Learn How to Swim using Water Noodles

When an adult or child is taking swimming lessons in Toronto for the first time, they are often introduced to various aids that may help them learn how to swim. You often see kick boards and small floatation devices used at the pool during lessons. Another useful tool is the water noodle. You may be surprised as this is often seen as a toy that kids play around with in a backyard pool. However, it is just as important as and possibly more versatile than more traditional devices.

Advantages and Disadvantages

Foam noodles are inexpensive and easy to find outside of swimming or athletic retail stores. If you quickly need to find something for your child to use during their private swimming lessons, it’s no problem to go to your local big box store and pick one up. Because swim noodles come in various bright colors, kids may see them as fun objects and be more encouraged to work on their swimming skills.

Many novice swimmers love water noodles because they provide more physical support to the body than a kick board. These products are particularly advantageous when someone is trying to work exclusively on their kick. The size of the noodle makes it possible for the swimmer to keep their head completely above water with no effort. While they are working on their legs, they don’t have to worry about breathing.

Advanced swimmers may not find much use for the water noodle outside of helping them work on a kick. However, any child or adult who is just learning how to swim will find it useful.

Instructions

Here’s how one would use foam noodles at a pool:

• After entering the pool, place a foam noodle horizontally in front of you.
• Drape both arms over the noodle, letting the armpits rest on the device.
• Before attempting to swim, it is important to spend some time getting comfortable with the water noodle by just floating.
• To swim:
• Fully extend the body back and begin to kick with the flutter technique.
• If you are in a public pool, be mindful of the other people swimming around you.
• This process can be done for the backstroke or side swimming by simply reorienting the body.
• Once a swimmer is comfortable with practice using a foam noodle, they may want to attempt swimming without the use of an aid.

Other Uses for Water Noodles

While at a public pool you will most likely see foam noodles used for group and private swimming lessons, they have some other interesting uses as well. Ever heard of water jogging? Injured athletes and others looking for low impact exercise often use pool noodles to navigate through the water in an upright position. Water provides a significant amount of resistance for someone trying to run or walk through it resulting in a very good workout.

As you probably know, it’s not all business when it comes to using water noodles. There is plenty of opportunity for fun and games as well. If you have enough foam noodles, you can build interesting structures in the water and develop some interesting games as a result. This isn’t directly related to swimming, but will definitely encourage your child to spend more time in the water.

Are you interested in helping your child become a more confident swimmer? Want to find the best swimming lessons in Toronto? Zodiac is here to help! Visit our website http://www.zodiackids.ca/ to learn more about our swimming and camp programs.

Tips To Encourage Your Young Swimmer To Take Ownership

Parents often enroll their sons or daughters in a swimming school for kids or swim teams to teach them a much needed skill or to improve their physical fitness. While these are important reasons to get into the pool, kids often do not see it that way. When it seems like Mom or Dad is forcing them to do something, children often become less interested or try to rebel.

The key to keeping your child in a swimming program is to make them the owners of their own success. Not sure how to get started? Here are a few tips.

Discuss Goals

Your child could have been spending time in the pool since they were taking toddler swimming lessons, but if they don’t know why they are still participating in swim programs, they may not be there for much longer. It’s time to get your child to think about what they want to get out of swimming. Do they want to become a fast competitor? Or do they just want to maintain their skills? Being able to answer that question is a very adult thing to do, and your child will appreciate your willingness to trust their judgment.

Be a Cheerleader, Not the Coach

Nothing pushes kids to quit an activity faster than an overbearing parent. If you scrutinize your child’s every stroke and turn, it’s time to stop. Coaches and swim instructors are there to perform that job. The role of the parent is to be a source of encouragement. It is important to tell your child that you are proud of him or her and what they are trying to accomplish. You should enjoy watching your child swim. It shouldn’t feel like you’re working.

Allow them to take responsibility

Once they reach a certain age, children are able to do some basic tasks for themselves. One task could be to prepare for their swim classes on their own. Letting your child pack everything they need for a lesson and putting the task on them to make sure that they get to the pool on time can help your child feel like they are in charge of this activity. If the parents aren’t running the show, they may want to stick with swimming longer.

Be involved in the community

You’re not the only parent with a boy or girl in a swimming school for kids. Maybe it’s time to get involved with these other moms and dads instead of dropping your child off and heading back home. Volunteering for events or just socializing with the other adults at the pool, shows your child that you care about your child’s swim community as a whole.

