12 Swim School and Aqua Centre

aquatic environment. Awards of Achievement

We have a number of goals required at different levels for our students. One these goals are accomplished they are awarded a certificate at their appropriate level and move onto a higher level of new swim directed techniques along with safety behaviour in and around the pool. This also applies to educating the parents of the learn to swim process and water safety strategies that can be employed. Facilities & Accreditations

The Pool is indoor heated with male and female changing areas and a waiting area for children and parents. Only on Instructors request may parents enter the swimming area. All instructors require the Learn to Swim Instructors Certificate along with the Heartsavers CPR Certificate that must be updated annually. Health & Safety

Practicing healthy swimming behaviour is important to ensure against Recreation Water Illness. Please no swimming allowed if students or parents have Diarrhea, Gastric Flu, an Active Infections or Open Wounds. The appropriate swimming Diapers must be used to prevent infants from soiling the Pool Water. Please no urinating in the Pool and hair must be tied up and swimming caps worn. Please no removing of swimwear in the pool area. Please do not leave the swimming area without notifying the instructor. Please inform the instructor if the child is on medication and provide a letter of consent from your health practitioners. Everyone must get out of the water at the end of a lesson or if requested by the instructor. Attendance

Children need consistency and repetition in order to learn something new. Learning to swim takes many hours of practice. Unfortunately children don’t have access to water based skills as they would to other land based skills so it is very important to make it to as many lessons as possible. If you bring your child to lessons once a week then your child is only getting an average of 2 hours / month to learn their lessons then what they have learnt will be forgotten if they are unable to practice their skill then they regress. Preferably it is better to bring children two times / week but Mums and Dads have HECTIC schedules trying to balance their career, their kids and often just surviving. Trust me I know what it feels like. I have three kids of my own and life just gets more busy. So understand that lessons once a week is not ideal but will suffice. However missing loads of lessons is not beneficial for your child and they fall behind and have to move to another class time in order be at their level of swimming and not feeling so over whelmed by other children that have progressed. Babes Lessons

Lesson Overview

Baby swimming lessons are fulfilling and rewarding for parents and babes but it comes with 100% dedication and long term commitment from the parent, baby and the teacher!

3-6 months old:

After 9 months of being in the womb, babies have a natural love of water that fades away if not shown how to explore in the water in a fun filled way from an early age. We do a on lesson routine to do at home of introducing my baby to water programme before you start bringing your baby for their first lesson. This helps the parent and baby become relaxed and confident in the water.

6-9 months old:

This is the ideal age to get your baby to a swimming pool. Water has to be warm and comfortable and baby has to be well rested, fed and healthy in order to gain the benefit of learning to swim. Baby swimming is close contact time for parent and babe. Some babies build fear of their new environments early so the earlier you start the more expecting your baby will be of the pool environment.

12 months plus:

For babies starting swimming at this stage they become far more sensitive of their surroundings and tend to fuss if they feel unsure or insecure and it requires patience and diligence so it is important that parent and babe get to their lessons on a regular basis. For babies that have been swimming for the past 4-6 months you will see how their confidence grow in and around water. It becomes a very rewarding time for the parent and babe. Many Parents ask me how long will it take for their baby to learn to swim? My answer is that we are developing their underwater skills and we go at a pace that they are comfortable with. Each baby is different and each parent has a different teaching skill. Just like they do when learning to Run. They Learn to sit, stand take a few steps, take many steps and then learn and then learn to run. But that doesn't mean that they don’t fall! This rule is applied with swimming… They learn to hold their breath for longer, then they learn they buoyancy level and finally they learn to propel effectively! Wow do they work really hard at it… what excellent co-ordination skills it takes and they get exhausted so it is great exercise too. Some parents wish not to be in the water but it is very important for the safety of your baby! As a the Parent you become well aware of what they are and not capable of! This is your role and not the teachers! So sorry for the parents that don’t want to be or can’t in the water! Emotional Benefits

Swimming allows babies to move independently much sooner than on dry land. Every time you catch him/her you are building trust in your relationship. Each time you praise him/her for each achievement you are building your little one’s self-esteem as they look for your parental acknowledgement, approval and validation. Best of all you are building on the parent-child bonding process! Social Benefits

