Hey guys welcome back Before we get in to this, we are not swim
instructors and this is not an instructional video.
We set ourselves a 7 day swimming challenge when Arlo was crazy inspired by Calihan from
the Bucket List Family.
If you haven't already, go and check out their channel.
We share so many values about the ocean and just like them, we want to be ready for anything!
We live on a tiny remote island on the longest salt water lagoon in the world.
On any given day we may encounter turtles, sharks, manta rays, whale sharks, even orcas.
The skills that we are teaching the kids are guided by information we have been given and
adapted to our environment as best we can.
Obviously, we don't have a swimming pool with a teacher so things are very different
for us.
If you have access to a swimming instructor then swimming lessons for your little one is a
great place to start.
Our entire world is connected to the ocean.
Ophelia and Arlo have both been swimming in salt water since they were 2 months old, so
it's really important to us that they learn how to be safe in the water, they learn their
own limitations but mostly that they develop a sense of wonder for what lies
beneath the surface.
Okay, this was our 7 day swimming lesson challenge and here's what happened!
These swimming lessons will start at precisely half past a freckle, quarter to the hair.
Ha ha We have our swimming cards.
Arlo are you paying attention?
[Jase] Arlo.
[Katie] *Laughing* [Katie Voiceover] Arlo and Ophelia have different
strengths when it comes to the water.
So this challenge was all about embracing those, building on them and striving towards
goals that ultimately give them more confidence in the water.
Aww cuddles
For Ophelia, this started with wearing her goggles, to increase the time she could comfortably
be under water.
She's quite fearless so we knew that once she got comfortable wearing goggles she would
excel very quickly.
On the other hand, teaching her to follow prompts and know her limitations is quite
a challenge.
Ready set.. *Arlo crying*
For Arlo, we needed to build his confidence and show him that he could trust us.
He's a determined little guy but before he builds his confidence he can be quite resistant
to trying new things.
Okay, I'm going to hold you and we can do some kicking.
Kick kick kick.
You going to give it a go?
We always follow his lead and respect his boundaries while gently reminding him of the
skills we are working towards.
Ready, set go down and kick kick kick.
Take a breath.
Good boy, face down.
Kick kick kick.
Go Arlo go.
1, 2, 3 go.. kick kick kick.
Kick kick kick kick.
Ready go - kick kick kick
*Screaming yeahhh* You did it!
You did it!
What are we doing here guys?
We are checking off some of the skills we did today.
And, you get to chose a sticker.
Setting goals for the lessons really motivated Arlo and kept us on track with what we hoped
to achieve for the week.
Kivili Deck!
Day 2 of the swimming lessons, what are we practicing?
Swimming between two people.
Woahhh Are you ready?
Yeah.
Let's go.
It wasn't without any hiccups but on day 2, Arlo suddenly found his confidence and there
was no stopping him.
In classic Filly fashion, her determination to keep up with Arlo meant that her goggles
were now impossible to take off.
At this point, we allowed curiosity to take over.
It was already about the experience, not just the skills.
With each inquisitive dive we found creative ways to develop their skills like swimming
a little bit further or diving a little bit deeper.
Day three!
Good kicking Filly.
Paddle kick, paddle kick.
Big kicks Filly.
*Filly crying*
4th one
[Jase] 4th one, Yay!
Mirri and I are taking the swimming lesson today.
Clap, clap - Yay!
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Wooohooo *Cheering*
Teaching your own kids to swim is a huge deal but at this point Jase and I were loving the
lesson so much, the hardest part was actually getting us all out of the water.
Today is Day 5 of our swimming lessons, isn't it.
[Jase] Day 5 of the 7 day challenge, hey.
Yeah. And the kids have been doing way better than I expected.
I knew that they would do really well but I've just been blown away by how quickly we've
achieved some of these skills.
Are you feeling brave Arlo?
Yeah?
I think you're feeling pretty brave.
You've been doing some pretty brave swimming skills.
Yeah.
We may not have a swimming pool that doesn't sting your eyes like salt water, but we sure
do have an epic location to learn to swim.
The most exciting thing about these swimming lessons is the endless coral reef we are yet
to explore with the kids as their confidence grows.
I must admit, this challenge really forced us to get in the water, first thing, every
day.
And damn it feels good.
I was beginning to wonder who was really getting the most out of these lessons.
[Jase] What are you going to do during your swimming lesson.
Brave.
Brave?
Brave - good girl
Who was your inspiration for learning to swim properly?
Calihan.
Awww
[Katie] Okay Jump!
[Katie] Toes on the edge. Ready. Go!
3, and go!
These are the students.
Very nice.
Welcome.
This is Arlo Hamilton Kelly.
Next, Ophelia Maeve Kelly.
And this is May-Rose Maeri.
Yay *clapping*
Okay there you go
Big clap for Arlo Yay!
*Clapping*
[Grandmama on FaceTime] Yes Filly is a very clever girl.
The award ceremony was super cute and important for us to feel like our kids aren't missing
out on anything in life.
You know, remote island and all.
But the true reward was taking our Little Fish and Swimming Squid to a 40m drop off
the next day to explore this incredible underwater environment we have right here on our doorstep.