
   
   
3. What Color Eyes? Suggest Kathy go down and see what color Paul's eyes are.
   
   
4. How Many Fingers? Teacher holds her fist clenched under the water, and as soon as the child's face is down she extends one, two, three, four or five fingers. Child counts fingers, makes a report on his return to the surface.

Play only one of these games the first lesson, and save the others for other lessons.

Playtime: It's playtime. Tell the children the pool is theirs. If you swim, take a swim to enjoy yourself, and to show the children that you enjoy swimming. This is assuming that there is another adult in attendance to keep an eye on the nonswimmers. Stay away from the children, because you will not be able to resist teaching them some more. Getting out of the water may be what some want. If any of them do, let them the lesson is over.

For playtime, any inexpensive slide is a marvelous device for fun and for helping children forget themselves. It is possible for the child to hold the sides and ease down into the water, or go kersplash. Unless the child asks you not to catch him, stand ready to catch.

SUMMARY OF LESSON I

Take to the water:

Instruction sheet

Clock or timer

Piepan or anything that floats

1. Walk the width of the pool and back again, holding on to the railing or curb with one hand
   
   
2. Walk the width of the pool and back again, without holding* on to the railing.
   
   
3. Join hands to form a circle and walk, hop, and jump around the circle.
   
   
4. Play a game: Poison, London Bridge, Small or Tall, Fanner in the Dell, Pop Goes the Weasel. All of these games allow the head to remain out of the water.
   
   
5. Front Glide: Take each child individually. Hold his hands, pull him through the water with his head out and his legs to the surface, but not kicking.
   
   
6. Back Glide: Hold the child's head firmly in both your hands covering his ears. Pull him through the water.
   
   
7. The width of the pool and back again is sufficient for both front and back glide.
   
   
8. Face Wetting: Dip both hands into the water and”wash”cheeks, forehead, neck, chin, hair, ears, all parts of the face. With each new area to”wash,”dip into the pool for more water.
   
   
9. Hold breath to the count of five out of the water.
   
   
10. Blow bubbles with mouth.
    
    
11. Blow bubbles with nose.
    
    
12. Blow bubbles with nose and mouth at the same time.
    
    
13. Face-Down: Teacher demonstrates first (taking a big breath, hold breath, face down to the count of five, then lift face). Each child individually, then the whole group together.
    
    
14. Face-Down, Eyes Open. Play count-the-fingers game with those who will put their faces in the water.
    
    
15. Play a face-in-the-water game:  Ring-around-a-rosy, What Color Suit? What Color Eyes? Or play one of the games listed in Number 4 if the group has not progressed this far.
    
16. Playtime.

NOTE: Numbers 8-14 are to be performed in a circle.

LESSON II

Objective:

To teach children how to float.

Review from Lesson I:

1. Walk along shallow end of pool without holding on to the railing.
   
   
2. Walk in a circle holding hands. This is to get those rail clingers away from the railing, and to venture out slightly farther in the water.
   
   
3. Drop hands and walk in a circle. Jump, hop, or skip in a circle.
   
   
4. "Wash”shoulders, neck, ears, cheeks until everyone is wet all over.
   
   
5. Join hands again and jump together in a circle. If you like to sing, make up a tune to this jumping song. “I'm jumping, I'm jumping, I'm jumping up and down. I'm jumping, I'm jumping, and then I fall down. “On”I fall down”take a big breath and sit on the bottom of the pool.
   
   
6. With head above the water, take a big breath and hold it to the count of five.' Blow out air.
   
   
7. Take a big breath and submerge face down in the water. The whole group counts loudly for the person who has his face down. This is a good time to remark,”Do you remember yesterday that you could hold your face down to the count of three and now you can do it to seven?"
   
   
8. Bubble with mouth only, then nose only, and then nose and mouth together.
   
   
9. Pull each child on a front and back glide. While you are doing this, tell your group to have a bubbling contest on the steps or at the edge. Or another good way to occupy them is to sink a rock on the bottom step and have each child reach for it. This is so simple they can do it without putting their faces in the water. Then sink the rock on the bottom of the pool right next to the step. This is harder. Some can still reach it without putting their heads in the water, but tell them that they should take a big breath, enter the water face down, open their eyes and bring up the rock. Any sinkable object is good except those which can be picked up with the toes. Your objective is to have them get used to getting their heads under the water. Their objective is to get the rock by means available to them.
   
10. Play a game. If they are putting their faces in the water by this time, play a face-down game. If they aren't, play one of the other games with face out of the water. Both types are described in Lesson I.

Introduce:

Various Forms of Floating: The monstrous adult swimmers you see everywhere today who are thrashing, splashing, bobbing their heads out of water from side to side, never took the principles of floating seriously. The easy, graceful, relaxed swimmer knows that his body will keep on the surface of the water with a minimum of arm and leg movement. There should be no tremendous hurry to swim anyway, so don't hurry the stage of learning how to float. After all, swimming is nothing more than kicking the legs and pulling the arms through the water at the same time. Do not try to teach a child to swim until he has learned to float

Cork Float: Bring out of your Bag of Tricks two or three corks and let them bob around on the top of the water. Corks have air in them just like the children, and this is not so technical that a child will not understand the comparison. Tell the children that up to now they have been ducks, but as soon as they can float like a cork and do a face-down float, they will graduate to”corks”or”floaters. “Let them vote which of these they would rather be called. The cork float is also known as the jellyfish float; some may like to be called that.

"Now watch my back and see if I can look like that cork. “Take a deep breath, face down, knees to chest, wrap both arms around your knees, bob for five seconds, and stand. While both arms are wrapped around your knees you are as much the shape of a ball as you will ever be, and you do
resemble a bobbing cork.

The whole purpose of the cork float is to teach children how to get back on their feet once they are afloat. This is very important, as once a child has his face submerged and his feet on the surface of the water, he can flounder and kick and still not be able to stand. Pulling the knees up to the chest at the same time makes easy work of getting the feet back on the bottom of the pool.

A Cork Float without Teacher.

