Saturday, June 25, 2016

Summer Camp is a Rewarding Experience for Kids

How Day Camps Can Be A Positive Influence in Youth Development

Whenever I walk past cheerful kids playing, my mind goes back to ages ago when I was young. I can still remember the laughter, cheers and the wonderful experiences I had when I used to attend summer camps during school breaks.. I reminisce about the awesome swimming programs I attended and how I was able to overcome ‘pool phobia'. To date, I've never regretted having spent my time in summer camps; if anything I wish I could turn back time.  Summer camp is one of the most gratifying experiences you can give your child.

Here are some of the reasons your child will benefit from attending summer camps:

Build skills

With so many activities going on kids are challenged to step out of their comfort zones and seek to identify their talents. They are guided by well-trained and qualified personnel who offer guidance and motivation. Children at camp have a broad range of activities to choose from such as sports, swimming, adventure, science, rocketry, adventure, etc. Each day the campers are introduced to new skills that help to shape their future. For instance, the swimming programs for kids are well tailored to equip them with all the basics they require to become excellent swimmers in the future.

Impart confidence

It's frustrating that in our world today, many kids spend the best part of their holidays behind laptops and on games that only inhibits them from daily exercise and real life social interaction. At Day Camps children are exposed to real life challenges that help them confront their fears. In swimming programs, for example, the instructors are well aware that some kids are afraid of water and therefore assist them to deal with that fear before getting into the water. Climbing high heights, winning competitions and doing incredible things serve as a motivation and source of confidence for the kids.

Friendships

One of the best aspects of enrolling in a summer camp is creating bonds with people who may later be beneficial to your life. Campers come from different areas and therefore there is much to share amongst the group members. They also learn one or two things regarding certain people or things and become more exposed to the world.

Build character

Apart from having fun, the kids are taught values such as honesty, dignity, hard work, diligence, respect, and responsibility. All these benefits go on to building wholesome personality in these kids. The kids are also motivated to emulate those key figures in the society who have excelled in character.

Physical exercise

Campers are engaged in many outdoor activities that help them exercise. Some of these activities include hiking, jumping, sports and running. Also enrolling in swimming programs for kids not only gives a child a chance to have fun but also provides him/her time to do exercises which are vital to his/her health. The best part of it is that all this happens when they are having fun!

Zodiac Day camps are ready for Summer 2016 and apart from introducing new fun activities this year it has also continued to provide first class swimming programs at the Zodiac swim school. The swimming programs for kids offered here are the kind that your child will love to be part of. Enroll your child for summer 2016 at Zodiac Day camp and let him or her be part of an incredible experience and long lasting memories!

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Swimming For Fitness: Living Healthy


