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Swimming Lessons Help Kids Connect To and Respect Nature

Swimming Lessons in Mississauga Open a World of Possibilities

Whether you’ve taken swimming lessons or not, anyone who grew up swimming in lakes, rivers, and oceans knows that there is really nothing like experiencing and exploring the myriad fresh and salt water environments on our planet. Being on and in the water means immersing yourself in, and sharing the world with a whole host of aquatic flora and fauna. Knowing how to navigate this world means being able to explore it freely and safely. Below are some of the ways in which swimming can help kids connect to nature.

Time Spent Outdoors in the GTA is Beneficial

An article in Peak Fitness entitled “Time Outdoors Helps Kids Respect and Connect With Nature states that as little as five hours a week spent outdoors encourages children to develop and attachment to nature and the natural world – an important component of well-being and human development. In the warmer months, what better way to help build that experience and develop those attachments than to spend a few hours a week in the ocean, lake, river, or local swimming hole.

Swimming is a Lesson in Local Flora and Fauna

Visit virtually any healthy body of swimmable water and you are bound to be struck by the abundance of life, both above and below the surface. Waterfowl, fish, crustaceans, plants, reptiles, amphibians, insects, mammals; spending time swimming in a natural body of water almost invariably involves getting up close with some element of nature. Obviously this contact with nature should be monitored, but giving children the chance to enter the natural world through swimming can be both an educational, and transformative experience.

The Power of the Elements

Another reason to enroll your kids in swimming lessons is so they will learn to appreciate and respect the power of nature – particularly water. It is hard to understand the power of the ocean or a river, until you have witnessed it first hand. Swimming in the ocean (supervised) – bracing against small waves, kicking against the current etc. – can help drive home the power, and potential danger of swimming in nature.

Swimming in Mississauga Nature is Inherently An Act of Self-Reliance

Swimming (done without the aid of flotation devices, of course) is something one does on their own. No one else is going to move your arms and legs for you to keep propelling you forward, or afloat. In nature, swimming involves both competing against, and working together with nature. An article released by the YMCA lists swimming, and swimming lessons as one of the most fundamental things parents can do to help build self-reliance in their children, and self-reliance is at the heart of being one with nature.

The world is filled with lakes, river, streams, oceans and seas to explore and appreciate, and swimming lessons are a great way to give your kids the skills they need to connect with nature, wherever life takes them. Contact British Swim School today and find out about our wide range of swimming lessons for kids (and adults) of all ages.

References

(2018). “Nurturing the Potential of Every Child.” YMCA. Retrieved from: http://ymcaathol.org/nurturing-the-potential-of-every-child-and-teen/

Mercola, J. (2014). “Time Outdoors Helps Kids Respect and Connect With Nature.” Peak Fitness. Retrieved from: https://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2014/09/05/spend-time-outdoors.aspx

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