CO Learn to Paddle Camp Curriculum

Overview: Paddling requires good planning, active management, and a positive attitude. Moving gear and managing environmental considerations can be challenging on inclement days AND paddle days are often highly memorable for campers. As always, try to teach campers 2 new skills or games that they can share with their families and get ready for a full day of fun!

Packing List: Please note that the items below are IN ADDITION to the items listed under “Instructor’s Backpack” on page 17.

• Water Craft

• PFDs appropriate to your campers’ size and instructor size

• Paddles (one extra if equipment allows)

• Whistle( for instructor)

• Throw Bag -

• Dry Bags/Boxes for electronics, medications, and/or lunches

• Sponges or other supplies for games

• Water Jug to fill water bottles on site

• Additional site specific safety equipment - check with CDs

Equipment Check (before and after use): Fill out an Equipment Report Form and speak to the Camp Director about any item that needs attention:

• Boats

  • Drain plugs (may be open in closed water)

  • Seats (if using): check hardware and straps

  • Bow and stern loops for kayaks

  • Throw bag(s): release and buckle

• Paddles: security and condition of blades and connectors

• PFDs: General condition and zipper pulls

Leave No Trace Applications:

1. Trash your trash

   1. What can go in the water?

   2. Where do I urinate near the water (if no bathroom available)?

2. Be respectful of wildlife

3. Be respectful of other visitors

4. Know before you go

   1. What are the conditions like?

   2. What is our plan for the day?

Paddle Day Policies and Special Considerations:

Policy: Each group participating in paddlesport activities will have an instructor with Basic Water Rescue or equivalent training. When participants are in boats in the water, the instructor must be in/on the water as well. Assess weather and water conditions to identify possible hazards and determine appropriate activities. If a camper or visitor has impaired mobility, staff is expected to pay special attention and remain close to the participant around bodies of water.

Windy Conditions: Wind will always be a factor on paddling days. Prepare for wind in order to ensure success!

• Carry a throw rope with you at all times!

• Paddle INTO the wind from your launch location so that your return trip is easier at the end of the paddle session (provided the wind does not shift)

• Kayaks and SUPs can be connected nose to tail to paddle in a line into the wind.

• Leave time to return to the launch. Returning early allows for games, rescue practice, or drying off.

• Encourage campers to paddle with calm, smooth strokes in order to avoid fatigue. Remember that campers will follow your model!

EMERGENCY PROCEDURES

1. If you see lightning or hear thunder, immediately exit the water and move participants to the safest area possible. Wait for 30 minutes to re-enter water after last seeing lightning or hearing thunder. Safe areas can include vehicles, enclosed buildings, or forested areas. Should escaping to safe terrain be impossible, move to a “lightning drill” in which participants sit on their PFD’s, hugging their knees with their arms, distributing the group as much as possible.

2. Should high winds come up quickly on a lake or bay, attempt to move back to your put-in spot. If this seems impossible or improbable, let the wind carry the group to the nearest shoreline and remove the boats. Use your cell phone or available pay phone to contact the Camp Director to make arrangements for pick-up at the new location.

3. Should potential hypothermia or injury occur, treat as indicated by your level of medical training and call your camp director.

4. Should a participant require a rescue while in the water:

   1. Wear your PFD

   2. Reach with your VOICE first, encourage the camper to swim to safety

   3. Try to physically reach the participant from a craft, dock, or shoreline

   4. If you cannot reach them, use a throw rope for rescue

   5. Paddle a canoe or kayak to the participant

Environmental Briefing Considerations:

Environmental Hazards: lightning, wind, cold, sharp objects, drowning, fish hooks

Human Hazards: Paddle play, standing in boat, paddling beyond boundaries

Clothing and Footwear:

Each camper should have a full change of clothes, a towel, sun protection, and close toed shoes that can get wet. Campers should wear their shoes at all times.

Managing Risk While Paddling With Younger Campers:

There are specific considerations when paddling with campers under age 7 that may differ from paddle days with older campers. See the below considerations to make sure that you are managing risk well through the week.

