The Wave Challenge

By Team POL, Marek, Anna & Daria

Environment:
Pool (deep),Pool (shallow),Open water
Teaching style:
Explorative (child centered)
Related aquatic skills:
Belly/back propulsion,Treading
Duration (min.):
1'-5'
Group size:
Small group (<10),Big group (>10)
Task design:
Experiment

Goal

I CAN safely swim in non-standard water conditions (waves).
I KNOW how to behave when swimming in rough water.
I FEEL confident to recognize if I can manage to pass through the waving water.

Success criteria

Overcome a section of strongly waving water on the surface, without swimming underwater (there are no waves under the water).

Environment/Space/Equipment

Shallow water, swimming pool, open water.
Swimming boards that are large enough to create waves for all the participants.

Group management

The task can be performed in small or larger groups in lanes or freely.
Instructor outside or inside the pool depending on participants' swimming skills.

Safety guaranteed by lifeguard.

For safety reasons, aggression when generating waves should be eliminated before the trial.

Time/duration/schedule

Approximately 10minutes.

Minimum of 3 attempts for each child.

Pre-requisite

Basic swimming skills

Description

The child's task is to find the easiest/fastest/least tiring way to swim over the section of strongly waving water. Other children stand opposite each other at the bottom of the pool, on both sides of the line (6-8 children separated by a distance of 5-7 m). The children hold boards in their hands with which, when given a signal, they make the waves. At the end of the test, the child who made the waves replaces the practicing child and will be the next to do the test. The task can be done in pairs

If you would like to take part in this international project to share experiences, please contact us: project-alfac@univ-lille.fr