Give them space

Participating in swim lessons or joining a competitive team is also an opportunity for fun. Allow your child to socialize and cultivate new friendships without your input. As stated above, kids need a reason to or a goal that they want to pursue in swimming. For certain children, that goal may be to make new friends. Those new and positive people in your child’s life may become the most important reason why they continue to participate in swimming. There’s no need to constantly be at your child’s side when there are other people that they can spend time with.

Zodiac offers wide variety of programming for all ages. From toddler swimming lessons to teen courses, there is something for everyone. If you’re seeking a way to improve your child’s desire to swim, visit our website http://www.zodiackids.ca/ today to learn more about our fun and exciting options!

How To Overcome Fear Of Water

The persistent and abnormal fear of water is known as aqua phobia or water fright. If you have this fear, worry not because, you are not alone. Like you, there a many people who are aqua phobic and there can be many reasons for a person to be aqua phobic. Most common of which is the fear of drowning. It can also be possible that you might have a traumatic experience in the water before or one of your family members experienced the same.

Whatever may be the reason, it doesn’t matter. What matters is that you want to overcome your fear and here are some tips to help you do just that.

In order to overcome fear of water, you need to take baby steps which depends of how bad your phobia of water is. The Red cross swimming levels defines different levels of water skills that will help you to gradually overcome your fear of water.

1.         Level 1 is exploring the water: The safest place to begin the exercise of getting rid of your phobia is a swimming pool. This is a great start, especially for some people who are afraid of opaque water because of the fear of the unknown as they don’t know what could be lurking beneath it. Hence, the swimming pool that has crystal clear water is the best place to go. Get private swimming lessons to have some supervision. Try to wet your hands and feet, and get into the shallowest part of the pool. It is recommended that you try to get comfortable with the idea of being in a swimming pool.

2.         You may sit down and let yourself loose. You can see your legs and arms floating above water and you can actually feel the relaxation it gives. Spend as much time as you like and have fun till you actually like the idea of being in water.

3.         Scoop water in your hands and splash your face with it. Try this multiple times. Once in a while, try holding your breath and splashing your face with water. If you want, you may wear swim goggles to protect your eye from the water. Repeat the act for as long as you want until you become more confident in holding your breath for a longer period of time.

4.         Now that you are comfortable with being surrounded by water, you may go a little deeper. Try not to go too deep and keep the water level up to your chest. You can now move around in water. This is important because you need to maintain your balance which takes practice too. Walking on ground is different than walking in water, because the water provides some resistance and since the density is human body is slightly lesser than water, you may find yourself being floated every time you lift your leg to walk.

5.         When you think you have built enough confidence, you may try to submerge your head in water. Be sure to hold your breath when you submerge. You have to actively train your mind to keep your breath held for as long as you are in water. Slowly raise your head out of water when you think you will be running out of breath. Do this exercise initially for only a few seconds and then increase the time gradually. With this you will finish one level of the Red cross swimming levels and move onto another level.

Are you afraid to step into water? Do you see other kids having a good time in the pool and you wish you could experience the same but can’t? Check out Zodiac swim schools and try their private swimming lessons. Visit zodiackids.ca for more details.

Art As Stress Therapy: Different Kinds Of Art Your Child Can Enjoy

Art as a form of stress therapy has been used by people for many years. For one, it provides a distraction which typically is one of the best ways to temporarily relieve stress. It also creates a calming ‘flow’ that allows you to slip into a meditative state of mind. This results in a lowering of blood pressure, an ease in muscle tension and an overall clearer mind. It is very important that children are engaged especially in art activities which will allow them this mental clarity as they are less equipped to process stress in a healthy way at their very young age. Whether at home, in school or at day camps, here are some great artistic activities that your children can enjoy.

Creative drawing is an emotionally calming and expressive activity for children. Several child psychologists have utilized the concept of drawing to help children address stressful emotions and experiences in a healthy way. Here are a few options you can engage in with your children or encourage them to do on their own under your guidance.  Be mindful that any disturbing images created by a child may be an indication of a troubling situation.

• Leaf Drawings – For leaf drawings you’re going to need a few items. Pressed leaves, metallic markers and a mop sponge. Spread the leaves on the table and use the metallic marker to draw images and scenes of things that bring them happiness. After, use your mop sponge to brighten up your masterpiece.
• Do it yourself wallpaper –  For this wall paper, you’ll need a blank piece of wide paper around the length of your childs’ bedroom wall, easy to remove scotch tape, and drawing/decorating material. The instructions are simple, just lay the paper on a table or against the wall and allow their imaginations to work.