General:

• Sun Protection: Younger campers may need help with their sun protection. You will need to help campers remember to wear hats and sunglasses that are effectively secured. They will likely need help applying sunscreen (possibly physical help) and help remembering to re-apply. Help campers ensure that sunscreen is rubbed in, covers all exposed skin, and is re-applied regularly.

• PFDs: Younger, smaller campers have less body shape which can put them at a higher risk for PFD failure due to poor fit. Make sure that PFDs are fit correctly with the butt strap between the legs of ALL participants at this age level.

• Moving Gear: Campers this age are not strong enough to carry boats/boards alone. If they are able, pair them up to move gear from place to place OR have the entire group carry one craft together with or without your help.

• Maturity in Skills: You will need to assess campers abilities prior to going on the water, once you are on the water, and continually throughout paddling. Campers under age 7 are likely to have less developed motor skills essential to paddling. Our job is to help them develop those but also to help keep them in a safe learning environment relative to their skills. This will determine how you set up your group and progress through the week.

  • Land Assessment:

    • Indicators of mature movements: Are campers showing mature movements when walking, running, playing games? Are campers able to fit their PFDs by themselves? Can campers follow a practice paddling progression on land and hold a paddle correctly?

    • Campers showing the above may be able to paddle a craft on their own OR should be paired with campers with less mature movement patterns to help them paddle effectively.

  • Water Assessment:

    • ALWAYS start the week with campers paired up on a single craft to allow them to help each other and allow you to assess their abilities.

    • Are campers able to paddle forward with their full paddle blade in the water and the paddle face pulling water backward? Are campers able to make strokes to turn their craft from side to side? Are campers able to paddle in a straight line? Are campers steady when moving around in/on their craft?

      • SUP: Can campers paddle while kneeling rather than sitting?

        • Paddlers who are unable to kneel to paddle should NOT paddle alone and/or disconnected from an instructor. Paddling while seated is very difficult to be effective on a SUP, especially for little bodies.

    • If campers show the above mature movements they may be ready to paddle by themselves or disconnected from the group.

  • If campers are NOT showing mature movements:

    • Keep them paired up on their craft. Two small bodies are stronger than one AND it gives you less craft on the water to worry about. This also puts more weight in/on the craft making it less likely to blow away in the wind. Pair stronger campers with less physically mature campers.

      • Make sure to teach HOW to pass paddles back and forth while on land first.

    • You can tie SUPs or kayaks together with a throw rope, nose to tail. (do NOT tie SUPs together tail to tail, you will not be able to paddle well.) Several extra carabiners make this task MUCH easier so that you do not need to tie and untie knots to detach craft.

    • Use these same risk mitigation techniques if adverse weather/water conditions arise.

• Maturity in Risk Awareness: Just like skill maturity, you will need to assess campers risk awareness in order to gauge how ready they are for certain skills like paddling alone, paddling in stronger winds, paddling further, etc. See the below considerations for assessing campers risk awareness:

• • Assessment: Do campers identify risks accurately during environmental briefings? Do campers remember and practice risk mitigation after learning about it (PFD zone, etc.) Do campers move around their craft with three points of contact?

  • If the answer is YES to the above, in addition to mature physical skills, those campers may be more capable of paddling alone, farther, etc.

  • If the answer is NO to the above, even if campers show mature physical movement, they may NOT be ready to paddle alone or in adverse conditions.

Day 1 Schedule-KAYAK

9:00 Morning Circle- Kiddos will be welcomed and checked in with instructor, meet the group

• Name game- Act out your favorite animal

• Respect the PONY talk. (Property, others, nature, yourself)

• Get ready for day- sunscreen, restroom, water

9:15 Paddle Sport: Orientation and New Skills

• Check in with each campers comfort/experience when it comes to the days activity

• PFDs- How do we put on a PFD? What is it? Explain to the campers the importance of properly fitting a PFD. What happens if it’s too loose and I can wiggle out of it? Don’t have the kids keep PFDs on until after snack time, but start the day off explaining the gear that is required for a successful water day. If camper brought their own PFD, double check all straps and gear

• Boat- Today is kayaking. Show the campers different parts of the kayak (Bow, Stern, Cockpit, Port, Starboard) on land first so that they can interact in a safe manner before getting out to the water. Have each camper practice a three point entry and exit of the kayak. When we get in our boat it's very wobbly. We need to have three parts of our body touching

• Paddle- How do we hold the paddle? Do you see the mountains on the paddle? Make sure they’re facing you and facing up. These paddles will be big for the kids but make sure they’re still in proper form by finding L Shaped arms, hold up your muscles and grip the paddle shaft.