1 2 Swim babes enjoy being together in little groups and they learn and compete with their peers by observation and mimicking one another. They also look forward to interacting with one another and learning to take turns, to share and try new skills. Physical Benefits

Fitness benefits include increase in strength, muscle tone, endurance and lung capacity. For young babies water liberates them from a comparatively static life on land in comparison to their mobility in water. Swimming also allows babies to improve on their land based skills quicker due to the fact that they use both lobes of the brain improving coordination, motor development, and balance and of course better sleeping patterns! Personal Safety

At the appropriate developmental capability and enough practice children can acquire the necessary swimming safety skills to aid them in the event of a water emergency. A child that is well adjusted to the aquatic environment will proactively implement the techniques she/he has learnt rather than panicking in a emergency situation. However no child should ever be considered ‘drownproof’ and you should always be vigilant when your child is in the water. Positive Teaching Methods

At 1 2 Swim we use the child centered approach which is guided to develop their individual skills at their own rate and not to attempt to create a super babe. Each child progresses at their own pace just as some babies learn to talk, crawl or walk earlier the same rule applies to swimming. Some learn to kick yet another prefers to blow bubbles because they are an individual which means they have individual needs and wants. Some aqua babes are naturally more comfortable in the aqua environment and others have had a negative experience or just have a reserved / cautious approach and we need to take this into consideration and make each baby feel secure, comfortable and happy in the pool

YOUR Role in the Pool

Being in the water with your babe is vital as it creates an immediate sense of security. This allows for the parent and child to progress through the lessons at the child’s pace. The parents role is to be a conscious, aware observer of your child’s feelings of security. How you present new material and tasks are as important as the skills alone; along with your tone of voice, mood and muscle tension… Remember your happy face at all times! Kids Lessons

Lesson Overview

Some children have a great fear of water and it takes from positive reinforcement to bribery and corruption (from the parents side) just to get them into a costume! If you are the parent that has a child with the bravery badge count your lucky starts! For the parent that has a fearful child then there is no short cut… It takes patience, more patience and more patience. Some people would suggest that you don’t teach your child to swim until they are much older… Hence the reason why we offer adult lessons! But on a more serious note. If your child is not water safe and you have access to open water areas then I would suggest that you stick out the touch love lessons! Otherwise you will need to implement whatever it takes to keep your child safe from possible water hazards which become more difficult once your child goes to pool parties and school. Remember swimming is a life saving skill and a skill for life. Children from 3-4 years:

Depending on the character of the child and whether your child has access to a pool, it makes it difficult to say when your child will be able to swim. Usually if a child that has not done baby swimming, or has not got a pool to practice in, then they would only learn to swim at 4-5 years of age. Children that are cautious and timid or don’t like water on their face, or don’t like showering or lying in a bath will not probably enjoy going to the pool for the first time. It is important to give your child the time to adjust to this new environment and to be able to get to know the teacher and other kids in the class. Other children just can’t wait to get in and they have no fear for the water, great for the teacher not for the parent as they could be daring in other peoples pools, so keep a close watch on your kids! Either way they need to learn all about water and the do and don’ts in and around the pool!

5 years +

Usually by this age your child has been around their peers and want to learn to swim! They usually learn quicker because they get the drive and desire by their friends around them. We usually have to access this age to find them a slot to see what class will be best suited for them. Fortunately their motor skills have caught up to them and they are able to grasp the skill rather quickly unless they have a great fear through a bad experience. In this case lat us know what happened so that we can be more understanding of your child’s fear and work it through with them! Emotional Benefits

Although this age may be very sensitive to a new environment they learn to adjust fairly quickly and tent to be very interested in what their peers are able to do and the interactivity they are able to have in the aquatic environment. Using positive Teaching methods helps build their self-esteem as they look for positive acknowledgement from the instructor and parents for skills that they are able to achieve. Social Benefits

1 2 Swim kids enjoy being together in little groups and they learn and compete with their peers by observing and mimicking one another. Friendships are established and formed as they learn to work together as a team and interact with one another. Children of this level have very high energy levels. We can focus on swimming techniques and they can exert themselves using swimming as part of their health fitness programme. Swimming also uses both lobes of the brain improving coordination, motor development, balance and helps to extend their length of concentration when applying their skills! Positive Teaching Methods

