Class Length: Class size: Class Location: 1 hour 15 minutes or Up to 12:1 Sobell 2 hours 45 minutes Minimum 2 staff Rodecker 1 must be ARCLG Silverman
Materials:
At least 2 instructors, one of which MUST be a lifeguard, and one support staff/shore assistant – one staff MUST be in a canoe in order to perform rescues if needed. Safety / rescue gear - waterproof whistle, CPR mask, rescue tube, backboard and knowledge of closest working phone PFDs, paddles, and canoes
Class Set-up:
The beach and boat house must be inspected at least one hour prior to the start class to ensure that all safety / rescue equipment is present and in working order (the backboard must be on the beach, NOT in the boat house), and that there are the appropriate number of paddles, appropriately sized PFDs, and canoes to accommodate the entire group (remember to include adults in this count).
Recommendation: Check in with the Program Coordinator in the event you need more equipment - you don’t want to pull from another location that may need it for a different class.
Safety Precautions:
All participants, INCLUDING THE LIFEGUARD MUST wear a PFD correctly when on the water; if ANY adult or student refuses they forfeit their opportunity to be on the water.
Check everyone’s lifejacket for proper size and fit and that it is secured correctly.
Ensure that boundaries are clearly defined and behavioral expectations are set before anyone enters the water.
The lifeguard MUST continuously monitor the group; this can be done by constantly counting the number of boats on the water and confirming with any support staff that all are present and accounted for.
Inform the group you will be using a whistle to help alert the group:
1 Long = Stop and Listen! 2 blasts = Paddle toward lifeguard/ he or she has information for you 3 blasts = Head to shore (this should only be used in case of an emergency for example a storm coming and we need everyone to head to shore immediately)
Revised August 2015
Explain that a paddle held straight up in the air is a distress signal. Also ask students to wave their arms above their heads if they lose a paddle.
Introduction: (10-15 minutes)
Begin by explaining the requirements of wearing a PFD and properly fitting all group members.
After fitting PFD’s, hand out paddles. Explain how choose the appropriate size paddle. (Students should extend their arm and the paddle should come so that they can wrap their fingertips over the top.) Once all students have a paddle, teach them about the different parts of the paddle. (handle/T- grip, shaft, neck, and blade).
While you are still on land, do a quick demonstration of how to paddle a canoe, and give an introduction on the types of strokes and how to maneuver the canoe – have the students demonstrate along with you. Be sure to cover the following things:
Forward & Backward movement C-Stroke-for quick turns J-stroke-to keep the canoe going in a straight line without changing what side you are paddling on Stopping
Walk the students down to the beach, and explain how to enter a canoe from shore, all safety rules, boundaries, and review emergency signals.
Briefly instruct students on parts of canoe (bow, stern, starboard, port, thwart, keel, and spine).
Remind students that there can be NO MORE than 3 people in a canoe at any time. If they choose to have 3 people, then the middle person must sit flat bottomed in the center of the canoe.
Activity: (50 – 100 minutes)
Once all of the instructions have been given, have the lifeguard enter the water first with a reminder of how far (boundaries) the students can go until the rest of the group has successfully entered the water.
Once all students and adults enter the water the shore assistant enters the water to monitor the back of the group. Continue monitoring the group’s skills and advance them to other locations on the water if proper skills are demonstrated and the lifeguard is comfortable with the group’s ability to listen and follow instructions.
Keep everyone together and CONSTANTLY monitor the number of boats that are on the water. Continuously scan the group and aid with paddling instructions as necessary.
The most important part of this class is canoeing instruction, however it is a great idea to play games whenever it is safe to do so. Please see notes on staff schedule or speak with the program coordinator if there any questions.
Revised August 2015
Four popular games/activities are:
Tour-If there’s no one on the lake, and they all seem comfortable, take them on a tour of the lake. Beware of the cove near the dam/Deroy Village if it’s a windy day. Tag-Play it reversed. You’re “it” and they have to catch you by gentling tapping your kayak/canoe with theirs. Snake-Have them form a straight line with their kayaks behind yours. It’s a game of follow the leader, wherever you go they go. Race-Have them race from one end of the lake to the other
See games list for more ideas!
Emergency Operating Procedures Inclement Weather: If current weather conditions have rendered the waterfront unsafe (wind, thunder, lightning, etc.) Facilitators shall immediately and safely bring all participants to shore and evacuate everyone to a covered shelter. In the case of high winds, tornadoes, etc. the staff and participants should seek shelter indoors. The priority is to evacuate people, not equipment. In extreme situations equipment may be left out if safety is being jeopardized by remaining outdoors. After the entire group is in a safe location, a Facilitator with the group should immediately contact the camp office and inform them of the group’s status. If the course has been evacuated due to thunder or lightning, everyone must wait 30 minutes from the LAST SIGN of thunder or lightning before activities may resume.
Medical Emergency: When suspicious that a medical emergency is occurring or in the event of an injury, priority will be given to evaluating the person(s) condition, per American Red Cross (ARC) training. If the person in question is on the water, they should be immediately brought to shore for evaluation. If someone is experiencing a significant medical emergency, all participants must be safely and quickly urged to shore. If a medical emergency is confirmed or if a staff member needs further assistance in evaluation or treatment, they should immediately call the office or the Outdoor Education duty phone to request assistance or higher level medical attention. The victim should be monitored and cared for per ARC training until the situation is resolved. After any medical incident, a staff member is required to complete an incident report and be interviewed by a member of the Outdoor Education Management Team.
