Punta Mita Ocean Sports SUPKids Summer Camp - July 24th-28th 2017

Book your children to the SUPKids Summer Camp, presented by Punta Mita Ocean Sports. July 24-28th in Kupuri Beach Club, Punta Mita.

The SUPKids program is designed to teach kids water sports such as Stand Up Paddle, Surfing, sailing, water safety and environmental education.

Our program is run in an inclusive, non-competitive environment with real focus on building self-esteem. We use games, drills & SUP activities to ensure that our SUPKids walk away with vital water safety skills that will stay them for life. We’ve taken environmental education out of the classroom, to the outdoors, where we think it belongs.

With a passion for SUP comes a responsibility to take care of our environment. Our vision is to create experiences for our SUPKids that will enhance their appreciation, respect & understanding for sustainable living.

SUPKids Summer Camp is based on five core lessons and has been developed for kids aged 5-12. It can be delivered as a 5 day camp (during school holidays), or as a condensed one day activity.

We believe that when kids fall in love with an outdoor sport, they fall in love with the outdoors. And kids who love their planet become ambassadors for taking care of it.

Date: July 24-28th.

Place: Kupuri Beach Club, Punta Mita.

Time: 10AM – 3PM

Cost: MXN $5,000 for five days, MXN $1,500 per day.

Bring: Swimsuit, sunscreen and towel.

Requirements: Age 5-13 years old, confident swimmer.

This day is all about staying safe in the water, learning the basics of SUP, recognising hazards & being able to help someone who gets in trouble.

Lesson 1.1 SUPKids Rules

Objectives: SUPKids will be introduced to the 10 SUPKids Rules as the foundation for water safety & environmental education.

Lesson: Run through the 10 SUPKids Rules, getting feedback from kids for each rule.

Resources: SUPKids Rules poster/banner or whiteboard with rules written on it.

Lesson 1.2 Hazard Maps

Objectives: SUPKids will learn the definition of a hazard, and will identify the hazards of their local beach/waterway.

Lesson: Introduce the term ‘hazard’. Ask if anyone can tell you what a hazard is.

Group discussion – Hazards at the beach. Creation of a list on the whiteboard.

Activity: Drawing a basic outline of the beach. Creation of a hazard map of their local area, completing with every hazard they can think of. Collecting stuff from the beach (seaweed/sticks/pebbles etc) to use on their map.

Instructors should be on hand to work with each group, answer any questions, get the kids thinking. One member of each group has to present their hazard map to the whole class. Instructors should be asking lots of Q’s (why is that a hazard ? etc).

Resources: Whiteboard/large piece of paper for hazard lists.

Lesson 1.3 Water Session: Rope Rescues

Objectives: SUPKids will learn how to identify a swimmer in trouble, and perform a basic rope rescue.

Lesson: Practicing coiling a rope first. Talking about why rope rescues are so much safer than swim/board rescues. How might you spot that someone is in danger?

Activity: Split group into two, half the group will go into the water (no more than 10m out – still within their depth) and pretend to drown (splashing, yelling etc). The others will rescue them. Then swap over.

Repeat until they’ve all nailed it!

This day is all about going on adventures. Your SUPKids will learn about some amazing explorers and how they can plan their own adventures without having to go too far from home.

Lesson 2.1 Understanding Our Oceans

Objectives: SUP kids will learn about ocean currents and hazards, as they prepare for a Surf Lesson with Pinta Mita Ocean Sports crew at La Lancha Beach break in Punta Mita.

Lesson: Create a hazard map in the sand for La Lancha and review it.

Activity: Drawing a big map of the world on the beach, as well as a hazard map. Having the kids mark out hazards.

Resources: Using the beach!

Lesson 2.2 Micro Adventures

Objectives: SUPKids will understand that adventures can start small. They’ll learn how to plan an adventure safely.

Lesson: What is a micro-adventure?, rules for planning a micro-adventure.

Activity: Planning of a micro-adventure that you can all go on together.

Resources: None.

Lesson 2.3 Rip Currents

Objectives: SUPKids will understand why rip currents occur, how to spot one & what to do if they ever experience one!

Lesson: Introducing of rips, discussion the ‘myths’ of rips.

Activity: Discussion of how to identify a rip – calm patches with surf either side, rippled or choppy water, discoloured water, foamy water, seaweed. Drawing a large diagram of a rip on the beach, showing the sand banks on either side of the rip, the feeder currents & the head of the rip.

Lesson 2.4 Water Session: Micro Adventures

Objectives: SUPKids will go on the microadventure that they planned during their theory lesson.

Lesson: Using the plan that they created in their microadventures lesson, prepare for and set off on your adventure! Have the SUPKids run their own safety briefing, making sure that they cover all relevant points

Activity: The aim of this activity is for kids to really feel like they are going on an adventure. This is about kids getting a taste for adventure, being able to calculate risks, explore their surroundings and try new things.

This lesson is about keeping our oceans & waterways clean. Your SUPKids will learn why plastics are causing so much trouble in our environment, and what we can do to help.

