Swimming With Dolphins

Depressed? Swim with dolphins

swimming holiday with dolphins

Taking a dip with dolphins can be a tremendous therapy for people with depression according to a study published on Saturday in the weekly British Medical Journal (BMJ).

Nature lovers – biophiles to give them their scientific name – have long argued that interaction with animals can soothe a troubled mind but this claim has always been anecdotal lacking the scientific data to back it up.

Seeking to find out more psychiatrists Christian Antonioli and Michael Reveley at Britain’s University of Leicester recruited 30 people in the United States and Honduras who had been diagnosed with mild or moderate depression.

The severity of their symptoms was calculated according to established yardsticks for mental health the Hamilton and Beck scales which are based on interviews and questionnaires with the patient.

No antidepressants

The volunteers were required to stop taking any antidepressant drugs and psychotherapy for four weeks.

Half of the group was then randomly selected to play snorkel and take care of dolphins each day at an institute for marine sciences in Honduras.

The other half was assigned to a program of outdoor activities also at the institute that included swimming and snorkelling at a coral reef but without the dolphins.

Two weeks later both groups had improved but especially so among patients who had been swimming with the dolphins.

Measurable symptoms of depression in the dolphin group had fallen by half and by two-thirds according to the two scales – twice as much as in the non-dolphin group.

In addition a self-rating measurement of anxiety symptoms the Zung scale found a fall of more than 20% among the dolphin group compared with a decline of 11% among the non-dolphin groups.

“To the best of our knowledge this is the first randomised single blind controlled trial of animal-facilitated therapy with dolphins ” say Antonioli and Reveley.

“The effects exerted by the animals were significantly greater than those of just the natural setting. The echolocation system the aesthetic value and the emotions raised by the interaction with dolphins may explain the mammals’ healing properties.”

Swim with the Dolphins

Wild and Free Dolphins

Swimming with dolphins – what you need to know

Preparing your Child for Swimming

If you have ever seen a baby introduced to swimming, then you will know that being in water is natural and instinctive to human beings. However, it’s very easy to become fearful about water, and rightly so. A child can drown in 20 seconds. So making sure that your child can swim is not only crucial to help keep them safe, but is something you can have fun with. So read on to find out how to build confidence in your child, to prepare them for lessons with a qualified instructor.

The Correct Age for Swimming Lessons

Most babies will take to water very easily, and have a natural reflex to hold their breath under water before around six months. To actually introduce your child to formal lessons or teach swimming strokes, however, your child will need to be at least three years old.

First Steps for Children

To prepare your child for lessons and help them feel comfortable in the water, the main thing to do initially is to get your child used to the water. Never just take your child to a pool, take them out of their depth, let go and tell them to swim. Your child will not only panic, but be in danger.

You can try these simple techniques to help them feel happy in the pool:

  • Hold securely onto your child and glide them through the water
  • Play a splashing game – so they get used to water on their face and in their eyes
  • Practice blowing bubbles in the water, this will teach them importance of not breathing water in, and encourage them to move onto the next step of putting their face in the water.
  • Once they are happy to put their face in the water, you can encourage them to open their eyes. If it stings and they don’t like it, then add goggles to their swimming kit. Helping your child to feel happy with water on their face is a crucial part of taking the fear out of swimming.
  • Sit on the side with your child and show them how to move their legs in the water pointing their toes.
  • Never force your child to go further than they want to. Always make it fun, be positive and stay patient. Not all children adapt to water at the same pace…some are true water babies whilst others will struggle.
  • Always praise your child for their achievements in the pool.

Choosing Swimming Lessons

Once your child is happy to be in the water, then you can research swimming lessons.

You should always feel happy about the instruction your child receives, so always ask these questions first.

  • Will the instructor be in the pool with the children?
  • How many children are in the group? More than ten children to one instructor isn’t advisable.
  • Is my child assessed first?
  • Is the instructor qualified to ASA/UKCC Level 2 and CRB checked? They should also hold a current Lifesavers National Pool Lifeguard qualification/equivalent rescue qualification.

If you’re unsure, check with ASA, who regulate swimming tutors for more advice.

Learn to Swim Award

ROCHESTER GIRL CHOSEN FROM THOUSANDS TO WIN SWIMMING AWARD.

