Swim Lab takes on Canada! What did we get up to? Next visit for disABILITY Development will be in: Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, Toronto, Niagara and Vancouver

Wow what a busy 3 weeks we had over the pond in Canada. Week 1 consisted of a disABILITY DEVELOPMENT week in stunning Montreal. For us this trip was the gateway to our future partnerships in America.

We set out from Lanzarote after a very busy summer of camps and disABILITY DEVELOPMENT weeks in our favorite island in the world. First stop landing in Madrid with an over night stay before flying direct to Montreal.

Unsure of what clothes we should take with us because following a lot of research the weather apparently changes in September and from one day to the next it can plummet! After a fairly quick flight we arrived passed through customs and immigration to be met by our host for our Canadian trip Ricardo.

We spend the next 5 days working and networking with a fantastic group of kids. Unfortunately due to Canadian laws we had been unable to take video and photographs during our sessions as they had been conducted in public facilities and unless we had consent from all users of the center.

Regardless of that we had a fantastic time working with each of the kids and their families ranging from muscular dystrophy to cerebral palsy. One thing I wasn’t so sure on was coping with was the dual language spoken in Montreal. This however was not something that followed through the other areas we visited.

The pools we used had fantastic facilities and we cannot wait to return again next year to expand and offer more families assistance.

After our training week we spent the next 2 weeks working with our host to source, build relationships and network in order to deliver our next disABILITY development weeks in 2019.

We went to Quebec City, Ottawa, Toronto and Niagara. The reason we selected each of these locations was to source pools that would work for us to deliver our weeks. This is actually a lot harder than it sounds. In each and every place we ever work we have to make sure that the facilities are adaptable, accommodating and most of all have the support of the management teams. Thankfully we found facilities that suited our needs which mean in 2019/2020 we will be bringing further weeks to these cities.

The only side of Canada for us yet to visit will be Vancouver which will be on our next visit. We are in the process of putting together our schedules to be released along with our new website.

We are extremely excited to be building a team over in Canada who can assist us with our planning and execution of new and exciting weeks.

Whilst in Canada we got to visit many local attractions including the CN tower in Toronto where we had dinner, the Parliament buildings in Ottawa which we had a tour inside and climbed the bell tower.

One of our favorites was our hotel in Niagara which we stayed in on the top floor. On the 31st floor, stepping into our room which we never wanted to leave! Luckily for us we will be back as this has been planned as our location in Niagara due to the suitable facilities along with the proximity to the USA boarder meaning we can accept clients from the USA on our future dates.

Needless to say visiting Canada will not be the last time that we visit. We cannot wait to share with you our exciting plans for the future dates.

If you would like to register your interest then please complete the form below and we will be in contact with you as soon as our availability is launched.

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Fancy some Winter Sun in 2018! We have released last minute dates with some amazing offers for flights and accommodation for private disABILITY development weeks.

 

 

We are constantly asked if we can find any additional availability for private disABILITY Development weeks. We have been trying our best to see if we can make any last minute availability for 2018.

 

 

We have searched through all our availability and looking for opportunities to squeeze in just one more client. Below are the late entries. Julie at Camel Travel is already set and ready to go to find deals for you on accommodation and flights.

If you are interested in any of these dates, please get in touch as soon as possible and see if we can make it happen for you. If you want to read about what is included in a disABILITY Development week, please follow the link here.

Or if you wish to read up on what recent clients have had to say about us follow the link here.

 

 

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1-8 November 2018 19-27 November 2018

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*course fees are to be paid at time of booking to confirm slots and no refunds are issued.

If you are interested in our additional availability for 2019 then please click here.

Cerebral Palsy Swim Camp August 2018 Write Up Day Six

Our final day on our August 2018 Cerebral Palsy Swim Camp, what a week we have had. The week was filled with lots of interesting new activities and challenges for each kid to achieve. The week consisted of 2 Fit Lab training sessions per day. Typically starting at 9 or 10am followed by a Swim Lab session. After breaking for a much deserved lunch break we return for another Fit Lab session before returning to the pool for the final time.

During our final Fit Lab sessions we decided that we would use our boxing skills learnt from the previous day but this time with the full kit! Punch bag, gloves the lots… Sneakily we had the kids holding the punch bag for each other. With every strike the bag moves so you have to use your core muscles to remain standing in the same spot.