The first time they try the cork float, have them line up at the railing of the shallow end with one hand on the railing, all facing the same direction. They are to take a big breath, put their face down, wrap the other arm around both knees (while you hold them under the armpit), let go of the knees and stand. (By careful observation you may notice that one foot is planted firmly on the bottom of the pool, and they are clutching only one knee.) You have one arm free, so use it under their knees to tip and bob them a little so they get the feeling of floating, like a cork. You can say,”You know when you take a big breath and hold it, you are blowing yourself up just like a balloon, and the air in your body keeps you afloat. There is no air in the water, just in you. “

As you help each child individually, tell the others to try it without your help, with just the aid of the railing. Then take each child away from the railing and giving support under one arm, have them use both their arms to hold their knees to their chest. If they stand up so fast that they really never have a chance to float, tell them you will count to five the same as when they held their breath under water in the circle and when you say”five”they are to put their feet down.

Ask your group if anyone is ready to try it alone now without the railing, without the teacher. “No? Well, maybe tomorrow. “

Play a new game called”Beware the Dogfish. “The teacher swims out about fifteen feet from the shallow end of the pool. The children hold hands and walk out to the roped-off area, or if you are not using a rope, to where the water level is at their shoulders. The rules are: When the teacher yells”Beware the dogfish”they are to get back to the shallow end before she can grab their feet, and no fair climbing out of the pool. The teacher then surface-dives and swims along the bottom of the pool, grabbing ankles. This game delights them and it is fun for the teacher, too. Sometimes she manages to catch one before he gets back to safe base, but most of the time the children win. When they become swimmers, it will be even more fun, because then they can take turns being the dogfish.

Face-down Float: Also known as prone float, airplane float, or dead man's float. For children, airplane float or face-down float is easily understood. Demonstrate by taking a deep breath. Bending forward, put face down in the water, let your legs go to the surface behind you, stay in this position five seconds, and then bring your knees to your chest, and stand. Take each child, one at a time, hold his hands and call out the instructions:”Deep breath, face down, legs up. “After he has floated for three to five seconds and is ready to come up, say,”Knees to chest, stand. “Make no effort at this stage to have the child float alone. As soon as each has had a turn, have all the children line up at the railing for another variety of float.

Release-from-railing Float: Demonstrate by holding on to the railing with both hands. Then extend legs so you the demonstrator are prone on the surface and holding the side. Take a big breath, face down, let loose of the railing, float five seconds, knees to chest, and stand. When the children attempt this, they may be reluctant to let loose of the railing once the face is submerged. They will release one hand but not both. They will pull their knees up very nicely, and stand without having ever let go of the railing. It will help if you stand to one side of the child and hold him gently under the armpits as he goes through this routine. As soon as his face is down call out,”Let go of railing, one, two, three, four, five, knees to chest, and stand. “

Another way: Have them do an airplane float by holding one hand on the railing, the other hand extended out in the water. Same call:”Arm out, big breath, face down, legs to the surface, let go of railing, knees to the chest, stand. “

Still another (if your pool has steps): Have the group line up by the steps with their hands on the second step, their face down near the next step. Tell them to push off backwards a little (or at least let their hands leave the step), knees to chest, and stand. Instead of walking back to the step to try it again, tell them to take a big breath, face down, and reach for the step. It is important always to repeat take a big breath as it is not automatic behavior for them yet.

You will discover the following: They will put their faces down, but pull them out of the water before they are afloat. They will keep their faces down, but won't let go of the railing or the steps with both hands. They will put their faces down and let their legs come up to the surface, but not at the same time. They will pull their faces out of the water before they bring their knees up to their chest. Never mind any of this. Just keep working them gently with such suggestions as I notice you like to work on the step, Tom, and to Anne, If you can float holding on with one hand today, perhaps tomorrow 'no hands,' do you think? Because, after all, holding on with one hand is better than using two.

The children will come afloat by one of the rail methods or on the step sooner than by standing out in the water where there is no nearby means of support. Trying each of these variations is important because it makes the idea of floating not so tedious or discouraging. So work on one method, then try another, then another, back to the first one, and so on. You will find that some are floating a half a second or two without knowing that they are doing so. And you may find that to everyone's surprise, one or two children are afloat and they know they have accomplished what is expected of them. But it is a tough lesson. With some, you may stay on this lesson for days.

Playtime: From your Bag of Tricks produce a soft, round rubber ball about eight inches in diameter. Call the name of the child for whom it is intended and throw it, and have him throw it back to you. The fun of the game is in throwing it way over the teacher's head so that she has to swim out to get it. As soon as you have done a couple of rounds with each child, turn the ball over to them to play with it as they choose.

Push off backwards from step, float, knees to chest, and stand.

SUMMARY OF LESSON II

Take to the water:

Clock or timer

Rock or sinkable object

Two or three corks

Rubber ball

Review from Lesson I:

1. Walk width of pool, without holding on to the railing.
   
   
2. Walk in a circle, holding hands.
   
   
3. Drop hands, and walk, jump, hop or skip in a circle.
   
   
4. "Wash”face.
   
   
   
5. Sing jumping song in a circle, holding hands.
   
   
6. Take big breath, hold it to the count of five, let out air.
   
   
7. Take big breath, hold it to the count of five while face is submerged, bring face out of water, blow out air.
   
   
8. Bubble with mouth only, nose only, then nose and mouth together.
   
   
9. Pull each child on a front glide, then a back glide. Other children reach for rock.
   
   
10. Play a game. See Lesson I for selection of games.

Introduce Floats:

1. Demonstrate cork float, after children have seen real corks float.
   
   
2. Have children do a cork float with one hand on the railing, while you support them under the armpit.
   
3. Have children do a cork float away from the railing, using both arms to hold knees under their chest, while you support them by holding them under the armpits.
   
4. Play Beware the Dogfish.
   
5. Demonstrate a face-down float. Big breath, arms extended, face in water, legs to the surface, float five seconds, bring knees to chest, and stand.
   
6. Take each child individually: Facing the child, you hold his hands and have him do a face-down float. You call the signals.
   