  • Different parts (blade, shaft, throat, drip ring). How to safely interact with others while holding a paddle.

  • Is a paddle a sword? Is it a shovel? We need to treat our paddles with care so we can use them for a long time.

Make sure not to overload these kids with information on the first day. Once they have the safety rules and know the basics move on. At their age and with the time constraints we want to get the kids interacting with the gear.

9:45 Snack. Restroom break

• Double check everyone has sunscreen on and uses the restroom before putting on PFDs. Snack should be in the shade if possible

10:00 Group Game

• Get the wiggles out! Counting down from ten, have your campers shake their left hand ten times, then the right hand. Then they will kick their left foot ten times, followed by the right. Repeat this but shake 9 times… repeat the process until you count all the way down to 1.

• This is a great way to get the energy and silliness out before you circle them up for one last safety talk before going out onto water. It also allows you to figure out who knows their lefts/rights before you give them a paddle.

• Choose a variety of games and let kids take turns being ‘leaders’ but also allows us to maintain our personal space.

10:15 PFDs and Paddle Talk

We talked with the group earlier about the safety aspect of the gear and gave them time to hold/see the gear. The focus now is getting everything on and out to the water.

• It’s time to go out on the water! Before we do that we need to get all of our group into gear. Have the campers try and put their PFDs on independently. They will most likely need assistance but it is important to start the week early with getting them in the habit of putting on their own PFD.

• Now is a great time to have the group practice strokes before getting on the water.

  • Pair campers up, one front and one behind with the camper in front holding the paddle. Explain that they will be paired up in their boats to start and will SHARE the paddling responsibilities.

  • Now practice paddling:

    • We scoop the ice cream towards us to give us the energy to power forward! Make sure to talk about why we scoop with the blade towards us flat instead of slicing it into the water. You can scoop more ice cream with a spoon instead of a knife.

    • We push the water away from us to go backwards. What is a food that you don’t like? Pretend you’re pushing it away so your kayak goes backwards!

    • What happens if we only paddle on one side? If we start going in a circle are we going to be able to get where we need to go? Boats are strange because they like to go opposite on turns. When we paddle on the left our boat will go right.

  • Now switch so the camper in the back has the paddle. Repeat paddle practice.

    • Ask campers to hold the paddle up directly over their heads so the camper in the back can reach up and grab it.

    • Ask campers “What would happen if we try to turn around to pass the paddle? (they can fall in)

    • Ask campers “What will happen if you fight over the paddle?” (they can fall in)

10:30 Out on water: Practice skills

• What makes where we’re going in our kayaks different from where we did our game? What could happen on the water that may be scary or dangerous? What should we all do to make sure we are super safe and have lots of fun?

• On Monday pair all campers up so that you can assess their abilities on the water with less craft out.

• Ask campers to get into their kayaks using three points of contact.

  • Help them practice getting in and out several times. (make it a game by timing them, using funny go words, etc.)

  • Help them navigate how to sit together comfortably.

• Before pushing off, establish boundaries with the group. These should be fairly near the shore.

  • Use environmental briefing to help establish logical boundaries.

• Help campers push their boats just into the water enough to be able to paddle away BUT ask them to wait for you before paddling.

• Now get in your boat and push into the water. Once the kids are in their boats and on the water have them practice the strokes and paddle their kayak around the surrounding area..

  • Give campers games and challenges that the group can do together to practice strokes.

    • Can the grup paddle forward? Backward? Turn in a circle each direction?

