swimawardduckling4

A proud Mummy post – My Water Baby

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Regular readers may remember that last year Emmy moved up a class in her swimming lessons.  She moved out of her comfort zone of the learner’s pool and into the main pool.
 
This change meant she was now a yellow hat and in a new class with a new teacher and new children.  The teacher no longer goes into the pool with her but stands at the side telling them what to do.
 
Emmy now is the youngest in her class by a year and a half…the smallest of the group.
 
She hated this change, we had tears and tantrums,  screaming and shouting.
She hated it!
 
We combated this in a couple of ways…bribery and perseverance and a new wetsuit.
 
The wetsuit did wonders, she no longer shivered at the side of the pool waiting for her turn.
 
Bribery – she was allowed a choice of sweet or her choice of dinner after swimming and after a month she was allowed a new toy.
 
Perseverance worked, the teacher was great and eased her in gently, allowing her to have a woggle if needed or a float until her confidence built up.
 
These tools were removed gently and Emmy didn’t even notice.
 
Now she is excited about her lessons and almost runs there (she would if it was summer – she is scared of the dark).
 
She doesn’t bat and eyelid when asked to try something new now and today this happened!
 
swimawardduckling4
 
I am very proud of my waterbaby! 
 
She is doing brilliantly and now once again loves swimming.
 
To gain this award Emmy had to achieve the following:
 
Duckling Grade 4

1. Jump unaided, but supervised, into the water
2. Submerge completely
3. Rotate through 360° either horizontally or vertically
4. Show a mushroom OR a star float
5. Travel without assistance 10 metres on the front OR back
6. Climb out of the water with assistance if required
 
She has already gained her Kellogs Award Stage 2 and her 5 Metre badge last year
 
Stage 2 award
  1. Jump in from poolside safely
  2. Blow bubbles a minimum of three times rhythmically with nose and mouth submerged
  3. Regain upright position from the back without support
  4. Regain an upright position from the front without support
  5. Push from wall and glide on the back
  6. Push from wall and glide on the front
  7. Travel on the back for 5 metres, aids or equipment may be used
  8. Travel on the front for 5 metres, aids or equipment may be used
  9. Perform a rotation from the front to the back to gain an upright position
  10. Perform a rotation from the back to the front to gain an upright position

She is now working towards her final Duckling award – Grade 5 and towards her Stage 3 award, alongside her 10 metre badge which she is very close to gaining now.

Not bad for a 4 year old!!

Also in the swimming pool Emmy has been testing some new shoes – they are actually made for outside however more for the summer weather than this freezing cold winter, so I decided they would be perfect for walking from the changing rooms to the poolside.

These are shoes which aren’t rigid at all and they bend and move with the natural movement of feet.  They have a wide base for the natural spread of the toes, not cramped at all and they are the next best thing to being barefooted, which is actually best for children’s feet.

virobarefoot

I can see how these would be beneficial for growing feet, sadly the weather hasn’t been helpful to trying these to their full potential, however they are great for poolside as they are easy to get on and off even with wet feet.

Vivobarefoot shoes come in a wide range of styles for adults and children. These ones are Ultra Kids and are priced at £35.

 

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Clare

Hi, I'm Clare (Emmy's Mummy). A former Nanny and Mother of 2 - Emmy (born February 2010) and Harry (born October 2012). We are Essex based and share our adventures and misadventures of a busy crazy life.

Comments (51)

  12. That is brilliant, I am a HUGE advocate for swimming lessons for children – such an important life skill! Well done Emmy! Thank you for linking up with #loudnproud

  13. Awww that's so fab, I used to love getting those certificates when I was little. I think swimming is so important, a life skill that truly stays with you forever!

  19. That's great for a 4-year-old! Our oldest struggled to find his confidence until he was past his 5th birthday and then it all suddenly fell into place in the space of a few weeks. Our middle one has just turned 5 and enjoys the water but has no confidence at all. Some work still to be done!

    1. Thanks Jaime, you're right it is so useful and important, esp as we live near a brook, heaven forbid anything happened I would want to know they could get to the bank on their own if necessary

  27. Well done Emmy, I can remember when my now 17 year old joined Ducklings and I was so proud when she received her first certificate. xx

  30. Ah that's brilliant, good for her. Mine are a little unsure of the water but are getting there too….it's such an important life skill. Well done to her!

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