7. Demonstrate a float, holding on to the railing with both hands; then, releasing the railing, float a few seconds, then stand by pulling knees to the chest, feet straight down. Children's turn.
   
8. Demonstrate an airplane float holding on to the railing or gutter with one hand, the other arm extended toward the length of the pool. Encourage release of the railing while child has face down and legs extended.
   
9. (If you have steps.) Float away from the steps. Reach for the steps. Again, demonstrator first, children follow.
   
10. Playtime: Use rubber ball for games.

LESSON III

Objective:

To teach children how to breathe.

To teach children the back float.

Review:

1. If one of the children in your group gets in the water and plunges his face right in, remark,”Well, that's a good way to get wet all over. Shall we all do it? Big breath, face down. “Some will, some won't. The”won'ts”will get wet in the way familiar to them by now.
   
   
2. Big breath and hold it. Blow out the air. If the count of air held is to ten or fifteen, remark on how tremendous an achievement this is.
   
   
3. Big breath and hold face under water. “If we can hold our breath out of water to the count of ten, don't you think we can hold our breath under water to the count of ten?”Children all submerge faces at the same time and the teacher counts loudly.
   
   CHILD: Last night in the bathtub I held my breath to a hundred.
   
   TEACHER : With your head in the water?
   
   CHILD: Uh uh! With my head out of the water.
   
   TEACHER: If you can hold it to a hundred with your head out, how about holding it to only ten with your face down?
   
   CHILD: Because I don't like water on my face.
   
   TEACHER: You're not used to having so much water on your face. When you get used to it, you won't mind it any longer. The only way to get used to it is to keep doing it. Let's go. Big breath everybody. Face down; one, two, three, four. . . . Well, four is more than three, and you did three yesterday.
   
   CHILD: I'll do a hundred tomorrow, but I'm not used to it any more today.
   
   
4. Blow bubbles with mouth, then nose, then mouth and nose together with the face down, eyes looking at the bottom of the pool. Some will bubble fine with their mouth, but will be hesitant about doing this with the nose, and will refuse outright to put the whole face down clear to the hairline. Tell them that if their face is straight down they reduce the chances of getting water up their noses.
   
   
5. "Now let's all take a big breath and go down and see what color eyes we all have. “Technically speaking, you can't really see the color of eyes very well under water. But the point is, it's fun to get under water and press your nose against the child's nose and open your eyes right next to his eyes, and make faces. For those who are wide-eyed, fine, tell them you sure saw their pretty blue eyes, for those who popped up so fast you didn't get a chance to see their faces, do it with them individually; for those whose eyes are shut tight, tell them to take just a peek to see what color your eyes are. If you do this while holding hands in a circle, often their feet will come to the surface, and as they have the support of a child on either side of them, they will be floating a little, with help. Later, in Lesson V, they will enjoy doing a flower float.
   
   
6. "Who can do a cork float?” For any who can, goody; for those who can't, offer your assistance at the railing by holding them under one arm. (The steps to be taken in achieving a cork float are described in the previous lesson.)
   
   
   
7.  "Who can do a face-down float?” If the child can do a cork float he can probably do a face-down float. Have one child work on the airplane float, holding on to the railing with one hand; have one child work on the steps (pushing off and then reaching for that step), and have one child work on the railing, at first holding on with both hands, then releasing them. All of these floats are described in the previous lesson. The child who can float without support of railing or steps should practice both floats away from the edge of the pool a foot or two, and the emphasis should be on the length of time he can stay afloat. Remind them all of the proper way to get on their feet. The child doing the airplane float needs some room for his feet, so make certain he does not push them in someone's face.
   
   
8. Take the child who did the face-down float for a motorboat ride. This is the same as a front glide described in Lesson I, but this time he blows bubbles with his mouth and nose. As you pull him through the water say,”Take a breath; blow. Take a breath; blow,”and then shorten this to a rhythmic,”Breathe, blow, breathe, blow. “Make sure the child's legs are near the surface of the water, but instruct him not to kick. Remember to pull him slowly and to call your signals slowly. After his ride tell him to work on his cork float and face-down floats and that when you get back from taking the others for motorboat rides, you will want him to report to you on how long he can stay afloat.

It is a better idea to give each child a front glide and then start over with the first child on the back glides, because children get restless; you cannot expect children five years old to practice a skill by themselves for more than two or three minutes. Discourage any horseplay, however, and never allow another child to duck or push one of his playmates. Give the offender to understand that you will not tolerate this one-minute. Pushing and ducking is a rare problem, however, because children this young do not enjoy having this happen to them, and they ordinarily have not been around water enough to see older children indulging in this”fun. “It would be foolish at the beginning of the lessons to say not to do something that would never occur to them anyway, so just be prepared to put on your biggest frown and your most forbidding voice if it does happen.

Your problem is to keep them busy and interested and to bring out their desire to learn some things they do not know about, and some other things they do not think important at all or necessary. The trick is to make the process of learning these necessary skills very great fun. At the same time, as I have remarked, you should not let the splashers and experimenters take over. If you mean what you say that is, if you are really enthusiastic about an accomplishment and tickled by what is funny, you can also be firm effectively. Back to the lesson. You are now ready to do something new, called bobbing.

Introduce:

Bobbing: Gather the children in a circle and tell them that instead of putting their face down to bubble like this (and demonstrate what is familiar to them), this time they are going to put their whole head under, like this: Take a big breath and blow air out of the mouth and out of the nose, just like a face-down bubble, only this time do not bend over, go straight down with your head erect and your whole head under water. Come up, get a breath (continue to exaggerate this) and bob up and down three or four times before you ask your group to imitate you.

Before they are given a chance to try, ask them if they noticed that when you came up out of the water you were still blowing out air. “You blow all the way down and all the way up. “Again, exaggerate blowing out the air as you come out of the water. Don't hesitate to tell them how important this is, and that if they do this they will not get any water in their noses or in their mouths.

When they practice, remind them not to hold their breath, but to blow the air out under the water, and say that if they do it properly you will see some bubbles as proof. Remind them that they must bubble out of their mouths too, not just out of their noses, because they cannot possibly exhale through the nose all the air they took in through their mouths.