    • Can the group all paddle to a nearby object?

    • Can the group raft up?

11:00 Group Paddle Activity/Game

• There are a lot of age appropriate games that can be done to improve their abilities while having fun. Use your observations of the group to determine what game fits for them on day one.

• Simon Says! Yell out strokes to the campers and have them mimic you when ‘simon says.’ Once a camper wins let them have the chance to call out strokes

11:20 Paddle in!

• Make sure to give lots of time to get campers and their boats back to shore. On the first day especially you may end up towing their boats in, it is better to have time to fill on land over rushing to get in while parents are arriving.

• Have your group work as teams to pull in kayaks and bring them to a predesignated location.

• Have all campers try and independently take off their PFDs and set them in a circle along with their paddles.

11:30 Closing Circle

• The best part of my day was….

• I’m excited for tomorrow because…

11:45 Pick-up time! Give specific feedback to each family, and remind them tomorrow is SUP!

Day 3 Schedule-kayak

9:00 Morning Circle

• What are you excited for today at camp?

• Get ready for day- sunscreen, restroom, water

9:15 Paddle Sport: Review and New Skills

• What do we remember about kayaking on Monday?

• PFDs- By today the hope is the campers are able to independently put on their PFDs or only require minimal assistance.

• Boat- Have a kayak up on land. Try and see which of the campers can remember and name parts of the boat. Have the group line up. Say different parts of the kayak and see who can race up and identify the proper part first!

• Paddle- Check in and see if the group can remember and demonstrate the proper way to hold a paddle.

• Create an obstacle course to keep kids excited about the day. Have the campers take turns getting timed going through the course. Have them identify a part of the kayak before running and putting on their PFD. Once they have their PFD on then have them show you the proper way to hold their paddle before stopping the timer!

  • Using games is a great asset for kids to learn and demonstrate their skills.

• Today we are going to try and improve our turning and focus on how to stop the kayak. With younger campers we often need to refresh and relearn the skills from the first day, especially when they did SUP yesterday.

9:45 Snack. Restroom break

Double check everyone has sunscreen on and uses the restroom before putting on PFDs. Snack should be in the shade if possible!

10:00 Group Game

• Depending on your group's energy pick a quick game to just get all the silliness out before going onto the water. If there was a game they really enjoyed from earlier this week use it!

• Mr Fox, Rhythm Master, Drip Drip Drop, etc.

10:15 PFDs and Paddle Talk

• By today the campers should have a good idea of how to get their PFD on. Have the campers show you a forward and back stroke, as well as show how they would paddle to turn left and right. This process should be a quick chat about safety rules and an environmental briefing. By this point in the week the group should understand the basic steps needed before we get in our boats.

• Today on the water we are going to try a sweep stroke! Can your group show you what shape a rainbow is? How would you draw a sideways rainbow?

10:25 Out on water: Practice skills

• Make a determination of the groups abilities before going on the water. Are they ready to paddle solo? If not keep them paired up.

• Today is a great day to try and paddle out a little bit farther if it fits your group. Pick a set point that you can all paddle to as a group for a goal! Today we really want to focus on turning, so finding an area where every camper can have personal space will be ideal.

• Demonstrating is massively important for kids this age. At this point they have some control over their boat but we want to teach a sweep stroke for faster turning.

  • We want to first make sure we have the proper grip on the paddle. We’re going to be drawing a giant rainbow with our paddles. So we stretch our arms forward and dip our paddle blades into the water at the front of our boat! Then we push the water back to the very back of our boat to finish the rainbow.

  • Can you make enough rainbows to turn your kayak all the way around in a circle? What about the other way?

  • With the small groups this is a good time to check in individually with every camper.

• While out on the water, raft up or gather to the best of your groups abilities. We want to check in with our group on safety on the water now. If we were to go kayaking with our family what would we pack? What do we have that is keeping us safe right now? If our boat tipped over, what would we do? Talk to the group about why you have a throw rope as well as a whistle on you. We want to assure the campers of what we have to keep them safe as well as encourage them to become little risk managers when it comes to safety while participating in and paddle sport.