When it comes to fitness, everyone tends to think of hitting the gym or doing yoga to maintain a healthy body. There are so many options out there and swimming is an excellent choice to keep fit by having fun. Swimming is an exercise which helps you shed weight really fast. It also boosts your metabolism and strengthens the muscles of your body. If you want a total body workout, go outside and dive into a pool.
Since people are becoming more and more health conscious every day, they will go to any level to make their body look and act healthy and perfect. The swimming clubs nowadays have a variety of  swimming programs to make it more convenient for people with their busy schedules to attend.
What are the some of the health benefits of swimming?  Why should you sign up for  different swimming programs? Here are some answers to those questions:
1.       Swimming is an excellent Core workout and helps to strengthen the muscles in your legs and the shoulders. When you are in the water, there is a  resistance which requires more force to move your body forward. As a result, this force works on all your muscles without really feeling the exhaustion from working out.
2.       Swimming is said to boost up the overall health of your heart. Swimming teaches breathing techniques  you have to learn to breathe deeply which will force your heart and lungs to take in more oxygen. Naturally this will strengthen the muscle of your heart.
3.       Swimming helps you to relax. This is one of the essential elements if you want to have a healthy body. You attain the same level of fitness as you can through workouts or weight training exercises. If you have overworked limbs or you are bored by sitting all day in your office chair, swimming can be a healthy break.
These are just a few reasons why swimming as an exercise is beneficial to your health. Doctors even prescribe swimming to people suffering from obesity, diabetes, and other ailments to put in their everyday routines.
There are many swimming programs out there, but the Red Cross Swim Levels is one of the most popular and all-inclusive programs. This is offered by the Red Cross Association spread over all continents. The objective of the Red Cross Swim Levels is to teach people how to be safe in the water with the obvious aim of promoting a fit body.
The Red Cross Swimming program is divided into various levels.
a.       In the first phase, students are introduced to water and how to enjoy floating freely and comfortably. They also learn to kick in the front and back under water along with some water safety rules.
b.      In the second phase, students learn the fundamental skills of swimming. They learn how to control their breath, how to step from the side in the chest-deep water and come out in a vertical position, back crawling arm action and much more.
c.       The third phrase deals with stroke readiness. It deals with tasks like retrieving objects, swimming underwater, safe diving rules, jumping into the water and wearing life jackets etc.
d.      In the next level, swimmers learn tactics like floating, deep water bobbing, the breaststroke, rhythmic breathing etc.
e.      The next level swimming programs focus on alternate breathing, front and back crawl, underwater swimming, racing dives, butterfly, front crawl with a flip turn, breaststroke with open and speed turn and many others.
These are the comprehensive swimming training provided by The Red Cross Swim Levels which not only shapes your body but teaches you everything about being safe in the water.

Zodiac swim school offers a variety of swimming programs that strictly abide to the Red Cross Swim Levels standards. For more information, click here.

Friday, June 3, 2016

Social Accomplishment in Children's Camps

It is common to find that most children nowadays are burned out from the overuse of gadgets and technology around them. They have endless amounts of information being crammed into their brains at any given moment. They are always studying and reading, both in school and at home. This provides them less time for social interaction and emotional development.
Day Camps for kids are always an invaluable experience and many parents know that camping offers many activities for self-growth.
There are several ways for the child to improve physically and mentally. When going to day camps, the child is able to appreciate the nature around him or her. Various experts of any field would say that giving time to being outside for a few hours every day provides numerous advantages for people of any age.
When children interact with the outdoors, they are always given a chance to appreciate the wonder of nature. Being outside means they will know the importance of the world around them. Being in different situations also allows them to think creatively, and this kind of knowledge can be brought into the classroom, where they will be able to show off their new skills.
Being away from the screen for a while also provides beneficial results for children. They are able to use energy on physical activity, and at the same time they are interacting with children their own age. Digital communication cannot completely replace social interaction. Most children nowadays are socially unsuccessful, due to the fact that they lack face-to-face interaction. Nonverbal cues and messages fly over their heads completely. When they go to day camps, they will be able to exercise these mental muscles and hopefully make a few good friends along the way.
Being active also means that they will lose weight and feel better about their bodies. They will also be more capable of performing physical tasks for the house and for school. They will be able to have the chance to play outside without any gadgets, so their full attention will be focused on feeling the air around them.
Children create growing social connections while they are at day camp. They report accomplishing several levels of emotional growth after their activities and they are able to communicate better with their peers.
At day camps children learn how to deal with people from all ages with the support of other campers their age. Camp also introduces them to teachers and counsellors who can provide valuable life lessons that they will carry with them as they continue to mature.
Having accomplishments also means that the child will be happier and less grumpy. This allows them to become a better friend and companion.
All these benefits don't stop the minute they leave camp. Children don't leave knowledge and abilities behind when they are done with learning. They will be able to take this information with them when they go through many different stages of life. They will keep the friends they have made at camp, and they will be able to know how to deal with new social situations.

You can check out an excellent option for Toronto day campshttp://www.zodiackids.ca/zodiac-kids-toronto-day-camp/summer-day-camps/ here:  http://www.zodiackids.ca/. Their website offers options of day camps for all ages. Try out their outdoor programs for your child.