Bobbing is the very best way to teach children rhythmic breathing. Have the children bob slowly. The rhythm is determined by your counting or your demonstrating.

Tea Party (a bobbing game):”I'm having a tea party under water and I am inviting all of you to my party. Take a big breath, come on down, I'm going to pass the napkins first. “This is the first bob. With each successive bob, quickly announce what you are serving. Such as:”Here are the cups,”everybody down;”Oh, we have cake too,”everybody down again. This can go on for seven or eight bobs, depending on how elaborate the party is.

Play a new game (see Lesson I) or ask them if they would like to play Dogfish again. They usually do.

Back Float: Now they have all had back glides since the first lesson. You have been pulling them through the water on their backs, holding their heads between your hands, and you know that some almost turn to stone and that their grip on your wrists is unmerciful. This reaction is not limited to children. If you are teaching an adult, the results are often the same, and perhaps worse. Because they are so frightened and feel so helpless, there is all the more reason to teach them quickly the proper way to get their feet back on the bottom of the pool.

What follows describes the method for regaining an upright position from the back float; then, you start the back float. This method is difficult to explain in writing, and it is difficult to explain to the child; that is why the teacher needs to be in the water all of the time. To show them, say, ”It's just like pulling up a chair at the breakfast table. Let's all get in a circle and try it even though we are standing. “Squat with your shoulders covered, extend your arms behind you and pull them hard through the water at your sides, your hands cupped. “You see if you fall a little and start to sink backwards, if you pull your chair under you, you are up again. Do not pull your arms above the surface of the water. “Walk behind each child in the circle and help him pull his arms through the water.

"Now I'm going to try the back float. “(You lie back easily.)”Are my shoulders covered? Is my head back? Are my ears in the water? Are my eyes open? Tom, can you do the back float? Well, you'd best watch. Where's my fat stomach? Ah, here it is. See my arms out like an airplane? That balances me. Now, I'll stand up. I'll pull my arms behind me, and beside me, tuck my chin down, pull my knees up to my chest just like an upside-down cork float, and whoops, here I am; feet went straight down. Did my face go under the water? No, it's not supposed to. Not while you are floating or when you are beginning to stand. It looks easy, doesn't it? Well, it wasn't easy for me, or for anyone the first time they tried it, so don't worry if you can't do it perfectly the first time. No, Tom, it's not playtime yet. “

Take the child who is most likely to perform with the least strain and tension. You will know by now who he is. On second thought, better take Tom. (The trouble with demonstrations for children is that they don't like to stand and watch.) Have him squat until his shoulders are covered, hold your hands over his ears, hold his ears back in the water. Do not walk with him, just-stand. “That's a funny-looking airplane with folded wings. Spread your wings, airplane. There's one wing, there's the other, now don't fly away. O.K., now pull your arms behind you and through the water, the same way you reach back for a chair and pull it under you; bring your knees up; chin down on your chest and look! You're standing!”All of this time you are holding his head in your hands, and giving plenty of reassurance that you will not let go.

Some will force their head right out of your hands and look frantically around as though they wanted to see if the rest of them were still there. Some will shut their eyes so tight it must hurt. At least they don't have to watch this terrible fate. They should be reminded to take a big breath because to do so helps to keep them afloat and to relax.

Comments shall always be aimed at encouraging and soothing them. Don't overuse the word”relax,”because they are not certain what this means. Tell them,”Be nice and lazy. “"Go to sleep, Tommy, take a little nap; doesn't that feel as if you are floating on a cloud?”"Shhhh, Tommy's sleeping; everyone be quiet. Listen to him snore!"

About five seconds on the back is long enough. A good plan is to jump the gun on them and help them to stand before they get the notion. As soon as you have given each child a turn, start over, and give each one a short back glide, calling out all of the suggestions they need to remember, and reminding each child each time about the correct and easy way to get his feet back on the bottom of the pool. If he is relaxed, his hips will come to the surface of the water and his legs will dangle. Don't worry about his feet coming to the top, but suggest he lie as flat as he can on top of the water. “Get that tummy up high!”"You don't need to kick your feet up, they will come up all by themselves. “It is important that the other children do not splash water on the child who is floating on his back. He won't like it.

The fact that children do not like the back float at first does not mean that you should give up the idea of working at it. There is no other way to learn it than to keep trying it; and learning it is liking it. It is terribly important for children to know that when they tire of using the free-style stroke, they can turn over on their backs and rest. The arm stroke (finning) and the back kick are taken up in Lesson VI. The whole movement is a resting stroke when it is learned correctly. Breathing on the back will also be discussed in Lesson VI.

Playtime: Surprise them at playtime today. Reach in your basket and bring out cellophane-wrapped candies and scatter them around the shallow end of the pool and have the children reach for them. Maybe the lesson was terrible, they will report to father, but the candy was good.

NOTE : At the risk of sounding pessimistic, but in the desire to be realistic, it must be said that you may find even by this time that perhaps two children out of your group of four are still not afloat. Perhaps one of these two will barely put his face in the water, and the other won't get his feet off the bottom of the pool. The advice here is: Go ahead and work on the back float (all the more reason for it under these circumstances) but continue to go over the first two lessons with patience.

SUMMARY OF LESSON III

Take to the water:

Lesson plan

Clock

Cellophane-wrapped candies

Review in a circle:

1. Get wet all over.
   
   
2. Big breath and hold it above water. Blow out air.
   
   
3. Big breath and hold face under water. Emphasis is on greater length of time face can be held down.
   
   
4. Blow bubbles with mouth only, nose only, then nose and mouth* together, face and eyes looking straight down at the bottom of. the pool.
   
   
5. Big breath, face down, eyes open. Play”What Color Eyes. “
   
   
6. "Who can do a cork float?"
   
   
7. "Who can do a face-down float?”Move group over to the railing to practice floats as described in Lesson II.
   
