Hi there little swimmer, my name is Sidney the Cygnet (that's a baby swan if you didn't know) and it's lovely to meet you. Did you have fun with my cousin Dillon in Level 1? I do hope so and I hope you have been practising so we can really get going with a splash this term. Like you I am still very young so will be taking baby steps to keep things easy for us to learn together.
Let me tell you a little bit more …
In this level, many new and exciting skills are introduced, as the teacher builds upon the introductory experience of Level 1 babies. For instance the volunteer swim where baby learns to take a breath before swimming. Baby gradually becomes more comfortable with single handed swims and swims more frequently than in the introductory level. Back floats are introduced which are very relaxing and fun, and also of great importance for future levels, eventually leading into early back stroke. New Water safety skills such as Swim & Hold on that encourages baby to hold on to somebody or something upon surfacing from a swim are also practiced.
My name is Sidney and I am a Baby Swan although you might not believe that to look at me. When I am born I have grey fluffy feathers and some people call me the "Ugly Duckling". When I was around 5 to 6 weeks old I started to lose my fluff and I now have brown feathers. When I grow up, I know I shall become a beautiful swan like my Mummy & Daddy.!! I have to wait for my lovely white feathers though as they don't come until my second year.
I hatched from an egg along with my brothers and sisters. When I was born I weighed about 250g which is about the same as a block of butter but I am now six months old and weight 6kgs which is about the same as two big bags of potatoes. When I was just one day old my Mummy, took me straight to the water so I could start swimming!
Do you like piggy back in your lessons? I do too and when we get tired Mummy and Daddy pop us onto their back and take us for a ride and Mummy will use her wings to shelter us too.
We are Omnivores and this means we eat both plants and animals. I like to eat lots of insects, crabs & barnacles, to help me grow big and strong. Mummy and Daddy both help get food for us. They pull up plants from below the surface and they also have a clever trick where they paddle really fast on the spot to stir up food laying on the river or lake bed.
When I grow up I want to be just like my Mummy Sandy as swans are amazing animals. I shall let Mummy tell you more.