I am a teacher at Wilson Elementary School in Mesa. My husband and I are
certified divemasters started a club at my school last year because we
wanted to share our experiences with the kids. Our club was offered free
to 4th-6th grade students (9-12 year olds) at our school. We accepted the
first 30 who turned in permission slips and had about 20 on a waiting
list. We had a great experience last year and so much support from
students and families that we decided to keep the club going this year. We
meet once a week for 1 hour after school. In the computer lab we cover
some fun ocean facts and teach the students about different aquatic
creatures. We also have some lessons planned on the Arizona lakes and
testing water samples - learning about the difference between salt & fresh
water. We have science projects and art projects dealing with fish shapes
& colors.
Last year we worked with two independent PADI instructors (Rob and Jen from Southwest Scuba - Home or Chipola Divers - Home )who volunteered
their time to teach the Project AWARE curriculum to the students and they
helped get kids involved in the PADI Seal Team and a couple students got
certified as Junior Divers with their parents. They were extremely
helpful and very generous and the kids loved the programs they offered.
Unfortunately (for us, but good for them), they moved to Florida. Now we are working on our instructor
certification so we can continue what was started last year. We are hoping
to be able to offer the PADI Seal Team free to all the students in our
club this year but will need help to do that. In addition, we have
parental and school support to take an end of the year trip to California
to visit the ocean, an aquarium and maybe even Sea World. However, we
would like to be able to offer it at a reasonable price for the kids so
every kids has the opportunity to go.
Since we are an after-school club, we are non-profit and we have an ECA
(extra-curricular activities) account set up for us that people can donate
to. Any AZ tax payer can receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for
donating - which means if you donate $50; you get $50 back on your taxes
... not just a deduction ( $ for $ ). Individuals can get a credit up to $200 &
couples up to $400. Here's a link if you have questions on that:
Mesa Public Schools, Mesa, AZ
To donate to our dive club online - select Wilson Elementary & Diving
We will gladly take anything anyone is willing to offer us!!! We could
definitely use masks, snorkels & fins since every kid will need their own
for the Seal Team. As far as sizes, with 30 kiddos, a wide range would be
great. Since we will be independent instructors, we don't have any rental
gear so if anyone has any other used or discontinued equipment they are
looking to get rid of...we'd love to have it to use for classes! We are
not picky as to what brands, as long as it is going to be safe for our
kids! We'll also need help with pool time if anyone has a pool suitable
for diving instruction we could use.
We are always looking for stuff that kids would like and also anything
that will help us with the classroom...books, activities for kids, things
to help them learn about the ocean and aquatic life.
Have a great day!
And if you have any questions, please PM -one of us will get back with you ASAP!
Thanks! Mindy (and Kris)
certified divemasters started a club at my school last year because we
wanted to share our experiences with the kids. Our club was offered free
to 4th-6th grade students (9-12 year olds) at our school. We accepted the
first 30 who turned in permission slips and had about 20 on a waiting
list. We had a great experience last year and so much support from
students and families that we decided to keep the club going this year. We
meet once a week for 1 hour after school. In the computer lab we cover
some fun ocean facts and teach the students about different aquatic
creatures. We also have some lessons planned on the Arizona lakes and
testing water samples - learning about the difference between salt & fresh
water. We have science projects and art projects dealing with fish shapes
& colors.
Last year we worked with two independent PADI instructors (Rob and Jen from Southwest Scuba - Home or Chipola Divers - Home )who volunteered
their time to teach the Project AWARE curriculum to the students and they
helped get kids involved in the PADI Seal Team and a couple students got
certified as Junior Divers with their parents. They were extremely
helpful and very generous and the kids loved the programs they offered.
Unfortunately (for us, but good for them), they moved to Florida. Now we are working on our instructor
certification so we can continue what was started last year. We are hoping
to be able to offer the PADI Seal Team free to all the students in our
club this year but will need help to do that. In addition, we have
parental and school support to take an end of the year trip to California
to visit the ocean, an aquarium and maybe even Sea World. However, we
would like to be able to offer it at a reasonable price for the kids so
every kids has the opportunity to go.
Since we are an after-school club, we are non-profit and we have an ECA
(extra-curricular activities) account set up for us that people can donate
to. Any AZ tax payer can receive a dollar-for-dollar tax credit for
donating - which means if you donate $50; you get $50 back on your taxes
... not just a deduction ( $ for $ ). Individuals can get a credit up to $200 &
couples up to $400. Here's a link if you have questions on that:
Mesa Public Schools, Mesa, AZ
To donate to our dive club online - select Wilson Elementary & Diving
We will gladly take anything anyone is willing to offer us!!! We could
definitely use masks, snorkels & fins since every kid will need their own
for the Seal Team. As far as sizes, with 30 kiddos, a wide range would be
great. Since we will be independent instructors, we don't have any rental
gear so if anyone has any other used or discontinued equipment they are
looking to get rid of...we'd love to have it to use for classes! We are
not picky as to what brands, as long as it is going to be safe for our
kids! We'll also need help with pool time if anyone has a pool suitable
for diving instruction we could use.
We are always looking for stuff that kids would like and also anything
that will help us with the classroom...books, activities for kids, things
to help them learn about the ocean and aquatic life.
Have a great day!
And if you have any questions, please PM -one of us will get back with you ASAP!
Thanks! Mindy (and Kris)
