Summer holidays mean sun, fun and, for many, time in and around the water.
Maidstone's Grade 3 students have just completed the Lifesaving Society's Swim to Survive program and have practiced what studies have shown are the keys to survive an unexpected fall into deep water.
The society's website explains swim skills are not innate and all children should learn to swim. Their research shows most drowning occurs close to safety.
"We believe that if every child in Canada could pass our Swim to Survive Standard it would reduce the number of drowning by half," says the website.
The Lifesaving Society is currently working to offer the program to every Grade 3 student in Ontario, but it is available to students in other regions as well. It is not meant to be a substitute for swimming lessons just a first step to being safe around water. In Ontario the program includes three classroom lessons and three sessions in the pool.
The grade 3 class in Maidstone was able to work on the three classroom sections and complete the in-pool portion in one trip to the leisure centre in Lloydminster.
Lori Wiltermuth is passionate about books and beaches and is the school librarian, a Lifesaving Society instructor and advocate for water safety. This is the second year in a row she has worked with Grade 3 students to achieve the Swim to Survive certificate.
Some of the students completed the three essential skills in lifejackets while others did it without and she was pleased they made the choice to ask for a jacket if they thought they needed it. The three in-class lessons are "always swim with a buddy," "wear a lifejacket or personal flotation device (PFD)" and "check the ice." The three essential skills practiced in the pool were a roll into deep water, treading water for one minute and swimming a distance of 50 metres.
Wiltermuth says she is grateful the staff and principal have been so supportive of the program which fits into the health curriculum's safety component. Wiltermuth spent time in the water with every Grade 3 student while they worked in small groups on the skills and the entire class had time to enjoy the waterslide, wave pool, diving board and swimming pool. The students loved the water and are ready for a safer summer of splashing.