At 1 2 Swim we use the child centered approach which is guided to develop their individual skills approach at their own rate and not to attempt to create a super kid. Each child progressed at their own pace, some learn to kick and others prefer diving under the water which means they have individual needs and wants. Some 1 2 Swim Kids have been swimming from babe levels and others have only just been introduced to the Aquatic environment and have more fears and this has to be considered in order to make a child feel secure, comfortable and happy in the pool. YOUR Role in the Pool

Ensuring that you are on time and relaxed sets a calming effect on your child. Ensuring that the correct attire has been packed in order for the swimming lesson to take place including costumes, swimming caps and towels are packed. Children are able to express and inform parents how they are feeling and it is important that the parent keeps the chains of communication open with the child, parent and the instructor in order to fulfill the needs of the child. Adult Lessons

Overview

Usually when you have not learnt to swim by the time you are an adult it is due to the fact that you have fears that you cannot seems to break, or you just have not had the opportunity to the fundamentals of swimming. We go back to the basics and we teach you the fundamentals of swimming and as an adult, you will understand what you are learning, and why you are learning them. I find that the more the Adults understand why they are learning a skill the better the results. As a teacher it is very rewarding to teach someone that has the desire to learn to swim but have not been given the support to assist in learning the swimming skill. Many Adults come for the lessons after loved one’s have failed to teach them. By the time adults come for lessons I find they almost feel that they will never grasp the concept. Good news ahead. We keep it simple and we take ‘baby steps’ and you will be surprised how far you have gone from one lessons to the next. We do lessons on 8 lesson sessions preferably two times a week, over one month. After that we access how many more lessons you need if any! Exercises

Aqua Aerobics

The only way to lose weight is having a negative energy balance. For an effective weight loss you need to burn more calories than you take in. This is usually achieved through a reduced calorie diet and increased physical activities to burn more calories. Both of these regimes can be quite hard to follow especially for people that suffer from: being overweight, back injuries, osteoporosis, knee and neck injuries. Doing land based activities with these injuries often result in incorrect posture die to discomfort while training (especially if you are not under a qualified personal trainer), this results in ever further injuries. Aqua Aerobics is the perfect solution as it burns more calories through resistance training and yet is gentle on the joints and ligaments, it also helps in stimulating the overall blood circulation! (It is also a good workout which is suitable for pregnant women and people who easily get overheated). While aqua aerobics exercise goes easy on your joints, it still guarantees that you will receive a great workout from a 45-minute class. A session of aqua aerobics exercises can burn anywhere from 350-600 calories, based on how hard you work, and the water level you exercise in. Our Exercise programme includes increasing core strength and finding those stabilizers. If you are a non-swimmer, you should know that you do not necessarily need to know how to swim to participate in an aqua aerobics exercise class. We just need to be informed that you are a non swimmer so that we can keep a watchful eye on you. Once thing to remember about aqua aerobics exercise class is that the instructor will usually stand on the side of the pool, so she will not be able to always be watchful for each student and make sure position and motions are done correctly. Therefore, when participating in aqua aerobics exercise class you should always monitor your own techniques and follow instructions carefully to ensure that you are performing the aqua aerobics exercise correctly. The instructor will correct you from time to time id she is able to see that your posture or motion has not been carried out correctly. Aquanatal Exercise

Aquanatal exercise is the best way to keep fit and active during and after pregnancy. This is because:

• Aquanatal exercise is performed in water. This makes it much easier to move and relax your body than on land. The buoyancy of the water produces a wonderful feeling of weightlessness.
• Aquanatal exercise can reduce and prevent lower back pain in pregnancy more effectively than land-based exercise.
• Aquanatal classes promote positive body awareness and help reduce the symptoms of antenatal and postnatal depression.
• Aquanatal exercises tone your deep abdominal core, including your pelvic floor muscles. Keeping these muscles toned will reduce your chance of persistent incontinence after giving birth.
• Aquanatal classes are conducted by an experienced midwife and trained aquafit instructor with experience in Aqua natal exercise programs.
• Aquanatal is also a social event and a great way to meet other expectant and new mums. Exercise during pregnancy is suitable and beneficial for most healthy women with an uncomplicated pregnancy, but there are some situations when it is not advisable. Please note that you must have your obstetrician, midwife or doctor’s approval to engage in exercise during pregnancy before you can join an Aquanatal class. Classes are in the morning and late afternoon. To confirm a time please contact us.