Jab, Cross, Upper cut and hook are the 4 main strikes we focussed on during our session. We did not want to spend much time in the gloves as we preferred to get the technique right without and combine the strikes with the correct foot work.

During our first swim session we looked at tightening up all the skills we had learnt throughout the week. As you may have noticed, we did not get many pictures during pool sessions and that is because safety is always our highest priority and all hands are needed on deck! Literally…

After lunch we wanted to have some fun with the kids and get them working on creating a pattern of their choice on our designing boards. This task requires a lot of patience, control, skill and concentration. I don’t know about you but i think they made it look easy!

They only had 20 minutes to complete their task and this is the results: one created a sharks fin coming out of the waves. Another created a circular pattern mixing colours that they had to collect out of a big box filled with many tiny pieces. The final design was a heart shape with an outer ring of colour and filled with many tiny orange pieces to finish off. I was very impressed with the outcome and the level of skill each of them showed in completing the task.

Our final pool session finished with lots of games, using many parts of our body, lots of noodles and plenty of balance! We ended with a jumping session trying to touch our head, shoulders, knees and toes before we hit the water!

As we work with each of these boy throughout the year both in Lanzarote during private disABILITY Development sessions and also disABILITY Development weeks in London we know it wont be long before we see them again. In the meantime using personally written programmes through Kris and the team at Fit Lab Lanzarote which are sent on a weekly basis specific to the child needs. If you are interested in any of the programmes we deliver then please get in touch through the form below.

From all of us here at Swim Lab Lanzarote, we would like to thank the children, parents, Occidental Lanzarote Mar Hotel, Lifeguards, gym staff and everyone else behind the scenes in our office and also Camel Travel that makes these weeks possible. Now for the after shots!

Signing out… before we start it all again in the morning with more Cerebral Palsy weeks and disABILITY Development weeks.

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Check out our write ups from other days:

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Cerebral Palsy Swim Camp August 2018 Write Up Day Five

 

After a busy day at sea, everyone had been feeling a little tired this morning so we decided that this would be a perfect opportunity to review the past few days to see what improvements each of the kids has made.

We have specific targets which are set as part of our W-AVE programme. W-AVE is part of our mindset training that we deliver as part of every programme we deliver whether it be learn to swim, disABILITY development programmes, Advanced Video Analysis or Elite training. Each child works towards a defined set of clear goals which we set either verbally or as part of our coaching assessments. This gives us a clear focus to what we need to work on and how best to achieve set goals.

Needless to say this week the boys have been working extremely hard to achieve their W-AVE. Control, strength, stability, gait and stride, body positioning and use of certain muscles and functions throughout the day.

During the morning swim session we worked on speed, using different strokes with diving. Trying to beat previous times and set new records. Whilst we don’t always manage to beat the clock, he try extremely hard to deliver the best swims we can. That really is what matters. Winning isn’t always defined purely on times and this is something we try to help our clients accept.

During the afternoon sessions, Kris used our famous “Spider football” game which all kids love to play with us. Before playing we stretched to loosen off from our speed session in the pool.

Afterwards boxing, working on the basics before a much more in depth session during day six. 4 different types of punches and leg work, which for many clients with cerebral palsy this is hard to co-ordinate.

 

Check back for our final day, to see what we get up to rounding off a fantastic week. In the meantime if you missed the other days you can find them all below.

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Check out the updates from other days from our Cerebral Palsy Swim Camp:

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Six

Cerebral Palsy Swim Camp August 2018 – Day Three Write Up

Today we created a mini assault course in the gym. All of the skills we have been working on for the last few days combined together in a fun and exciting challenge.

Sometimes we get asked, how can you guys possible work as much as you do? The answer is simple, when it’s fun and you see all the improvements the kids make during every session, it doesn’t even feel like work!