Rescues: If a participant finds themselves outside their canoe, assistance will most likely be needed in bracing their canoe for them to climb back in. Evaluate each instance individually, however make sure that the student is safe and does not have any injuries before allowing them to continue.
In the event that a participant’s watercraft becomes overturned, depending on how far out you are, it may be easier to simply help them to shore. If you are able to help them without heading to shore, a “T-Rescue should be performed. In this instance, you should line their overturned canoe up perpendicular to yours and have them push their side down into the water while you lift the side near you up onto the middle of your canoe. From this point you can slide their canoe fully onto yours upside down and allow it to empty. You then turn the canoe onto a side and slide it back into the water right side up. Then, help brace the canoe for them while they climb back into their boat.
Revised August 2015
If rescue is due to medical emergency, Outdoor Education Emergency Procedures must be followed.
Conclusion: (15 – 20 minutes)
Allow yourself enough time to get everyone back to shore and return all equipment to its proper location. Have participants pull their whole canoe up onto the land and flip it over (unless you have a class directly after). Have them all place their lifejackets and paddles in a designated area. Debrief with the group, focusing on their experiences, what they learned, what went wrong and what went right, and how they can apply what they learned here to other instances. Thank the group, turn them over to the group leaders, and help them get to their next activity.
Class Tear-Down:
Ensure that all safety equipment, PFDs, paddles, and canoes are returned to their designated storage area.
Lock up the boat house & litter sweep the program area.
If you are teaching multiple classes, canoes, PFDs, and paddles can be placed in setup locations at the beach as long as everything is returned to its storage at the conclusion of the final class.
Revised August 2015
Canoe Specific Information:
Parts of a canoe:
Bow- The front of the boat Stern- The back of the boat Starboard- The right side of the boat Port- The left side of the boat (can remember if this “port” has four letters and so does “left”) Thwart- The bars going from side to side on the boat. These help keep the shape of the boat and should not be sat on. Spine- The line running from front to back (bow to stern). Keeping your weight balanced on this line will help keep the boat from rocking. Keel- It is on the bottom of the canoe, opposite the spine. It kind of acts like a rudder to help keep the boat moving straight.
Kayak Specific Information:
Types of kayaks: “sit on tops”-sitting on top of the kayak in an open area “cock-pit style”-sitting with legs and hips inside the kayak hull and a “spray skirt” that creates a watertight barrier around the waist. (What we use) While most kayaks are designed for only one person there are other configurations, there are tandem and even triple cockpit boats What role does the length of a kayak play? The longer the kayak the faster the hull speed If you’re paddling on a lake (like we are) length is not a factor. What is a “beam” and “rocker”? The beam is the width, generally the wider the beam the more stable the kayak The rocker-look at the side profile if it looks more lie a banana the more rocker it has. The more rocker the easier it is to turn (and harder to paddle straight). You would want more rocker on a river, less on a lake.
Parts of the kayak: Bow- The front of the boat Stern- The back of the boat Starboard- The right side of the boat Port- The left side of the boat (can remember if this “port” has four letters and so does “left”) Cockpit- The seat Deck- The flat surface on top
Revised August 2015
Revised August 2015
Revised August 2015
Canoeing Games
Blind man-the bow person is the Seeing Eye man, directing the person in the back which way to steer, following the instructor ( a version of follow the leader). Or have the person in the front and the back blind, and have the person in the middle direct them.
Swap-bow person stands up, back person stands up, they switch places
Relay races
Reverse Tag-You are “it” and the other canoes have to catch you. They do this by gently tapping their canoe to yours o Skill learned-maneuvering o Precautions-watch for tipping when they all get close together
Enter/Exit Challenge-There is a tub of water placed on the center thwart of each canoe. They are challenged to enter and exit their canoe without spilling any of the water. They can enter/exit from the dock, or the beach o Materials-empty tub for each canoe o Skill learned-entering and exiting properly from dock or beach
Pass the ball-have 2-3 people in the canoe. One by one have them stand in the canoe with their legs spread apart. They then try to pass the ball in a game of over under-over the head, then under the legs o Materials-ball o Skill learned-balancing o Precautions-make sure all the canoes have a sufficient amount of space between them because of tips. Make sure that when they stand up it goes in order-stern, bow, middle. This will help keep the canoe balanced. This game needs another facilitator. To help keep the canoes balanced you can have someone in the water to help
Simon Says-Apply the normal game to canoeing skills. Simon Says “stand up”. Simon says “paddle three strokes on the right”. Try to keep eliminating the canoes until you have a clear winner. o Skill learned-you can test numerous skills with this game, including paddling ability, parts of the canoe, etc o Precautions-know their abilities before they play, to ensure you can give appropriate challenges
Tug of war-one rope for every two canoes. The two canoes face each other. The two front people hold the rope while the others try to back paddle. They must make it past a marked point. o Materials-rope for every two canoes o Skill learned-team work, back paddling o Precautions-tips!
Steal the Flag-each canoe has one flag placed on it in either the front or the back, and two extras. The other canoes try to take as many flags as they can. When one flag is taken replace it with another, until they are all out. The canoe with the most flags is the winner. o Materials-different colored flags o Skill learned-maneuvering o Precautions-tipping when reaching
Basketball-two teams with the same number of canoes, one canoe on each team is the “basket”. They have to try and get as many balls into that canoe during the allotted time. The canoe with the most balls in it loses. You are only allowed to throw the ball with your hands, NOT the paddle. o Material-balls o Skill learned-maneuvering o Precautions-tipping