   
8. Give front glide to each child. He is to breathe and blow rhythmically as you pull him through the water no kicking.
   
   
9. Give back glide to each child.

Introduce Bobbing:

1. Demonstrate bobbing.
   
   
2. Have children bob up and down, slowly, rhythmically. Head N erect, whole head submerged.
   
3. Have a tea party under the water.
   
4. Play a game, either Dogfish (Lesson II) or any game described in Lesson I. The group may enjoy a head-out-of-the-water game, even though they will all put their faces in the water.
   
5. Demonstrate the back float.
   
6. Hold each child's head and have him float on his back and get back on his feet properly.
   
7. Hold each child's head and pull him slowly through the water on a back glide, then regain footing.
   

Playtime: Scatter cellophane-wrapped candies in the shallow end of the pool and have children reach or dive for them. (If the children don't reach for them and grab them, the candies will sink to the bottom; and if they do, get the children to dive for them.

LESSON IV

Objective:

To teach glide

To teach kick

To teach rotary breathing

Ask your group:”Anyone want to jump in? I'll catch you As soon as everyone is wet by one method or another, the group form a circle.

Review:

Big breath (face out of water), hold breath, blow out the air.

Big breath (face in the water), hold breath to the count of ten, face1 out of water, blow out air. Sometimes the children do better if they are given the chance to perform one at a time, with the whole group watching and counting loudly. They try to outdo one another. At the end of each one's performance, say”Good,”and proceed quickly to the next child in the circle.

"Who keeps his eyes open?”Give them the finger test (described in Lesson I).

"Who remembers what bobbing means?”Some, or all, will demonstrate their interpretation of bobbing. Keep your group in a circle and explain the Indian game. The song is”Ten Little Indians,”familiar to all. “One little, Two little, Three little Indians, Four little, Five little, Six little Indians, Seven little, Eight little, Nine little Indians, Ten little Indian boys. “The child on your right is One Little, and the child next to him is Two Little, and so on around the circle, and don't forget to include yourself. The children all sing out, and when you nod to each one as his turn comes, he is to take a big breath, put head under (as learned in the bob in Lesson III), blow air out of nose and mouth and continue to blow as he comes out of the water. Don't stop the game to comment or correct it will spoil the rhythm. If you have suggestions, wait until the end of the song. It should end enthusiastically with everyone doing a big war whoop. If there are four children and yourself in the group, each has a chance to bob two times. Then, exclude yourself from the game and become the singer; the children are all to bob up and down rhythmically throughout the whole song. Insist they all keep in time. “One little”(all go under); as soon as they are up and have got a big breath,”Two little”(all go under again); and so on.

Review the cork float (described in Lesson II).

Review the face-down float (described in Lesson II).

Review the back float (described in Lesson III).

Introduce:

Progressive Bobbing: This is done in follow-the-leader fashion, starting from the steps and walking with hands on the knees, with just head and shoulders out of the water. Walk back and forth across the width of the pool and bob at least ten times. “Take a big breath, head under, blow, come up for air, head down, blow. “Shorten this to”Breathe, blow, breathe, blow. “Remember to do all of the motions slowly and effortlessly.

Front Glide and Regain Feet: Line up the children on one side of the pool. (Not the end, where they have been working on cork floats and face-down floats). If you are using a pool which has steps, line up the children on the side opposite the steps, so they can work toward the steps. They are about ready to push off, and to push off from the shallow end of the pool toward the deep end would be inhibiting. So they push off from one side and work to the other side. Remember to put the smallest child closest to the end (or corner) of the pool. Tell the children to squat until their shoulders are covered, and keeping one foot on the bottom of the pool, to bend the knee of the other leg and put the foot of that leg on the side of the pool. It is a little difficult for them to maintain their balance at first. “Now hold your arms over your ears, and hook your thumbs together. “Tell the children that this is called the glide position, and that tomorrow when you say”Get in the glide position,”this is what you will mean. As soon as all have attempted the position, have them relax, but stay in their places. Then you glide toward them from the opposite side so they can see your take-off and recovery.

Before the children take off, tell them there is much to remember. Keep shoulders covered, get a big breath, put head under first, then push with the foot that is on the side of the pool. Also, remind them about the correct way to regain their footing pull both knees under the chest, and the feet will go right to the bottom. Station yourself no more than six feet from the child, and have each child demonstrate, one at a time. The child is to glide to you. Tell the other children to watch, and to be ready to go. You will find that with some children you need to step forward to meet them, with others you will need to step back, if they are to take full advantage of their glide.

The important thing is to get them to push off and glide for a short distance under their own power. Each time they do this, they will get a little farther with their glide, and it is conceivable that in a week or so they will go the full width of the pool, or around twenty feet, on one glide (one breath). But the first time they glide, it is anything but aesthetic. There is too much to remember, and they are not used to so much independence. So arms are flailing; legs are kicking (or walking on the bottom) and they often come up sputtering or coughing.

After a first glide, no matter how rough, you should exclaim,”Oh, you are no longer ducks, you are really floaters now. You will not be people any more pretty soon, just fishes. “Your response to them on the first try should give them the courage and desire to try it again. Say,”Now today in your circle, you held your breath to ten, and you to twelve, and you to seven, and you to seven. Let's see how long you can hold your breath in a glide. Don't be in a hurry, we have lots of time. “Count for each child. And this time review the things he did not do correctly. “You certainly did stand nicely, but do you know that you pushed off and then put your head down? Remember to put your head in the water first. We want nice smooth gliders, not ploppers. “"Can you keep your thumbs hooked this time?”"No kicking; see how long you can stretch out your body in the water before you start to stand. “"If you pull your head up before you pull your knees up in order to stand, you might get water in your nose. You did? Well, I'll bet you won't do that again. “If there is a child who is not afloat yet (that is, who has not been able to execute a face-down float or cork float without some means of support), do not expect him to be able to push off in a glide. Line him up with the others, however, and when it is his turn, offer your hand and pull him a short distance. Direct him so he can get back to a standing position. The next time around, offer this hesitant child one end of a kick board* while you hold the other end. Pull him a short distance.

