Hi All- Our paddling club, in partnership with the local YMCA will be doing some pool sessions with kids from the Y's swim team this winter. Does anyone know of any sources for information on teaching kids to paddle kayaks? I'm sure this will be a lot of fun, just want t get on the right track from the start. Thanks in advance for any help. Jack Gilman Yonkers Paddling & Rowing Club Yonkers, NY ===== * Check out the Yonkers Paddling & Rowing Club online at www.yprc.org. ---------------------------------------------- See you on the river! __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Jack, this is probably a longer reply than you wanted but I have taken kids on week long sea kayaks trips on a number of occasions and put together the following notes. These notes were in the form of a letter to the other leaders. Also it was a Christian camp so some of the ideas refect that. keep what you like and delete the rest. Bob THOUGHTS ON SAFETY Safety begins with the leadership Leadership roles ; -Decide how decisions will be made among leaders? (see Thoughts on Leadership below) -Decide who has what responsibilities and how will those responsibilities be shared. -Establish a willingness to listen between the adult leaders and adults / youth. intend to use some problem solving games/activities when we first gather the group together to work on group building and communication) -Establish early on that our concern for the safety of every one on the trip means that rules will be enforced. I'm not suggesting we be dictators but my experience is that we need to establish that on the water and in camp when it comes to safety that our word is law. Also in an emergency such as a capsize if we have already established ourselves as leaders we will have cooperation rather than confusion. -Establish that decisions concerning how far to paddle and in what conditions must be based not on the capabilities of the leaders but on the limitations of the youth. Trip format -Keep the group together on the water is important in the event of: medical problems weather change personality conflicts emergency change in plans or route capsize This means one adult runs lead boat and one adult runs "sweep" (last boat). This will insure the proper pace and direction plus keep the group closer together. It also prevents the strongest boat from getting too far ahead and the weakest from dropping too far behind. The leaders need to chose paddle partners for the entire group in order to balance both strengths and personalities. We need to establish on water signals. Between the noise of the wind and the distances voices cannot always be heard. Signals either with whistles or paddles can be made to communicate: stop go/catch up medical emergency wildlife sighting go ashore/bathroom break recheck your course group the boats together (raft up) COVENANTS Be Christ like to one another no name calling no put downs Do not mess with other peoples gear / no pratical jokes with people’s gear. leave someone else’s snacks alone Basic paddling covenants (rules): Wear your lifevest at all times on the water Stay together Cooperate with your paddle partner Do your share of the paddling In the event of a capsize stay with the boat Do not pursue/harass the wildlife Rules of conduct on land Stay together, do not wander into the woods, this is bear country! Designated bathroom areas will be assigned male and female. THOUGHTS ON LEADERSHIP The old school thought on trip leadership was that what ever the most experienced person said was how things would be done and that was that. There are now many wilderness graves marking this philosophy. I discovered several years ago a method that works better in situations where the leader all have a certain level of expertise. When confronted with a major decision the leaders gather to first analyze the situation and then begin to propose options. After discussing the various options the group then chooses the best option. This simple method works well provided that nobody brings their egos along on the trip. In otherwords it does not matter who came up with the idea what matters is that we come up with the best idea. This decision making process obviously requires mature leadership and good communication. This system does however need to also recognize that in certain areas the decision needs to rest on the person with the most experience. For example medical decisions need to be made by the person with the most medical training or a rescue needs to be handled under the direction of the person with the most experience. Unfortunately in sea-kayaking one does not always have the luxury of standing on shore around a campfire making decisions. At times decisions sometimes need to be made quickly, for example if the weather takes a sudden turn for the worst or you awake to see the nose of a bear nuzzling your tent. The best way to handle these decisions is for the leaders to prior to the trip have a lot of "what if " conversations. What if the weather turns bad, what if a bear comes into camp, what if we are swallowed by a whale? EMERGENCY PROCEDURES Capsize-(we will practice this in the SJC pool) -Immediately signal all leaders. -Insure that the capsize paddlers are out of the boat and are o.k.(be careful not to hit them with your boat, in waves and swells this is easy to do.) -Watch for signs of hypothermia -Right the kayak. -secure rescue rigging -hold boat while paddlers climb back in ( it may be necessary for one team to stabilize the boat while another team physically assists them in.) -assist them in bailing the kayak and reattaching spray skirts -get them moving as soon as possible (this will warm them up.) -keep watching for signs of hypothermia -survey for floating gear (Murphy's law says only vital equipment floats away.) BEARS First let us discourage people "crying wolf" otherwise when a real bear shows up everyone will think it is a joke until it is too late. If the bear is far away quietly let everyone know so we can all watch it. If the bear is close yell 'bear' and have everyone make a lot of noise. (kids are usually good at this) Only an adult may handle the bear spray . Do not run from the bear/stand your ground and talk/yell at it. If the bear charges hit the ground and roll up into a ball with your hands covering your neck and repeat after me ,Our Father who art in Heaven..... SEA KAYAK TRAINING First we need to establish early that yes this trip is about see Glacier Bay and sea-kayaking but more importantly this camp is about experiencing God in the midst of God's creation. We should do vespers/bible study the first night in Sitka and every night on the water. The second step will be to teach the youth