Hi there, my name is Stanley The Swordfish and I am very pleased to meet you!.
13 may me unlucky for some but not with your swimming and me. I am sure 13 is going to prove very lucky and you will achieve some great swims this term! I am known to be one of the fastest swimmers in the sea and have won many competitions. Who knows… by the end of the term you may achieve a badge and certificate just like me! One things for sure we will have lots of fun trying!
Let me tell you a little bit more …
By the end of this term, we aim for your child to swim a distance of 5 metres independently, in preparation for the start of the Child Levels 15-29. These levels are about your little ones becoming refined, safe and strong swimmers, so it is important they have the stamina and confidence to travel across a 5 metre distance, confidently lifting their head up.
Your child will enjoy learning new skills to make it easier to swim without your help, getting their head out of the water to breathe independently. These include several new techniques and variations of S.B.S. across the pool with you assisting in different ways.
We will also do lots of "Push & Glide" skills from the side, as these are very important for your child to understand and feel what streamlining is. Good body position in the water is one of the essential building blocks of all swimming and stroke work to come later on.
On week 7 in this level will you will be given the chance to have an underwater photograph. This is a fantastic opportunity to have a photo of your little one as they complete their journey in the Toddler levels and become ready to progress onto the equally impressive and progressive Child levels!
I am an extraordinary fish with an upper jaw that is shaped like a sword. It is really handy for shooting through the water or catching my yummy food! My favourite food I like to eat is squid, octopus and mackerel. I like to swim in deep water as well as near to the surface and I can also jump out of the water.
I am very good at catching food as I have large eyes that I am able to heat up so I can dive deep into the water and catch my tea! My tuna, marlins and shark friends are capable of doing this too-warm eyes work up to ten times better than cold so they come in really useful! Swordfish don't have any teeth, so we use our long bill to catch our food. I like to catch my food at night.
You can find me all over the Pacific, Indian or Atlantic ocean and we can grow up to 4.5m in length. We don't swim in groups and generally can be found swimming around the ocean on our own. We do like our warm water like you and are known to migrate to warm waters over the winter.
We are super fast swimmers and are 2nd in the top 10 fastest ocean animals. We can swim up to an amazing 60mph so we have come in to watch you work towards swimming your 5 metres this term and gaining a certificate and badge! We have lots of fun organised including "high in the sky and race to the side", "backstroke across the pool" and "sinker race for rings". On your marks, get set and go!!
Next term, you will be meeting Barry The Barracuda