What did our assault course entail?
1. Standing unaided on the balance board for 5 seconds
2. Side stepping up the ladder and the same on the way back down with the opposite leg leading
3. High knees over the bars on way keeping balance and correct gait
4. Kicking the football using only one leg between each of the cones. Repeating on the way back down with the opposite leg
5. Squats to organize the numbers 1-10 and placing them in their correct holes on the puzzle.
6. Walking forwards and sideways up the numbers ladder
7. 5 upward stretches with a football (ball has supported straps if needed)
8. 3 bars up climbing (hand, hand, foot, foot)
9. 3 bars downwards climbing (hand, hand, foot, foot)
10. Placing the blind fold over their eyes, crawling through the maze into the cube in which a teddy bear was hiding! Once they found the teddy bear they had to find their way back out again.
11. Using both hands arrange and stack in coloured sets of 3 wooden blocks for 5 layers
12. High knee strides back down the ladder to the finish

As a prize the winner could choose the game which we started to play during the afternoon session.

In the afternoon, the kids showed us how to complete the “stretching after swimming” routine from yesterday. This formed part of their homework but actually it was more about seeing how much of the information had been retained and it is surprising how much kids remembered. Even if they are not able to complete the exercise exactly as described themselves they can make sure I did it correctly!

During our pool sessions today we focused on “sprints” this morning and a skills session in the afternoon looking at diving and short distance swims. Everyone had so much fun, diving off the start blocks and working on using different muscles.

We are so proud of the work each of the kids have completed so far this week. Tomorrow will be the most enjoyable trip out for everyone. We are heading out to sea on a private boat. Tomorrow is our half day so whilst we set sail from the beautiful Puerto Calero Harbor, Kris will be delivering a stretch and relax session on our way towards the white sand beaches of Playa Papagayo. Once our crew drop anchor we will go for a swim around the boat and into the shore before returning to the boat to later go for a jet ski ride and lunch. The afternoon will be spent with all the families socializing and relaxing.

If we haven’t convinced you Lanzarote is the best place in the world for therapy, wait until tomorrow!

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Read about our other days here:

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Day Six

Cerebral Palsy Swim Week – August 2018 Day Two Write up

Another fantastic day of achievements here in Lanzarote. Today we focused our work on legs. Each client has their own complex difficulties which we look to address as we navigate through the week. However, one thing is for sure: each and every activity, task or challenge needs to be FUN!

We work tirelessly each and every week with all of our clients specifically tailoring our sessions to their specific needs. We do not like to put ourselves in a box and follow a strict guide line or what we should, shouldn’t or cannot do. There are many tasks which in general life kids with cerebral palsy find difficult or challenging. We focus our work on making small every day tasks possible with as little assistance as possible.

Lets take a look at some of our activities from todays programme. Kris works extremely hard to get the most out of his sessions. Creating games, devising routines and adapting activities to fit for each client. This morning we looked at “morning routines”. This set of exercises has been created to warm our body up, helping to pin point and focus on problem areas which hinder our abilities during the day.

After this we played a little game, as all of the clients during this week are able to walk, (this is not always the case on development weeks and that is factored into our activities). Being able to stand and move with support allowed us to focus on reducing tremors and heel and toe strides with engaging core stability.

One thing we focus heavily on during our Fit Lab Lanzarote sessions is to use a “dual focus processing”. What is this you may be wondering? Dual focus processing means achieving one task but with more than one focus, in other-words distributing the thoughts to make an action happen.

If you followed yesterdays write up, you will know our focus this week is to help others and understand that we can assist others in tasks which we find difficult as no child is the same. The activity we set for this morning was to navigate our way along the swimming pool with a set of obstacles in our way along with a very, very large 50m swimming pool which if our team mates don’t guide us carefully we could end up very wet!

Wearing a blind fold, we asked the other kids to help navigate the pathway, one person giving specific instructions “take two small steps forward, one large step with high knees to step over the pole”. This fun game meant that through using “dual focus processing” we helped to reduce tremors, gain spacial awareness, listen to commands and focus on our gait and stride.

We then entered the pool after working really hard with side stepping and navigation. Our natural progression was to focus on the movements gained through breast stroke. We had a lovely session working on technique and using muscles in a different way.

This afternoon during land training, Kris had created a programme for “stretching after swimming”. Each child has been given a laminated copy of the exercises which had been created for the group. Kris and the kids worked through each exercise together which really made a huge difference to their confidence, strength and stability in the water during the afternoon session.

If you would like to see the PDF which we used during todays session, please get in touch in the form below and we can send it to you. We also played a game of Jenga!