On the third time around, he should be able to execute the glide with the kick board without your holding on to it. He will feel some sense of accomplishment, even though he is using this crutch, and this may give him the confidence he needs to get afloat in the next lesson.

Under the Bridge (a game): By this time, the children have become accustomed to having their heads down. Some, in fact, are submerged so much of the time, you can hardly find them to tell them what to do next. This is great.

They need a change now, after this drill in gliding. Stand with your legs spread wide and have each child dive between your legs and come up on the other side. Some do not need any instruction they will dive right down, use your legs as a ladder, and come up on the other side. Some have not learned enough body control to be able to pull their body down that far. But once they are submerged, a gentle push on the head or back will help. Most will find this lots of fun, and will want to play it over and over. After a few more lessons, they will ask you to please not help them any more they can do it all by themselves. This is a volunteer game, however; do not insist that anyone try it who is not willing to do so.

*A kick board is a device used for supporting the head, arms, and upperbody while practicing any of the kicks. Any pool equipment company offers several types.

The Wall Position for the Kick: Line up the children at the railing (on the end of the pool, again) and demonstrate the kick at a point where all can see. The kick is the skill they learn next, but for the moment, draw their attention to your position on the railing. Show them how you hold one hand on the railing (or gutter), the other hand on the wall of the pool with the arm turned so that the fingers point toward the bottom of the pool. Tell the children that this position will keep their legs from sinking and, therefore, will make the kick easier to execute. If they were to clutch the railing or gutter with both hands and with their heads out of water, the rest of their body would sink. Show them how you extend your arms way out, not doubled up. As the children get into this position, there will be much fumbling. Each child will need some help. As soon as each child has the correct wall position, tell him to take a big breath and kick.

The”Wall Position”is one hand on the railing, one on the wall of the pool, fingers point toward the bottom of the pool. In the kick, heels just break the water.
 
The Kick: Many young children have a natural relaxed leg movement such as is used in a bicycle or peddling kick, and this is fortunate because this is what you want them to use. If you are teaching an adult, you will find that he will keep his legs very stiff, and your problem with him will be to get him to unbend. The motion is largely from the hips with legs and feet relaxed. In general, children will get the proper motion easily.

At first they will be persuaded they're not kicking properly unless they are creating wild havoc by splashing and kicking out of the water. They will think you pretty much of a square for suggesting that this may be fun, but that it's not the right way for swimmers. In the initial stages you will see many types of kicks. One child will be kicking his seat with each leg, repeatedly. When the kick show is over, illustrate to him what you just saw. He has enough confidence in himself now so that your making mild fun of his kick is not going to be detrimental. Tell him that his legs up in the air do not do any good at all. It is what they do under the water that counts. Ask him to try it again, and have just his heels break the surface.

Another type of kick you will see is that of the little guy who is kicking away with his knees under his chest and very much resembles a crab. He does not have enough confidence yet to stretch himself out in the water as you would like him to do; but you know already that with each passing day this will take care of itself, so don't make too much of an issue of it. Say,”Get yourself as long as you can in the water, stretch way out and then kick. “He wants to be sure that his feet are close to the bottom of the pool, and with his legs stretched way out, he's a little insecure. Time and experience is the cure for this.

Counting Game: Tell the children you are going to count first, to six very slowly, then to six more rapidly, and then slowly again, and that they are to kick slowly, then faster, then to slow the kick down again. You have to tell them this ahead of time because the noise gets so thunderous, they can't hear you counting. Check the wall position of each child before you start to count. Their heads are out of the water. After this splashy affair, have them remain at the railing and take each child's legs in your hands and peddle them. For the violent kicker:”You're going to wear yourself out if you kick that fast all of the time, slow it down a little that's better. “For the child whose feet are at a 90-degree angle:”Hey feet, stay together; don't run away from each other. “And to all:”Do you feel the force of the water on the top of your foot when you pull down, and on the bottom of your foot when you lift it up?"

Front Glide and Kick:”O.K., everybody, turn around. “(They have been facing the wall.)”Let's travel over to the side of the pool and get into our glide position. One foot on bottom, one foot on wall, arms over ears, thumbs hooked, big breath, head down, push off and kick. “There will be a lot of splashing, arms and legs spread like eagles' wings, while you are standing there about six feet from them to see it all. Have them perform individually, and move back or forward depending on differences in individual achievement. If you can restrain yourself, do not comment on performance; the finer points will come with experience.

Rotary Breathing: Assume a wall position (as explained earlier) and have the children get into such a position that all can see the side of your face which you will turn up when you breathe. Demonstrate rotary breathing for them by placing your cheek on the water, taking a big breath with your eyes open, face down in the water, blow bubbles, cheek back on the surface and repeat. When you demonstrate, continue to blow air out as you come up for a breath, and point this out to the children.

Now the children take over the position on the wall. “No, no kicking, Tommy, just leave your feet on the bottom. “As you take each child's head in your hands and gently turn it from cheek position to face-down position, you can chant,”Cheek on the water, face in the water,”or”Roll it in and roll it out,”or”Cheek on the water, blow,”or just plain”Breathe, blow, breathe, blow. Nice and easy, breathe, blow. “

The child's tendency will be to raise his head forward after he has had it in the water, instead of rolling it out to the side. Remind him that one ear should never leave the water. Also, he may think you want him to breathe on one side, put him face down, and bring it up on the other side for another breath. This misconception can be corrected easily. On the beginner's level, let each one choose which side he would like to take his breath on, and he should continue to use that side only.

In doing this exercise, you need to check the wall position. Whichever side of his face a child is using for his breathing, the hand on the same side should be the one against the wall, so that it in no way interferes with the face movement.

Rotary Breathing with the Kick: Now they can try rotary breathing in the wall position with legs kicking. An advanced swimmer synchronizes his breathing cycle with his kicking but, of course, this refinement is not desirable or even possible at the elementary stages.

Playtime: When you announce”Playtime”today, there will be loud cheers because this has been a long hard lesson. Pull out of your Bag of Tricks some polyethylene (soft plastic) toys. These are fun because some are hollow and will float a minute or two before they sink. They are also recommended because they are light and will not mark the pool's surface, or hurt your feet if you step on them.  