Zoe Bartlett is making a splash after earning a top award to mark her outstanding achievement in the water.

The seven year old from Rochester, had a major fear of water but this has not stopped her learning to swim.

Now her courage and perseverance have paid off and she is riding on the crest of a wave after she was presented with a Southern Water Learn to Swim Achiever of the Year award.

The successful youngster was one of fifty winners from amongst the 35,000 children taking part across the region. The awards are given to children who have shown great courage in overcoming particular difficulties or for their exceptional performance.

Zoe’s swimming instructor at Strood Sports Centre, Maureen Welsh said: “Zoe was extremely frightened of the water and was terrified of getting her face wet. She would not join in with the rest of the class, but fortunately she never gave up. With great courage and perseverance she has now overcome her fears and can swim and go under water. She is a very worthy winner of the award.”

Zoe was treated to a visit by the Learn to Swim scheme mascot Ollie the Otter, who dropped in to help her celebrate her success.

Nigel Smetham, Southern Water’s Water Manager presented the youngster with a bag of goodies, which included a sports watch, at a special ceremony at Maidstone Leisure Centre.

Mr Smetham said: “This is a tremendous occasion for these children. They have proved themselves in many different ways and made enormous achievements on the Learn to Swim scheme.

To win these awards is extremely significant because the youngsters have been selected from 35,000 children who were taught on the scheme last year.

We are pleased to be able to contribute to the community by helping children learn a very valuable life skill, as well as enabling them to reach their fullest potential.”

The scheme, now in its tenth year, teaches children from 4-12 year-olds and is sponsored by Southern Water. It is run in consultation with the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA).

 

 

Diving Lessons Learn to Swim Swimming Lessons Teach Baby to Swim

 

 

Toddler Drowning

Toddler drowning in domestic swimming pools

Australia

Aims To identify how toddlers who drowned gained access to private swimming pools; to recommend preventive strategies to reduce the incidence of toddler drowning and near drowning.

Method The study reviewed critically all completed investigations into the drowning deaths of toddlers aged 1–4 years reported to the state coroner (n=33) as a result of unintentional submersion incidents in domestic swimming pools in Victoria, Australia,from 1 January 1992 to 31 December 1997.

Results   There was a predominance of 1 year olds, and boys.Forty six per cent of the children drowned in the three summer months. The majority of pools were in-ground; most were located on the child’s home property. Over half the pools lacked fencing of any kind; of those that did have fences, only three appear to have met Australian standards.

Conclusions  More than half of the children studied drowned in unfenced pools and spas. In not one case did a child gain unaided access to a pool fitted with a fully functional gate and fence that met the Australian standard. Where children gained access to fenced pools, the majority did so via faulty or inadequate gates, or through gates that were propped open. This finding highlights the need for pool owners to install Australian standard approved fences and gates, and to maintain existing fences and gates regularly. Door locks and supervision were inadequate primary prevention strategies.

 

Learn to Dance Salsa

Learn to Dance Salsa

Salsa is not easily defined. Who invented salsa? The Cubans, Puerto Ricans? Salsa is a distillation of many Latin and Afro-Caribbean dances. Each played a large part in its evolution.

Polite Notice: If we have details for classes in your area they will be listed at Learn to Dance Directory or in the adverts. We are only directly involved in running classes for those looking to Learn to Dance Salsa in Woodville, Swadlincote, although Kevin also teaches in Birmingham. Please do not contact Kevin for outside these areas. He cannot help.

dance teachers

This is an excellent website devoted to dancing with some excellent information for beginners who want to learn to dance. Basic membership is FREE, and it enables you to view more dances and videos. Members can also post classified ads and post messages to the message boards.


Contemporary Dance: Contemporary dance is a highly complicated type of modern performance dance that originated in the mid-20th century as an alternative to classical dance styles (such as ballet), modern styles (free dance) and Jazz dance. Its focus on free leg movement, strong stress on the torso, disordered choreography, unpredictability, multiple and simultaneous actions, improvisation, and non-standardized costumes, sets, and lighting has pushed this dance into the forefront of modern art dance scene.

