Scuba presentation to 10 yr olds

[T23]

Walking in "geared-up" will be an attention getter, esp if you are using the reg.! I second the recommendation to carry the fins...

For a group this age I would go with just a few of the best, most colorful slides... a few fish, a few coral, but also some landscapes or wrecks to give them a better appreciation of what they can see.

Talk to a local dive shop about borrowing equipment sized for this age. Every time I have done one of these presentations they have helped me out and never charged me a dime and the kids love putting on a BCD with a tank, weight belt, etc. There will be a few who haven't used a mask, snorkel, and fins... but most usually will have... so it tends to be the other gear that they will be interested in.

Blowing up an inflatable boat would be pretty cool if you have to props to pull it off. Showing them some hand signals and underwater noisemakers is usually a lot of fun too.

 

[aascubagirl]

Yes, please don't walk in with the fins on! That could end up embarrassing at the least. :O)

But, I do vote for walking into the room in full gear, sans wetsuit which could be really hot and uncomfortable. Having done it many times, it never fails to catch their attention. Diver0001's idea of having the students be able to breathe off a regulator and practice inflating/deflating the bcd is great, as is Jersey's suggestion of bringing weights and safety sausages that they can pick up/feel/etc. I would also maybe teach hand signs or even do a fun, informal version of the DSD flip chart - and then have a "pop quiz" of sorts on the hand signs or material, with fun prizes (stuffed shark or turtle, a scuba tank key chain, etc.) as rewards for the correct answers. The more interactive, the better! Have fun and let us know how it goes, please :O)

 

[Thadmn]

I'm going to do this for my 9 year old daughter's Girl Scout (Brownies) troop. I thought it would be fun to bring in a small cylinder of trimix, so they can talk in squeaky voices(although some parents might have a problem with it "are you trying to poison my kid!?"). I would have to agree that 60 minutes might be too long of a time. Try to work in a game of some sort. Prizes are always a hit for sure.

 

[Jersey]

Great ideas all, thanks so much! Just reinforces that divers are a special group. Ha - no intention of dumbing or talking down to this class. This is a TAG (talented and gifted) class and I am amazed at some of the projects they have undertaken. (Her 8th grade brother recently designed, built and launched a rocket, documented the project on video and had to produce a power point encompassing the project start to finish and provide a root cause analysis of any issues. Huh what? Not the kind of stuff I did as an 8th grader...Probably still couldn't!!) Plenty of extra gear at home, no tri-mix though! Games, a quiz, prizes and demonstrating the size of the shark for sure - here kids have a line cutter or surgical shears! Now can I drive a VW into classroom to demonstrate the weight of great white??? Probably not... This is their lunchtime (yummy - I get toeat cafeteria food!) and the 60 minute slot is fixed. Trust me - 60 minutes goes by quickly during a presentation if the subject matter is engaging and interactive.

 

[pidgiepoo]

Great ideas all, thanks so much! Just reinforces that divers are a special group. Ha - no intention of dumbing or talking down to this class. This is a TAG (talented and gifted) class and I am amazed at some of the projects they have undertaken. (Her 8th grade brother recently designed, built and launched a rocket, documented the project on video and had to produce a power point encompassing the project start to finish and provide a root cause analysis of any issues. Huh what? Not the kind of stuff I did as an 8th grader...Probably still couldn't!!)

LOL- Maybe they're gonna teach you a thing or two. You better plan on a very short question and answer session.

 

[Jersey]

Thanks Pidgiepoo - the kids always end up teaching me something! (Though I can kick butt on Guitar Hero - I was there for the first go round of those 70's songs.) Default Q&A answer - "ah, can I get back to you on that" then I will fire up Scubaboard and post the question here!