that sea-kayaking is group activity and not a solo endeavor. Each paddling team needs to work together and we all need to work together as a group. In the past I have used initiative games to built cooperation, communication and trust. These games will also help the youth and leaders get to know one another better. The third step will be to establish safety covenants for land and water. The fourth step is to teach paddling skills. POOL SESSION At the Sheldon Jackson pool we need to teach How to enter and exit a Kayak The basic paddle strokes How to do a wet exit Practice rescue techniques Hopefully this will begin to give them some confidence with the boats. OPEN WATER PRACTICE A short run with unloaded boats should begin to give the youth the feel of sea-kayaking. Also it will give us the opportunity to do more instruction in paddling technique and safety. At this time the adult leaders can begin to evaluate the paddling skills and temperaments of the youth and begin to select paddle partners *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). 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Hi Jack, I've been kayakking with children a couple of times, and the most important thing I can say is: Have fun! When I take adults for their first paddle, they are paddling with half of their concentration, while the rest is occupied with keeping their clothes dry, worrying about getting home in time for dinner, thinking about their jobs... With kids I have the feeling I give them an experience for life. They are able to enjoy the moment with everything they've got. Just sitting in a kayak may be all they need to be happy. Some may want to do some splashing, screaming, showing off or even paddling. I never give preset classes to children. I just give them something to start on (standing up in a boat, capsising, scramble-rescues, a ball to throw with... If they're interested, I might show them some strokes, braces or rolls, but only if they want to, and only as an inspiration to their own play. I keep that up until things get out of hand, and then I step back and enjoy the show, or participate as one of them. I teach that way because that's what I like. I try it with adults too, but it's much harder with them. But apart from being fun for me, I also think playing is the best way to learn. Playing gives room for trying things out, for making your own mistakes, and for overcoming your own fears at your own speed. Next class I will be teaching is a rescue-course for 50+ paddlers, by the way. I think half of them will skip the capsise, because they are too scared and believe they will never capsise anyway... Niels. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Niels Blaauw <niels.blaauw_at_wanadoo.nl> wrote: >I teach that way because that's what I like. I try it with adults too, >but it's much harder with them. But apart from being fun for me, I also >think playing is the best way to learn. Playing gives room for trying >things out, for making your own mistakes, and for overcoming your own >fears at your own speed. I love kayak polo or kayak "ultimate frisbee" for playing with adults. They get a lot more competitive than kids, so that forces them to forget a lot of their concentrations (on tipping, jobs, dinner, etc.). If you get into a very heated game, capsizes can happen with regularity--if one can't roll, it's a perfect opportunity for rescue practice. Demo rescues and some strokes, and just go play. I've haven't often convinced beginner adult students of the need for a good draw stroke until they're playing and the ball or 'bee is 4' off to the side, and another player is coming in fast after it...you'll see some great draw strokes then--why paddle in a 20' circle to come back to it when you can take 3 good draw strokes?! *evil grin* draw strokes also provide excellent rescue practice opportunities. And...if it happens as part of a game, folks are less tense and upset about capsizing. When someone capsizes, play stops until they're back in their boat, skirt fastened. With better paddlers, play doesn't stop, and hand checks become a major tactic! ;) (of course, you probably know this, kayak polo being much more popular in Europe than it is in North America). Best regards, Shawn __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I'm obviously checking this list for the first time in ages - Regarding the Y, Tom Long, in Idaho, has had a very successful program for kids. He had created a club for kids, with a behavior contract they sign, and works from creative pool games to national competitive slalom. Kids can progress as fast or slow as they want and he encourages kids as coaches as he feels peers can teach each other as well as or better than adults..... Andree On Mon, 6 Jan 2003, Jack Gilman wrote: > Hi All- > > Our paddling club, in partnership with the local YMCA > will be doing some pool sessions with kids from the > Y's swim team this winter. > > Does anyone know of any sources for information on > teaching kids to paddle kayaks? > > I'm sure this will be a lot of fun, just want t get on > the right track from the start. > > Thanks in advance for any help. > > Jack Gilman > Yonkers Paddling & Rowing Club > Yonkers, NY Andree Hurley http://www.onwatersports.com/ Port Townsend, WA *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
This reminds me that my own Y camp [from my childhood, I mean] has had kayaks [and thus a kayak instruction program] since at least the time my daughter started going there some 16 years ago. It's Camp Manito-Wish, just outside Boulder Junction, Wisconsin, and it's widely thought of as the best such camp [fundamentally, a progressive canoe camp (meaning, they start the kids out on short canoe camping trips, and if they return the camp gradually takes them on longer and longer trips...)] in the country, so perhaps they would have suggestions???? Camp Manito-Wish YMCA has its own website, so you could contact them in that way if you wish. - Bill ----- Original Message ----- From: "A. Hurley" <ahurley_at_viewit.com> Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Teaching Kids: Looking for sources > I'm obviously checking this list for the first time in ages - > > Regarding the Y, Tom Long, in Idaho, has had a very successful program > for kids. He had created a club for kids, with a behavior contract they > sign, and works from creative pool games to national competitive slalom. > Kids can progress as fast or slow as they want and he encourages kids as > coaches as he feels peers can teach each other as well as or better than > adults..... > > Andree *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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