• Sun catchers - This is such a great, beautiful, and easy artistic activity for children. Not only are the beautiful colours of the beads uplifting for the spirit but at the end of this project, you’ll have an ornament that captures the beauty of the morning and gives you a reason to get up early and watch the sun. What could be more relaxing than that?
• Melted sun catchers – For this project, you’re going to need colorful and translucent beads… a lot of them. Also some baking pans and a toaster oven. Simply lay the beads in whatever desired pattern inside of the pans and then ‘cook’ them in the oven toaster outside until they have melted into a smooth flat surface. After cooling, drill a hole at the top, run kite string through them and hang up to catch the gorgeous rays.

Puppet shows are also great for relieving stress because they operate as an effective outlet. It is a way for the children to present stories/situations that have been difficult for them to handle and allows an informed adult to guide them in finding solutions to their issues.

• Puppet show – What you’ll need are socks, decoration items for eyes, noses, mouths and hair. Encourage the children to come up with their own story lines for different topics like school, friends and home. It allows them to freely express themselves under the guise of a puppet persona.

These are just a few ideas that can keep the mental health of your children in check and balanced. It is important to ensure that they maintain this equilibrium not only at home, during the school term but also during school breaks. Day camps for children can be a useful option during those long breaks as it continues to build the young one’s mental capacity, provides a meaningful break to enjoy what they love doing and prepares them for the upcoming school year.

There are some day camps for your children where they are sure to be exposed to  artistic activities. However, if you’re looking for one of the best day camps in Toronto, then be suer to check out Zodiac Day Camp.  Zodiac day camps have a list of great projects for kids that are sure to keep them feeling stress free and rejuvenated. If you’re interested in more information, click the link for more details http://www.zodiackids.ca/.

A Rite of Passage: How Camp is Life Changing

Every young child goes through different stages of maturity. They learn new experiences and encounter different people when they enter school. They also find out how to do new tasks and activities within the classroom. They meet new people when they go to neighbourhood events and special occasions. However, learning should not just be limited to those experiences.

A great way for children to experience personal development is by sending them to day camps. Outdoor camps offer a new social setting where any child can belong. These areas are usually safe and supervised, and optimized for the child’s well-being. The children will have instructors and trained professionals who know how to handle children in any kind of situation. They will also know what to do when there is an emergency.

In a day camp, the child will be able to carve out new identities and responsibilities for themselves without the restrictions of judgement from peers who already know who they are. They will receive a clean blank slate to identify themselves with.

Camping also offers a good way of creating new social bonds with people of different ages. They will feel a mutual connection with children of their age sharing the same activity. They will also learn to relate with people of different backgrounds and personalities. They will have the chance to be close and identify with a respected older person who has their best interests at heart. They will be able to receive support and guidance when it is necessary.

Finishing camp also provides a feeling of accomplishment where the child would know that they have reached their goals and learned new things from different people. They have survived various scenarios without help from their parents or existing friends. These accomplishments will give the child enough confidence to fall back on when they encounter other difficult situations in the future.

Being given different tasks and activities also makes the children more responsible. They will know what is expected of them, and they will finish their task when it is needed. Being able to contribute to their community will allow them to value themselves and other better. They will be more competent when it comes to finishing what is required for a certain goal. They will also know how to be self-reliant.

Children who go through various experiences in camp will gain a sense of wonder about what is out there in the world. They will be more creative, imaginative and original with their art. They will also be more passionate about learning, because they will appreciate the fact that new knowledge is something that can be put to practical use. These children grow up to be better problem solvers, as they know how to view situations differently to find a solution.

Lastly, camping allows children to exercise and move around freely without any restrictions. They will have enough time to exercise their limbs and strengthen their muscles for various kinds of activities. This ensures that they will get used to having a healthy lifestyle. The child and his or her parents will be able to enjoy life with fewer worries about health problems brought by inactivity and obesity.

All of these things produce a sort of metamorphosis for each child who goes to an outdoor camp. New experiences and relationships would certainly make anybody's life fuller. They will also undergo internal changes, mentally and emotionally. All these will help your child mature and become a successful person in the future.

You can check out one of the good day camps in Toronto here: http://www.zodiackids.ca/. They offer various classes for kids of different ages.

How Day Camps Can Help Teach Children Community Building

It's a fact of life that children nowadays are inundated with various forms of technology that occupy their time and attention. As such, they have fewer opportunities for exploring the outdoor world and making social connections in their neighbourhood. They choose to stay indoors, only making new friends online or at school and usually won’t participate in community building activities with other children outside of school.

