Here we are at the end of our second week of swim lessons with City Academy students and wouldn’t you know it, bad weather tried to spoil our fun! Not many folks know that even in an indoor pool there’s still a threat to our safety during an electrical storm. While most pools are insulated from shock, there are still ways that electricity from a lightning strike can travel underground and enter the pool. 

 

So, to keep everyone safe, I decided to bring the pool to the classroom instead! At first, there were some unhappy faces and some very disappointed kids, but by the time we finished, everyone was smiling and eager to answer questions or share stories.

 

You may ask, “How exactly do you teach swimming without a pool?” Well, with the help of a big blue whale named Longfellow, a few brightly colored posters and some super fun activity sheets, of course! 

 

After a quick review of the pool rules, everyone was able to spot the troublemakers at Longfellow’s pool. We also learned the importance of swimming with a buddy and why we always need a lifeguard to watch us. Finally, we took a few minutes to name some of the items that are around a pool that we can use to help someone in trouble without getting wet ourselves. 

 

To help reinforce this newfound knowledge, we used different activity sheets to identify safe swimming areas, items we can use to reach or throw instead of going in, and items to dress our lifeguard with so that he’s ready to keep us safe at the pool. 

 

It’s always fun to watch the younger ones learn and get excited about what they know. I can’t wait to see what they remember on Monday when we’re back in the pool! 

 

Stephanie