Hi there, my name is Barney and I am a Beaver. I shall be your Aquatots pal for Level 5 and my goodness, have I got a lot to show you. We Beavers know how to have fun.
We are going to show you how to start picking up toys under water? Sound like fun to you?
Let me tell you a little bit more …
Even more new and exciting skills are introduced at this level. For example, Diving for Toys in shallow water. New swimming skills are developed further to encourage independent early swimming rhythm and breathing pattern at the same time. This level is a time for Mummy & Daddy to really start "letting go". You have helped your child learn so many valuable skills so far and you have guided them perfectly in the water. This term we give our little ones that extra independence by letting go of them in the water more often and just giving that guidance when required. Such a proud experience for Mum & Dad watching as your child moves independently and purposefully for short periods in the water.
My name is Barney and I am a Beaver. Beavers are quite special, as our bodies are specially designed for living both in the water and on the land.
We are most often found in North America, but we have lots of cousins who live in Europe and Asia too.
We are herbivores so we don't eat meat, but we love to eat the bark of our favourite trees, water lilies and pond weed which we will sometimes have to dive down to get hold of, grabbing in our front paws. A bit like you, when you dive to get a toy in your hands underwater.
A baby Beaver, is called a Kit and we learn to swim when we are only one month old. Our fur is waterproof which means we can go swimming and not get wet. Our big tail is like a paddle and our front feet are like hands which allow us to work and hold onto things, just like yours do. We use our front hands to build dams where we live. Our hind feet have special webbed inserts between the toes to help us swim quickly. Our body's special design, means we can have fun both on the land and in the water. Beavers are lucky, we have the best of both worlds!!
When we are on land our tail helps us to sit up straight, yet when we are swimming in the water it acts like a rudder, helping to steer us easily as we swim very fast! We can stay under water for up to 15 mins and we are very strong swimmers.
We can use our big tail to slap the water too, making a big noise to let other Beavers know we are at home. You can try slapping the water with your hands, slapping like a Beaver. It's so much fun.
Beavers are always busy. If someone in your family is always busy working away, you might hear someone say that person is as “Busy as a Beaver”.
We like to live in ponds, lakes and rivers. Beavers like the water to be still, like in your swimming pool, so my Mummy and Daddy build dams to stop the water flowing fast through where we live. I then have a very big swimming pool all of my own. The dam is usually built straight across the river. My Mummy and Daddy are very clever at building things. I am learning too. My parents built us a beautiful house to live in. It’s called a lodge and has three floors. The front door is usually underwater. We have to dive down under the water to come up into our house. I have other Uncles and Aunties that live in their own house near to ours. It’s great to be one big family all together.
Beavers have very strong sharp teeth and we use our teeth to cut down trees. We are always cutting down trees to build new dams and repair our house. Our teeth never stop growing, so when we are working hard, our teeth sometimes get worn away from all the gnawing away at the tree trunks.
I live with my Mummy and Daddy until I am about two years old, then I move out of our home and start to build my own lodge. I will build my home with wood from the trees that grow near where we live.
I hope you have lots of fun learning to swim like a Beaver. And remember to try slapping the water like we do with our tails. It’s so much fun!!