SUMMARY OF LESSON IV

Take to the Water:

Lesson plan

Clock or timer

Kick board

Polyethylene toys

Give each child an opportunity to jump in the water as you catch him. Those who refuse to jump in will get wet all over by one means or another.

Review in a Circle:

1. Big breath, hold breath with face out of water, blow out air.
   
   
2. Big breath, face in the water, count to ten, face out, let out air. (One at a time, or all together with you counting for them.)
   
   
3. "Who keeps his eyes open?”Give them the finger test as described in Lesson I.
   
   
4. "Who remembers what 'bobbing' means?”Play Ten Little Indian Boys. First, bob in a circle, then the whole group bobs together to this song as you sing it.
   
   
5. "Who can do a cork float?"
   
   
6. "Who can do a face-down float?"
   
   
7. "Who can do a back float?"

Introduce:

1. Progressive bobbing. Walk slowly in a large circle with hands on knees, shoulders covered; breathe and blow; whole head submerged when you bob down.
   
   
2. Front glide and regain footing. Line children on the side of the pool in a correct glide position i.e., face the center of the pool, arms over ears, thumbs hooked, one foot on the wall, one on the bottom, big breath, head down, push off, glide, pull knees to chest and stand. You demonstrate first by gliding from opposite side of pool to the children. When the children perform, station yourself a short distance from them and they will glide to you.
   
3. Play Under the Bridge.
   
4. Demonstrate the wall position for the kick. Face the side, one hand on the railing, one hand on wall with hand turned so fingers point toward the bottom of the pool. Children's turn.
   
5. Demonstrate the kick using the wall position. Now the children.
   
6. Play counting game to the child's kick. Count to six slowly, increase speed, then slowly again.
   
7. Front glide and kick.
   
8. Rotary breathing. Demonstrate, using the wall position. Start with eyes open, cheek on the water, big breath, face in the water, blow, cheek back on the water; repeat. Check wall position for each child so his arm does not interfere with his breathing. (If he breathes on his left side, his left hand is on the wall, his right hand is on the railing.) Then children practice rotary breathing.
   
9. Now rotary breathing with the kick.
   
10. Playtime: With polyethylene toys.
     

LESSON V

Objective:

To pass the Swimming Skill Test.

To learn the arm stroke.

When the children arrive for their lesson today, they will find you looking very official in a swimming suit and sweat shirt, with pencil and clip board under your arm. As a good review for your swimmers, as a way of showing them how many things they have already learned to do in the water, and as a way of showing you which children need the most help where, as well as to add a little variety to the program, check their accomplishments by giving them a little test:

"Yes, we are going to have a little test. It's fun and the reason I'm not in the water is that I want to see how you look from up here. “(They are used to having you in the water and are not sure they like the idea of your being so far away.)”Take hands in a circle. “

"Now the test says, 'With your head out of water, hold your breath to the count of five.' See, isn't this easy?

"With your face down and eyes closed, hold your breath to the count of five. I know you can hold your breath to ten, but the test says 'five.'

"Same thing this time, only eyes open. Big breath, face down, eyes open, one, two, three, four, five; head up, blow out air. Did you all open your eyes? Of course!

"Cork float to the count of five. Now, I want to see four corks bobbing in the water, so let's all do it together. Big breath, face down, hold those knees under your chest, one, two, three, four, five; pull your feet together. Stand.

"Face-down float next. Yes, it's the same thing as the airplane float. Well, that's lovely but such a short one. Long airplane floats. I'm not going to begin counting until you are floating, and you should float to the count of ten before you stand up; but you pass the test if you stay afloat to the count
of five. If you pulled both knees under your chest at the same time you wouldn't loose your balance, Barbara. Once more, to five.

"Glide position to this side of the pool. You are all too high in the water. Squat until your shoulders are covered. Good. Is one leg against the wall? Now remember, head under first, then push off. Let's go one at a time. Big breath, Barbara, head down, push, float, and stand properly. Perfect. Ready, Tom? Who's ready? O.K., go, Paul, and Tom, will you get ready to go next? Don't worry if you can't do the glide today, Anne; we'll work on it later.

"Now, glide with the kick for ten feet, and regain your footing the correct way. Wowee, you'll get all the way across the pool by tomorrow. You really have a strong kick. Let's see your strong kick, Barbara. Good.

   "Now, one more thing. Dive for a rock. I'll sink it right here, and you can all reach for it. [Sink it at waist-deep level.] Whoever gets it, please sink it for the rest of the group. After you have once gotten the rock, you are out of the game and may play while the rest get it. I know you can reach it from the step, Tom, so please sink the rock out a little farther. “

After giving this test and checking off accomplishments, you will discover several good reasons why it is desirable for the teacher to stay in the water during the lessons rather than on the edge of the pool. During the test, you noticed, for example, that the glides were short. So you know that your practice of having them glide to you, even though you do not touch them, encourages them to glide for a longer distance. You know now that only one girl is not yet afloat, and you will want to give her some special help again today. She can do a cork float holding on to the railing, an airplane float, holding on to the railing, she can glide holding on to the kick board, but she cannot float alone. Look at it this way. She's had only two hours of instruction in the water, and the first day she didn't even get her nose wet. Remember, too, that she is shy and quiet, and because the others are more demanding of your attention, perhaps they have received more. Resolve to get Anne afloat today, using every device known to you.

You have also discovered that giving directions from the deck is much more of a strain on you. In the middle of your directions for one part of the test, one child completely submerged himself, one took off on a glide, and the other two started a conversation with each other. It may be warmer up there, and you enjoy viewing them from this new perspective, but it is easier to hold their attention at close range. These last comments assume that no one in your group is over six years old.

In entering the pool today, jump in holding an inner tube behind you. Swim the length of the pool under water and grab the children's ankles. This is for your own pleasure and to let the children know how much fun they will have in the water when they are skillful enough to use the whole pool.

Review:

1. Rotary breathing, holding on to the railing in the correct wall position. No kick. (For wall position, see Lesson IV.)
   