 

[diveguy1]

Be careful with this one - but it would work very well with this age group and definitely hold the kid's attention. Get a smaller set of gear (a small BC and small tank - maybe a 30-50cf) and gear up a kid in front of the class. You can start out by picking a kid and having them come to the front of the class, and tell the kids "We're taking Ryan underwater with us. What gear does he need?" Have kids suggest gear - A mask so he can see - (have him put on a mask). Fins so he can swim efficiently (have him put fins on), A tank full of air so he can breathe, etc. They'll all get a kick out of watching a classmate 'gear up', and learn about each piece of equipment as you go along. The more interaction the better, and this will keep them all involved.

You can ask random quiz questions as you go along, like "how much does this tank weigh?" The closest answer gets a scuba keychain, fish-shaped candy, etc.

Be cautious about having kids breathe off the regulator, as it's tough to keep it sanitary with a group of kids, and definitely breathing anything but air would not be good. Show a few short videos with a lot of action and dramatic shots, but be easy on the fear factor (i.e. getting eaten by sharks).

And have fun!

 

[Jersey]

Thanks Diveguy1!

Yes, I do plan to bring a complete extra set of gear and a small 60cf tank (just compressed air) to have a classmate go through the whole thing experiencing how much gear really weighs and feels like on, stuffed into neoprene!

Though about the sanitary issue as well, and my thoughts were iso alcohol wipes and a dunk in a bleach solution, rinse with fresh water. Bringing an assistant along to help me.

My videos are very calming and soothing, no action or drama! Lite jazz and exhaust bubbles as background noise. Sorry kids real life isn't an episode on TV... and we will remove the 'sharks are going to attack and eat you' mentality. Many divers have never seen sharks, forget about being eaten.

I spoke with the teacher this morning and we are set for 2/17/09. The school nurse will be coming in as well to talk about they physiology of the body under pressure as you de- and ascend and potential problems. I explained I was bringing my visual demo using a few bottles of seltzer water as well and my pictures representing atmospheric pressure.

Kids are always fun!

 

[pidgiepoo]

Be sure to let us know how it goes. Can't wait for the feedback. Good luck.

 

[Jersey]

Yesterday was the big presentation. I ended up doing 75 minutes to 122 kids - not just my neices' class, but the entire 5th grade was assembled in the cafeteria. The kids were great - the questions started the minute I stood up and we could have gone for another hour at least. With that many kids it wasn't practical to pass things around or have a bunch of kids in gear. I started off in a fleece skin (didn't want to be too hot), bc, regs and tank, booties, everything but mask and fins on. Did a quickie power point on why I dive, certification training, gear. As I went through gear presentation, I was dressing my volunteer Jordan, having him tell his mates how it felt, how heavy, etc.... All the while I kept asking questions such as 'why do you think you need to wear a wetskin or wetsuit or drysuit?' and 'why do you think you need lead weights?' After the gearing up I did a bit on the effects of pressure, dangers of gases, risk of damage from ascending too quickly. I didn't dumb it down at all - we discussed recreational diving limits, dive planning, reading tables, comp of air, Nitrox, narcosis, CNS tox, Ox tox (this is an AIR tank, not an oxygen tank), mixed gases, MOD, PPO, ATM. I brought in plain seltzer bottles to demonstrate rapid vs, slow, controlled ascents...of course the kids loved that! I did good buddy skills, communicating underwater via hand signals and finally the dangers of predators - or lack of danger - the fact that you are more likely to die of a bee sting (est 90-100 Americans annually) or a car-deer collision (est 150 Americans annually) then a shark attack. I did have a buch of kids line up and asked the group if they could guess what they represented - the length and girth of the great white. The time went by all too quickly! I recieved the following note from the teacher this morning:

Linda thank you so much for such an interesting program. You know the kids liked it by their being so quiet and asking questions. When you get your instructor’s license maybe I would scuba----maybe.

Mrs. O'Neill will be waiting a long time for my instructor cert!! No plans to move in that direction, EVER. My thanks to all for your ideas on planning! In the end it was akin to doing a presentation at any of my clients - keep it fact filled, interesting, moving along, no BS and show them respect. I'd urge others to look for opportunities to educate our next generation dive buddies!