Requirements:
Before beginning this Try-it, the leader must refer to Safety Wise to ensure that all safety rules are followed. If swimming, boating or wading are involved, one or more lifeguards must be present. To earn this try-it, complete 4 activities, including the 2 with stars. *1. Learn the following rules for use at a pool, lake, river, ocean or bay. • Always have a lifeguard present when going into the water. • Walk around the water to avoid slipping, tripping, or falling. • Swim with a Buddy of the same or similar swimming ability. • Never push another person into the water. • Shower before going into a pool to be sure you are clean. • Only one person is allowed on a diving board at a time. • Never dive into an above ground pool or in shallow areas. • Never swim under a diving board or in diving area. • Never remain in the water when thunder or lightning is present. – Move away from water, seek low ground and shelter (never under a tree). • Never swim immediately after eating, when overheated, or when tired. • Swim only during daylight hours or in a well lit pool at night (with lifeguard) *2. Know when and why a life jacket is used. • Learn how to identify a life jacket that is Coast Guard approved. • Check life jacket before putting it on to be sure it is the correct size for your weight. • Learn how to put on a life jacket. • Put life jacket on and have an adult check to be sure it is on correctly. • Enter shallow water with a life jacket on and try to float. 3. Learn beginning swimming skills by doing the following: • Stand in shallow water and blow bubbles with whole face in the water; then try to blow bubbles underwater; turning head to put ear in water alternating with blowing bubbles. • Practice kicking while holding onto a pool wall, dock, kick board, or swimming 13 barbell. If in a lake or pond in shallow water, put hands on bottom and kick feet. 4. Choose two games from the games list. Read the directions and play them in the water. http://www.girlscouts-rh.org/patches/waterfungames... 5. Build a sand castle at a beach, or in a sand box. Round Valley Reservoir has a sand beach; there also is a sand area in Duke Island Park in Bridgewater. Follow directions to build a castle or use your own design. You can do this on your own or with friends. Directions: Anyone can learn to build a sand castle. All you need is sand, water, and a few tools. These may include a small shovel, a water bucket, an ordinary table knife (can use a plastic knife or putty knife), cookie cutters, and your hands. Pile loose wet sand into a mound, flattening the top and sides with your hands as a base. The sand should be as wet as cooked oatmeal. Form several flat pancakes and stack these on top of each other on your base to form a tower. Build your tower as high as you wish and build as many towers on your castle as you like. Use your knife to slice off triangular pieces to fashion a pointed roof on each tower. Use a putty knife to carve out windows and doors. Walls can be made around or joining your castle by fashioning small bricks from the wet sand, stacking them as you wish, then smoothing the sides. Steps can be built in the same way. 6. Learn about fishing, what safety rules to follow, and then go fishing with an adult. • Find out if you need a license to fish in the area you have chosen. • If going onto a pier or dock or in a boat to fish, wear a life jacket. • Learn what to use for bait. • With the help of an adult put the bait on the hook. • Learn how to safely put the line in the water. • Learn how to safely remove the hook from the fish which you caught. • Release the fish back into the water, or with the help of an adult, clean, cook and eat the fish. 7. Get in shape by trying water exercising to music. Make sure that your radio or tape player is battery operated and at a safe distance from the water. Do not handle radio or tape player while in the pool. In shallow water try one or more of the following: Hokey Pokey, Chicken Dance or an aerobic exercise. 8. Make a friendship boat by following these directions. (See illustrations – http://www.girlscouts-rh.org/patches/waterfunboat.htm) 14 1. Take a rectangular sheet of paper and fold paper in half crosswise. 2. Fold this in half. 3. Open and fold corners. 4. Fold up one side of bottom flap. 5. Turn over, fold up the other side. 6. Fold in corners. 7. Holding the 2 corners, push them together to look like a cap. 8. Fold up bottom point to top. 9. Turn over and fold up other point. 10. Holding 2 corners, push together again. 11. Take 2 points at top, and pull out. 12. Push point of boat in about 4 cm with eraser end of pencil. 13. Melt a few drops of wax into it. Set a birthday candle into the wax. Light candle. Set afloat. Sail boat in water (use one of the Friendship Boat Ceremonies – http://www.girlscouts-rh.org/patches/waterfunceremonies.htm)