   
2. Rotary breathing, holding on to the railing in the wall position, with the kick. (Remind them today to kick under the water with just their heels breaking the surface.)
   
   
3. Bobbing. Have each child hold a partner with both hands, one facing the other. Sing a chant to”Paul goes down, Barbara stays up, Barbara goes down, Paul comes up. “Have the children do this slowly with the head completely under water. Remind them to blow air out as they come up out of the water. As soon as each pair of children has seesawed ten times, ask them to stop.
   
   
   
4. Front glide. Tell the children before they push off from their glide position that while you were standing on the deck and giving them the test you noticed a few things about their glides that were not good: Some were kicking, some were using their arms in various fashions, some were still not putting their heads down under the water before they pushed off, and they were all going too short a distance; tell them now that you want them to concentrate very hard on these things because they are important.
   
   "Think: 'Take a big breath, head under, then push off from the side with my foot, keep my thumbs hooked over my ears, float for five counts or longer, pull both knees up to my chest, and stand.' Now I'm going to stand right here, which is farther than you have glided before. I don't want you to stand up until you bump into my stomach. You can make it, Tom, it's still only halfway across the pool. O.K., one at a time, and the others be ready. “
   
   
   When it comes to Anne's turn, tell her you want her to knock you flat! Stand so close to her that one plunge will do it. At the barest touch, you are to collapse and sink out of sight to everyone's delight, especially Anne's.
   
   On the second round of glides, suggest they glide back from where you are standing (which is about halfway or ten feet) to the side of the pool. They should reach the railing.
   
5. Glide Under the Bridge: To increase the length of the glide, set up a goal for the child. With the assistance of another child, form a bridge with your arms; then have the child push off from the wall and glide under the bridge. Adjust the span of the bridge for each child, i.e., move forward for some and back for others, but in each case, expect the child to better his previous effort just a little.   

   

   In Lesson I, London Bridge was played with the head out of water. In Lesson III Under the Bridge was played (an underwater game in which the child dives between the teacher's legs). So in this lesson, too, we have another Bridge game. It's natural that water and bridges should go together!

6. Glide with the Kick: This is beginning to sound monotonous, but you still need to remind each child about the proper way to push off for a glide and though you find yourself repeating the same things over and over, it is better to tell them before the push-off. If you let them go without direction, you will have no choice but to correct all of the things they did wrong.

They push off in a glide position and then begin to kick. They should get farther with the kick than without it; although they will not get farther, of course, if the kick is an ineffective one.

Introduce:

Arm Stroke: Have the children line up with their backs against the wall (on the side or the end of the pool) and squat until the water is at shoulder level. Stand in front of them and demonstrate the arm stroke. Squat until your shoulders are covered; reach out under the water and pull the water toward the stomach with a bent arm. The emphasis is not on pulling down, but rather on pulling toward the body.

Having seen swimmers raise their arms out of the water, they also will want to do this. Tell them that perhaps later they can raise their arms out of the water, but for now, you want them to pull them under the water. “When your arm is up here in the air [demonstrate], it's not helping you swim. It's what it does under the water that counts. It will pull you through the water. Now all together, reach and pull, under the water, reach and pull. “

Progressive Arm Stroke: Tell the children to bend their knees until their shoulders are covered, and then practice the arm stroke while walking through the water across the width of the pool. “Reach and pull, clear to your stomach, reach and pull under the water. “As this parade marches around, you may assist by standing in back of a child and helping him pull his arms toward his stomach. “Now let's try it. Over to the side of the pool in your glide position.“

Glide with Arm Stroke: Tell them before they push off to use their arms only, no legs. No kicking. Have children go one at a time, and continue to call”Reach, pull, reach, pull,”noting the point reached by each child. From the point each reaches, turn him around and tell him to practice the arm stroke all the way back to the wall again.

Arm Stroke with Kick:”If you can get this far with your kick [you point with your finger] and this far with your arms [you point again] how far do you suppose you can get using both your arms and legs?”This is an exciting moment. Don't tell Tom he should get all the way across the pool because he won't, and this will take the joy out of his accomplishment. When he stands, turn him around and say,”Look how far you came! Can you believe it? Oh, what a good sardine you are,”and give him a big hug.

Some will forget to move their legs, some will paddle one arm and let the other go limp. But one thing is certain: If they are using both arms and legs in some fashion and have their face in the water, you can honestly say to them,”Now you are swimming!"

Playtime: By this time, the children are able to play on their own instead of playing supervised games or following adult inspired ideas. You will find that their play will consist of showing one another the new skills they have learned.

SUMMARY OF LESSON V

Take to the Water:

A rock, or sinkable object

Lesson plan

Check sheet for individual skills

Children get in and get wet. You stay on the deck to check off their achievements on the check list.

Test:

1. Hold breath to the count of five, face out of the water.
   
   
2. Hold breath to the count of five, face in the water.
   
   
3. Hold breath to the count of five, face in the water, eyes open. (They are on the honor system.)
   
   
4. Bob ten times.
   
   
5. Cork float to the count of five.
   
   
6. Face-down float to the count of five.
   
   
7. Glide and regain footing properly.
   
   
8. Glide with kick and regain footing properly. (Distance should be ten feet.)
   
   
9. Dive for a rock.

Review:

1. Rotary breathing holding on to the railing in wall position.
   
   
2. Rotary breathing with kick, in wall position.
   
   
3. Bobbing with a partner in seesaw fashion.
   
   
4. Front glide. Be strict about form.
   
   
5. Glide with kick.

Introduce:

1. Arm stroke. Squat until shoulders are covered. Reach out under water, pull water toward stomach with bent arm. (The children are lined up with their backs against the wall, or are in a circle.)
   
   
2. Progressive arm stroke. Children reach and pull arms through the water as they walk in a circle.
   
   
3. Glide with arm stroke. In glide position, push off from the wall using arms only, no kicking.
   
   
4. Arm stroke with the kick. In glide position, push off from the wall using the whole stroke (arms and legs and face down).
   
   
5. Playtime.

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