11:00 Group Paddle Activity/Game

• What you chose here is entirely dependent on your group's ability to paddle with control. If they are still learning how to control their kayaks, play a game like stinky fish here. That way they can focus on playing and learn skills in a low consequence manner.

• If you have a more advanced group that wants a challenge now would be a good time to breakout a slalom course! Set out 3-4 floating objects and have your group steer their kayaks around them.

11:20 Paddle in!

• Plan for more or less time depending on your campers independence with paddling.

• Have your group work as teams to bring kayaks up to a pre designated location to make clean up easier at the close of day.

• Have your group gather around and take off PFDS, setting them in a circle to try alongside their paddles.

11:30 Closing Circle

• One thing I learned today was…

• My favorite thing we did today was...

11:45 Pick-up time! Give specific feedback to each family, and remind them tomorrow is SUP!

Day 5 Schedule-kayak

9:00 Morning Circle

• What are you excited about today?

• Get ready for day- sunscreen, restroom, water

Taking it to the next level: At this point, some campers may be ready to take their skills to the next level and try paddling for longer distances or want new activities. For ideas of additional paddle games & activities, see the list of Additional Intro to Paddling Games at the end of this outline. Again, are they ready to paddle alone? If not keep them paired up but challenge them in other ways like distance paddled, etc.

9:15 Paddle Sport: Review and New Skills

• How do we get ready for our Kayak adventure today? What do we need to bring with us?

• Today is going to focus on just honing in on the skills the kids have learned throughout the week by going on an adventure! Spend the majority of the time on the water playing games and naturally learning skills rather than doing drills.

9:25 Passport art: draw a picture of your favorite part of Intro to Paddling camp. Ask your friends to write their name (or draw a picture) to ‘sign’ the back of each other’s passports!

9:45 Snack. Restroom break

Double check everyone has sunscreen on and uses the restroom before putting on PFDs. Snack should be in the shade if possible!

10:00 Group Game

• Depending on your group's energy pick a quick game to just get all the silliness out before going onto the water. If there was a game they really enjoyed from earlier this week use it!

• Mr Fox, Rhythm Master, Drip Drip Drop, Red Light Green Light etc.

10:15 PFDs and Paddle Talk

• Can your group get their PFDs on by themselves? Can they check if a friend has theirs correct?

• If you haven’t already, today is a great day to have your campers work as a team to set up the kayaks to launch. Can we launch ourselves yet by wiggling in our kayak?

10:25 Our Kayak Adventure!

• With your group, paddle out to a set location in your area. Can you as a group paddle around the whole area you’re in, or to a far off goal position? Just set a goal to allow your group to visualize how far they have been able to come.

  • Make sure to paddle into the wind to start, you do not want to be fighting the wind on the way back at the end of the day when your group is tired.

• Throughout the day feel free to sprinkle in games as needed for your groups. If they are getting bored of just paddling to a destination, stop and play a game of stinky fish for a bit before continuing on!

10:50 Group Paddle Activity

• Victory lap! Set up boundaries near your exit point and have your group gather around.

  • Have each camper paddle a lap around the group, and cheer for them like they’ve just won a gold medal!

  • Have the group tell each camper something awesome about him/her: (i.e. You are really brave! You were really good at balancing on your SUP! You can paddle super-fast! You were a kind friend when your buddy was nervous! Etc.)

• Take requests for one last kayaking game: (Sweep Stroke spins, Stinky Fish, Relay Racing)

11:10 Paddle in!

• Plan for more or less time depending on your campers independence with paddling.

• Have your group work as teams to bring kayaks up to a pre designated location to make clean up easier at the close of day.

• Have your group gather around and take off PFDS, setting them in a circle to try alongside their paddles.

11:20 Closing circle & Passport ceremony

Passport ceremony-make it simple and special. Recognize each camper for something AWESOME they did at camp. Have campers tell each other why they are great and cheer for each camper as s/he receives a passport!

11:45 Pick-up time. Give positive and specific feedback about each camper’s day. Thanks for coming to camp!