Learn to Dance with Kevin

Allcotts Dance Centre

Private Lessons Woodville, Swadlincote

DWM: DWM is also known as Dance with Madhuri is a latest free dancing apps developed by RnM Moving Pictures for both android and iOS users. It has listed most popular moves of Madhuri dixit and other dancing celebrities. It is free and easy to use app which can be used by anyone, anywhere and anytime to learn dance for free. DWM provides option to learn various dance styles from the best teachers in best way. One of the best feature of this app is to allows to upload your dancing videos to exhibit your talents to other users.

Learn to Dance Viennese Waltz

Learn to Dance Viennese Waltz

The dance became very popular in Vienna, with large dance halls being opened to accommodate the craze. In 1812 the dance was introduced into England under the name of the German Waltz and it caused a great sensation. Through the 19th Century, the danced stabilized, and was further popularized by the music of Josef and Johann Strauss. Currently, the Viennese Waltz is danced at a tempo of about 180 beats per minute, with a limited range of figures: change steps, hesitations, hovers, passing changes, natural and reverse turns, (traveling or on the spot as Fleckers), and the contra check.

Polite Notice: If we have details for classes in your area they will be listed at Learn to Dance Directory or in the adverts. We are only directly involved in running classes for those looking to Learn to Dance Viennese Waltz in Woodville, Swadlincote, although Kevin also teaches in Birmingham. Please do not contact Kevin for outside these areas. He cannot help.

dance tuition

This is an excellent website devoted to dancing with some excellent information for beginners who want to learn to dance. Basic membership is FREE, and it enables you to view more dances and videos. Members can also post classified ads and post messages to the message boards.


Concert Dance: Concert dance (also known as stage dance) is any choreographed dance that is performed for an audience, usually at the theatre or an organized gathering setting with the presence of set music. It is a polar opposite of social or participation dances, where participants can freely dance how and when they wish. Most popular concert dances are Ballet, Acrobatic dance, tap dance, modern dance, classical Indian or Persian dances and others.

Learn to Dance with Kevin

Allcotts Dance Centre

Private Lessons Woodville, Swadlincote

Animate Yourself 3D: Animate Yourself 3D is a unique dancing video maker app for iOS users which let you to be director for free. You can easily make a dancing video on your iOS device for free. It has its own specific feature which helps you to make a different dancing video from others. Easily choose characters, costumes, background, dance genres and other from its collection and make a video. You can also add some crazy words on your video for fun and save or share it with your friends.

Learn to Dance Viennese Waltz American Style

Learn to Dance Viennese Waltz American Style

The dance became very popular in Vienna, with large dance halls being opened to accommodate the craze. In 1812 the dance was introduced into England under the name of the German Waltz and it caused a great sensation. Through the 19th Century, the danced stabilized, and was further popularized by the music of Josef and Johann Strauss. Currently, the Viennese Waltz is danced at a tempo of about 180 beats per minute, with a limited range of figures: change steps, hesitations, hovers, passing changes, natural and reverse turns, (traveling or on the spot as Fleckers), and the contra check.

Polite Notice: If we have details for classes in your area they will be listed at Learn to Dance Directory or in the adverts. We are only directly involved in running classes for those looking to Learn to Dance Viennese Waltz American Style in Woodville, Swadlincote, although Kevin also teaches in Birmingham. Please do not contact Kevin for outside these areas. He cannot help.

dance tuition

This is an excellent website devoted to dancing with some excellent information for beginners who want to learn to dance. Basic membership is FREE, and it enables you to view more dances and videos. Members can also post classified ads and post messages to the message boards.


Tap Dance: In this dance form, one needs to tap the shoes on the wooden floor. The shoes are made up of a metallic sole on the heel and the toe facilitating the tapping sound. The two well-known tap dance types are Broadway tap and Rhythmic tap. Tap dancing is also done in Cappella style in which performers need to perform on music created from tapping.

Learn to Dance with Kevin

Allcotts Dance Centre

Private Lessons Woodville, Swadlincote

Dancing elf: Dancing elf is one of the best free dancing app for those who think they cant dance easily. You can easily click your photo from your phone and upload it on this app the app will generate a custom funny video. It is fully fun and easy to use dancing app for android and iOS users. Along with the video and photo you can also add some funny text for your video and share it online.