We see this scenario more and more often these days. Children shut out their families and neighbourhood communities, and avoid social situations in favour of spending an afternoon at home alone. They have fewer opportunities to create and develop relationships with various groups around them which creates problems with emotional and social growth, for many reasons.

Creating relationships is one of the distinct human abilities that have taken us to where we are today. We are superior to other animals because we have the ability to communicate and work alongside each other on a different level. We are able to create systems and do tasks that affix our presence. It is a natural human instinct to belong to a social community, and we can never completely get rid of the social constructions that we are born with. These communities define our identity, our support systems and our lifestyles. Even technology that children have surrounded themselves with could never have been created without the help of a community.

It is more practical for a child to affiliate themselves with the members of the community and its activities. Knowing how to deal with social tasks would also assist them later in life, when they have to be able to socialize in business and personal settings on their own. They will have to know how to develop these skills eventually to be successful in life, so it is always better to start educating them early in a safe and supervised setting.

Being a part of a community also creates a sense of belonging for any child and knowing their role in whatever setting they step into. They know which people can be trusted and will be able to identify those who belong in their personal community, and react to them accordingly. 

Day camps allow children to create social connections in a new setting without the limitations of their background. They are given shared activities that they participate in with children around their own age. By sharing memories it creates a social connection and children will be able to draw upon these experiences when they step into new communities as they continue to grow.

Forming new social groups allows children to be more open-minded towards other people and accept those from different backgrounds. They will learn to not judge by appearances, but by actions and effort. They will be able to learn and grow alongside their peers, and create more valued memories as they continue. Someday, this will also help them in the workplace and the outside world when they step out on their own.

A home provides stability and comfort for a growing child however, it is also better if we introduce the outside world to them. One of the best ways for them to do that is by sharing learning experiences with others their age in day camps. You can try out one of many Toronto day camps for kids here: http://www.zodiackids.ca/.

How Day Camps Can Help Your Child Develop Confidence

Spending time away at day camps can be a great way for your child to develop a sense of independence and confidence. It is a safe environment where children can explore their identities and begin a journey of finding themselves and it may allow them to take risk in a controlled social setting without constantly being under the watchful eye of a parent. There are even instances of shy children becoming more sociable and interactive as the nonjudgmental setting of good day camps afford them the freedom of opening up to new experiences, new friendships and personal accomplishments. As a parent, if you are wondering how a day camp can help your child develop confidence, here are a few illustrations of how this may occur.

Choosing the right camp – Firstly, in building the confidence of your child picking the right camp is extremely important. Choosing the right camp immediately places your child in a setting where they will have things in common with their peers. Having things in common is a great starting point for developing new relationships and it will give your child more confidence in approaching other children with whom there is already a shared interest.

Breaking through comfort zones – Day camps offer your child the opportunity to try new things that they may not have been exposed to previously. The exposure to these new and sometimes challenging activities is what fosters the development of new skills and talents. Some camps offer packages that teach extremely important life skills such as first aid and babysitting. Performances of plays are also stimulating events where a child undertakes the personality of another character and performs in front of a live audience. These new activities usually break through any comfort zones and results in the development of more self-assurance and self-trust after having completed them. At Zodiac, one of the best Toronto day camps, there are numerous skills waiting to be passed on to your children. Some of the activities range from horseback riding, to cooking to sporting events.

The finding of ones self – Day camps for children also allow the child to find a balance in themselves. That is, having to juggle responsibilities and the different things happening during their stay at camp. This new accountability to self helps children feel in control of their lives and this self-efficacy can travel home as easily as a special art project or the know-how of making a favourite dish on their own.

New friendships - Children are able to develop lasting relationships with people who are outside of their immediate or even extended family. With the advances and advantages of technology, maintaining contact with these new friends have becomes easier by the exchanging of email addresses or Facebook contacts. This will help children who don’t feel comfortable around their peers in their own neighborhood to have a peer support system.

Academics – In a balanced day camp, they are able to find an appropriate place for academics within their schedule which can be both a fun and educational experience. Keeping the brain academically stimulated undoubtedly gives children at these day camps an advantage over the rest when they return to school. This is definitely a way to keep your child ready and confident in their abilities when they do transition back to a formal educational setting.

These are few ways in which a day camp can increase the confidence of your child. If you are looking for a good day camp in Toronto, as previously mentioned, Zodiac Day Camp offers several challenging and skilled  activities. For more information, please click the link. http://www.zodiackids.ca/.