Lesson 3.1 Micro Plastics

Objectives: This lesson is about keeping our oceans & waterways clean. The SUPKids will learn why plastics are causing so much trouble in our environment, and what we can do to help.

Lesson: Lecture about plastics

Activity: Take the SUPKids on a beach clean. Focus on plastics & micro-plastics. Give the SUPKids an area to clean. Explain how we do a safe beach clean.

Once the trash is collected, create an art installation.

Lesson 3.2 Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Objectives: SUPKids will learn about the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ & how our ocean currents & over-use of plastics are combining to create this issue.

Lesson: Introducing the ‘Great Pacific Garbage Patch’ – Drawing it on the map (between Hawaii & mainland US).

Activity: Asking the SUPKids what can be done to reduce the amount of plastics we use.

Lesson 3.3 Water Session: Paddle and Pick

Objectives: SUPKids will take part in a ‘paddle and pick’. This lesson is inspired by our friends over at Watertrek, who run regular paddle & picks in London & across Europe.

Lesson: The idea behind these paddle & pick sessions is to keep everyone’s eyes open, looking for trash when they paddle. We want to paddle in clean oceans, rivers & lakes, but in order to do that, we need to help with the clean up.

Activity: Grabbing your boards and paddles, and head for a spot where there is a tendency for trash to accumulate. Explaining that the aim of the session is to collect as much trash as possible and spot any items.

Resources: Boards & paddles plus gloves & bags for picking up trash.

This lesson is about being a healthy SUPKid. The SUPKids will learn how to stay fit for their SUP adventures, what kind of food they should be eating, and the little things they can do to stay relaxed & happy.

Lesson 4.1 Make Your Own Trail Mix

Objectives: SUPKids will learn how to choose a healthy snack and the impact good nutrition has on their health. They’ll learn how to make trail mix.

Lesson: Healthy snacks vs unhealthy snacks – Can the SUPKids make a list of both ? Which do they eat more often ?

Activity: Have every kid choose their 3 favourite ingredients and make a trail mix.

Resources: Ask every kid to bring in a small container from home with their name on it. Ingredients: (buy them in bulk) Nuts – almonds, pistachio nuts, cashew nuts, peanuts Seeds – pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, flax seeds, sesame seeds Extra flavours – ginger, cinnamon, cacao nibs (this is what chocolate is made from!), coconut flakes Dried fruit – Mango, banana, pineapple Coconut flakes Grains – Toasted oats, granola, popcorn, puffed rice cereal

Lesson 4.2 Water Session: Surfing

Objectives: SUPKids will take a Surf Lesson!

Lesson: The SUPkids will experience the thrill and excitement of catching a wave with the help and guidance of our certified ASI surf instructors.

This lesson will help the SUPKids become ambassadors for the planet. They’ll learn what’s happening in your local area and around the world, and they’ll choose which cause they want to support and what they can do to make a difference!

Lesson 5.1 Understanding Climate Change

Objectives: SUPKids have a basic understanding of climate change and blue carbon.

Lesson: Class about global temperature, greenhouse gases and how mangrove trees can help.

Activity: Every time a SUPKid delivery centre runs a program we will plant a mangrove tree for each SUPKid. Using your blank cards & crayons, create your message for the mangroves to send to the rad people planting your seedling to say thanks for all their hard work.

Resources: Use the workbook so the kids can follow the cartoons! You’ll also need blank cards or paper & crayons to make your ‘message to the mangroves’.

Lesson 5.2 Last SUPKids Lesson

Objectives: SUPKids walk away from the experience stoked & with the knowledge that they can make a difference.

Lesson: One of the aims of SUPKids is to empower kids to become ambassadors for the planet. Throughout the SUPKids program they will have been introduced to a whole bunch of environmental issues and the goal of this lesson is for them to make their own choice around which one resonates with them the most.

Activity: Have a group discussion about becoming an ambassador for the planet and what that really means. Go round the group and ask each SUPKid to think of the global or local cause they feel most passionate about.

Once everyone has chosen their cause, have them fill out their certificate. It will ask them to write down their name, their cause & the next 3 steps they will take. We want our SUPKids to go away with a realistic action plan of what they can do next.

Resources: You’ll need your SUPKids to bring in their workbooks for this lesson. Right at the back of the workbook, you’ll find a certificate

Lesson 5.3 Water Session: Rafts

Objectives: This is likely going to be the last water session of your SUPKids program.

Lesson: Team building activity to build a long raft (plus any other games/relays/races you want to play afterwards).

Activity: Taking half the number of boards to the water as you have kids (if you have 8 kids, you’ll only need 4 boards). Explaining to the group that this raft can only be made if everyone works together as a team.

The rule of rafts is that everyone always has to be holding on to two boards so the raft stays together ! If someone lets go, then everyone must come back together and make the raft solid again.

Each SUPKid receives a free eco pack on registration (SUPKids backpack, workbook, water bottle and stickers).