Learn to Dance Rumba

Learn to Dance Rumba

The Rumba, widely considered the most romantic and sensual of the Latin dances, has a magnetic interplay between its partners. Sometimes called the Grandfather of the Latin dances, the Rumba made its way from Cuba to the United States in the early 1920’s. Rumba music is in 4/4 time and there are four beats in each measure. Two measures of music are required for a full basic step. In four beats of music, three steps are taken. Essential to Rumba is the Cuban motion achieved through knee-straightening, figure-eight hip rolls and swiveling action of the feet. Strong and direct walks lead by the ball of the foot are also characteristic of the Rumba.

Polite Notice: If we have details for classes in your area they will be listed at Learn to Dance Directory or in the adverts. We are only directly involved in running classes for those looking to Learn to Dance Rumba in Woodville, Swadlincote, although Kevin also teaches in Birmingham. Please do not contact Kevin for outside these areas. He cannot help.

dancing

This is an excellent website devoted to dancing with some excellent information for beginners who want to learn to dance. Basic membership is FREE, and it enables you to view more dances and videos. Members can also post classified ads and post messages to the message boards.


Latin Dance: Latin dance involves two partners and resembles a ballroom dance. It originated in Latin America. The social Latin dance in International dance includes the rumba, samba etc. The history of Latin dance dates back to the fifteenth century when indigenous dances were first recorded by Europeans. Their dance form is deeply rooted in history and is a must watch entertainer.

Learn to Dance with Kevin

Allcotts Dance Centre

Private Lessons Woodville, Swadlincote

YouDANCE Online: YouDANCE Online is one more large platform for dancers. If you’re a professional, you’ll be able to take advantage of this platform to showcase your expertise and likewise make your work worthwhile by serving to individuals grasp their dancing expertise. As a pupil, you’ve a large library of movies to discover. To guarantee you’ll be able to shortly entry your whole favourite movies, the app permits you to create a Wishlist of all of the cool dance movies. With the score system at hand, it’s a lot simpler to seek out the movies that may meet your demand. Even higher, you can even obtain movies to meet up with them at your individual tempo with out having to fret in regards to the web connection. But consider, unlocking all of the goodies would require you to spend some bucks.

Learn to Dance Rumba American Style

Learn to Dance Rumba American Style

The Rumba, widely considered the most romantic and sensual of the Latin dances, has a magnetic interplay between its partners. Sometimes called the Grandfather of the Latin dances, the Rumba made its way from Cuba to the United States in the early 1920’s. Rumba music is in 4/4 time and there are four beats in each measure. Two measures of music are required for a full basic step. In four beats of music, three steps are taken. Essential to Rumba is the Cuban motion achieved through knee-straightening, figure-eight hip rolls and swiveling action of the feet. Strong and direct walks lead by the ball of the foot are also characteristic of the Rumba.

Polite Notice: If we have details for classes in your area they will be listed at Learn to Dance Directory or in the adverts. We are only directly involved in running classes for those looking to Learn to Dance Rumba American Style in Woodville, Swadlincote, although Kevin also teaches in Birmingham. Please do not contact Kevin for outside these areas. He cannot help.

dance teachers

This is an excellent website devoted to dancing with some excellent information for beginners who want to learn to dance. Basic membership is FREE, and it enables you to view more dances and videos. Members can also post classified ads and post messages to the message boards.


Tap Dance: This extremely popular form of dance was first introduced during 1920s Prohibition era in United States. Originally created by the African slaves, tap dancing came into the mainstream with the performances of Nicholas brothers. Few short years later, tap dancing conquered Hollywood and then entire world. Instead of focusing on body movements and dancing with a partner, tap dance is characterized by the creation of percussion-like musically-focused rhythm performance using tap shoes striking on the floor in accordance with the dancing music.

Learn to Dance with Kevin

Allcotts Dance Centre

Private Lessons Woodville, Swadlincote

Animate Me: Animate Me is a popular app which let you to be a music and video director for free. It is a free dance video maker app for both android and iOS users. You can easily use and control everything to make a dance video on your phone. It has listed different body characters so that you can easily make a dance video. Easily record dance moves, edit skin color that matches the faces you use. It also allows you to share your dance video via social networks.