Our afternoon pool session focused on butterfly linking the exercises we used on land. Finishing off the afternoon with a jumping session from the lane blocks. Tomorrow morning as part of our land based sessions the kids will be teaching the trainers how to do the exercises learnt from today. Lets hope they do their homework this evening!

On Wednesday, we have a trip planned at sea! Boarding a private boat for the day. We will be using all our skills for a specially adapted “on board sailing experience with core training incorporating balance and stability then a sea based swim session”. Check out our update to find out what we get up to.

Check back tomorrow for more updates or contact us below if you would like to get in touch. Remember to check out our disABILITY Development weeks here in Lanzarote as we still have a small amount of availability for 2019.

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Read about our other days here:

Day One

Day Two

Day Three

Day Four

Day Five

Day Six

disABILITY DEVELOPMENT WEEKS Bristol & London January/February 2018

What a fantastic two weeks we have had! Visiting clients in both Bristol and London. Some days Paulo & Kris managed to visit 4 different training centres seeing a number of clients throughout each day. Thats an awful lot of towels, swim wear and shampoo!

Existing clients progressed during the intensive weeks of training along with new clients enjoying our services for the first time. We left feeling extremely satisfied with everything we had managed to achieve during the 2 weeks.

Highlights during the weeks included 2 new clients in London one with Cerebral Palsy and the other with down-syndrome who after 2 sessions in the water excelled beyond expectations. One who had been having sessions elsewhere for 9 years without making progress in the water.

Another who was able to swim on his back, and also on his front with the use of a snorkel but was not able to rotate or breathe unassisted. He can now swim rotating alone from front to back without assistance for 15metres!

Our Fit Lab Lanzarote Dry Land Strength and Conditioning sessions allowed clients to consolidate their development which they have already gained from following our bespoke programmes written specifically for each client and their individual needs.

We even got the chance to go bowling to put our skills to the test! Post SDR clients working hard on heels flat to the floor. As with all disABILITY Development weeks we would not be able to do them without the help of parent, training centres, other consultants and staff who help make these weeks possible. Thank you all so much. This is why paediatric disability consulting is so rewarding!

If you would like more information about disABILITY Development weeks or our visits to Lanzarote then please follow the link here.

What feedback did we receive from our new clients:

“Thank you so much. Brooke has learnt more in the 2 sessions with you than in the 9 years I’ve taken her for lessons! you´re amazing! I will speak to you soon. Thank you very much and safe journey home”

“Thank you for fitting in sessions for Noah over the weekend. I think the progress was visible and I´m very appreciative to Sarah for suggesting we meet up with you. I would definitely like to arrange for Noah to have sessions with you again when you are next over in May”

NEW disABILITY DEVELOPMENT weeks are being planned for Northern Ireland (Belfast), Ireland Dublin and Wales. If you know somebody who may be interested in joining us please get them to contact us for more information .

Now we have returned to Lanzarote, its time to continue our work with clients visiting for Private Villa weeks, Hotel and apartment stays visiting our training centre in Puerto Del Carmen along with Training camps.

Until next time, keep up the great work!

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TRANSPARENT, GREEN OR BLUE?

Have you ever wondered why the North Sea is dark and the Red Sea is clear?

A river, sea or lake are all different and this depends of many factors including H2O reactive molecules. Underneath we have listed few facts about the colour of water so we can understand its diversity.

• Is water colourless? No – but can be described as transparent as it has the ability to of conduct light[1] but this feature does not cause any colour.

 

• The most common colour which we can observe is blue. Travelling to Lanzarote in Canary Islands you can also see green, azure blue and emerald.

 

• Talking about water we should use word hue instead of colour as hue describes reflected light. The hue is changing depending on organic and mineral compounds. We can observe green-blue colour in water in presence of iron salt[2].

• In El Golfo in Lanzarote colours/hue of water because of presence algaes and planktons is acidic green [3].

 

• Manganese tints (depends on the quantity) water from yellow to brown, sulphur – blue and hydrogen sulphide tints water to blue.

• Colour/hue of water depends also on presents of salt in the water; more salty water more clearer and clean. The colour/hue of water may be influenced by atmospheric factors: sun rays or blue sky – they cause the water to appear “more blue” as red light from the sun meeting with transparent water and changing its colour.

 

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Check out our Camp list for 2018!