Splash! (1972)

uh [Music] oh wet splashing dripping water all children love to play in it and for the mentally and severely handicapped it can become an invaluable learning tool these children are multiply handicapped and are so severely that they cannot fit into a program for the trainable experiencing water through feeling and seeing its consequences helps to hold the child's attention simple objects can be used to arouse curiosity letting the children experience the use of limbs and senses very often the multiply handicapped need to develop arm muscles in order to push their wheelchairs watering flowers is fun and as the child gains strength more water can be added to the container to increase its weight [Music] many schools have found small portable wading pools inexpensive and versatile when a waiting area is not available sharin finds that water adds a new dimension to grasping giving children an opportunity to experience new environments and become totally involved allows them to grow in ability the versatility of water permits freedom to create without the need for expensive equipment these children with water as a stimulator can learn simple concepts such as counting chips and commands like touch hold and put [Music] water looking can be beautiful [Music] [Music] good girl good girl yeah can you fill the bucket with water put some water in the bucket dip and fill dip and fill [Music] good let's do another one let's do this one okay push it through let me help you hold the button push it through good now let's get this one up here okay let me get it halfway through for you over here here push it through good barry very good job i like the way you did that that's a good job very very good good boy very good you take the other one off for me good barry very good i like that oh you could do that just fine okay let me see you take your socks off for me [Music] good very good self-help skills such as dressing are usually an integral part of curricula for the trainable water involvement provides an excellent opportunity for teaching these skills in a natural setting undressing proceeding from the end of the task and working backwards helps to provide the child with immediate success the satisfaction of completing the task helps to eliminate feelings of failure [Music] it will save many hours of the teacher's time to teach these skills so that the child will be independent during the dressing process the teacher will then be free to work with others [Music] praise serves as an immediate reward while the water activity soon to come affords an overall motivation for learning how does a towel feel after completion of a water learning session the child's motivation is high dressing involves the same concepts as undressing starting from the final part of a task the child learns tactually the steps to complete it and is assured success the task can be made progressively more difficult until the child is dressing entirely alone the goal in water learning is to utilize its every facet as a learning tool if swimming results it is an extra benefit one of the first steps in a water program for the trainable is to teach the children to listen to commands simple commands such as go and stop can be taught at the edge of the pool a good way to get wet is to splash a ball recovering balance in the water is an essential safety skill and confidence builder conditioning children to stop to a whistleblast enhances auditory perception in addition to being a good safety measure while the children are batting at colorful balloons they are practicing eye-hand coordination and recovering balance this form of auditory discrimination aids in developing finger awareness a future byproduct could be that the child will know how to position his hands for swimming [Music] foreign another form of auditory discrimination is musical hula hoops when the music stops it's time to duck under children will get their faces wet without another thought trying to win the game [Music] not every child has to be in the pool simple activities can hold attention and incorporate learning [Music] clinton likes to see the water splash competition adds variety and excitement strength and muscle control can come from simple games [Music] oh [Music] match the colors balls and hoops visual discrimination with a difference water learning can be taught through movement exploration an approach to teaching in which the child is encouraged to problem-solve in how many different ways can you get in and out of the pool each child finds a solution suitable to his strength endurance kinesthetic awareness and inventiveness [Music] [Music] props such as a suspended rope add another dimension to the possible solutions oh [Music] as an environment provides great opportunities for kinesthetic awareness and development how many things can you do as you go from one side of the pool to the other the child can feel what it is like to move backwards be inverted or change directions in a semi-suspended state underwater dressing inspires more advanced forms of manipulation and balance very good children begin to reach out and find out what is new and fun for them [Music] as children advance in skills water becomes a second environment their confidence and desire to explore open new vistas of learning [Music] moving underwater developing coordination perception of shapes and colors these areas and more can be developed in ways not available in a classroom learning becomes self-motivating as the children advance and have mastered their basic commands they can explore further their water universe now they can be directed to find specific objects or related pairs developing auditory and visual acuity and memory as well as the ability to control one's body in an unusual situation very good excellent job language development is an essential part of the curriculum for the trainable mentally blowing into tubes requires the child to take deep breaths and expel them forcefully the fun of blowing bubbles is an incentive for building lawn control take a breath and blow take a breath and blow now without the tube take a breath flow after the child has mastered breath control it is easy to lead him into a natural position for swimming [Music] [Music] wooden hand paddles provide resistance in the water and build arm muscle and control strength and the skills needed for swimming can result from water learning activities [Music] water activities are excellent motivators and reinforcers and are a good medium for teaching skills normally taught in the classroom they are useful in developing discrimination and memory both auditory and visual and for getting attention so important for all learning water is versatile allowing the teacher to use his imagination and creativity [Music] evaluation is an essential part of a water learning program and newly acquired behaviors are easily observable [Music] water environment is the natural place to teach self-help behaviors such as dressing undressing drying bathing and shampooing of hair water learning is exciting and important in the curriculum for the mentally and physically handicapped let handicapped children explore with water in a pan in a sprinkler or in a pool it is fun to splash oh