Splash pool party and play weeks 2017
Celebrating a fantastic year with Splash families and our team!
We had a great time at our end of year pool party, and had all our fun toys in the pool for the last week.
We wanted to share some of our favourite photos with you!
Splash end of year pool party on the International Day of People with Disability
We held our Splash end of year pool party to celebrating all the wonderful achievements Splash families have made this year, on International Day of People with a Disability!
all families who have worked with us in the past are welcome, including siblings and parents
It's a play session, a chance to show off your tricks to family members who have only seen videos, and a chance to meet other Splash families.
Unfortunately you might remember this was the weekend of the floods across Melbourne which slowed down some families, and others were sick
But those who came along had a great time and got to meet the whole Splash team!
Fun last weeks of the year in aquatic physiotherapy sessions
The swimming schools have extra toys in the pool for the last 2 weeks of the year. There's inflatable pirate ships, things you can spin on for a ride, dinosaurs and more. They also run different games and activities in their swimming lessons.
We join in as much as we can!
Sometimes families are concerned that is "just play" and "a waste of a session".
Actually, I think they're some of the most important sessions of the year!
Kids work out how to apply their swim safer skills and behaviours in new situations, where the rules are less clear, and there are more choices about what they can do.
They experience making these decisions while very excited about new toys, and they overcome fears of trying something new to the cheers of the whole pool when they have a go! (See Charlie running across the pool mats for an example!)
They try out their skills in different combinations, with a different environment, broadening their skill base
They practise joining in with others in a group, and coping with listening to different physios or swim teachers
They experience some of the open ended play with different toys and equipment that they may come across over summer, and practise working out how to keep themselves safe
And most of the time, they surprise us with what they can achieve, and leave with huge grins on their faces
It can be a busy time of year, but it is well worth continuing to prioritise your booked aquatic physiotherapy sessions until the end of school term!
Sharing with Splash families
We encourage Splash families to get into the pool with us a number of times during the year so they can learn play ideas and strategies they can use with their baby, child or young person when they go swimming together.
In the last few weeks of the year we strongly encourage it!
You'll see some lovely photos in the gallery of parents in the water with their kids, and it's great to see!
* It's particularly great to get in the water for babies, children or young people who need hands on support to be safer in the water, to increase their independence, or to help them practise skills. For other families, our ongoing discussions poolside are enough. *
Celebrating our Splash team!
We had the Splash team of 2017 and newcomers for 2018 together for the pool party to enjoy meeting Splash families, and celebrate everyone's achievements.
After all the families had left, we had a lunch together, thanked those who are leaving and welcomed those beginning!
Sarah left us earlier in 2017 to move to Geelong, Harry has taken a full time new graduate job, and Tarli is moving overseas! Alex is continuing with us as a Splash Physiotherapist in 2018, and Khiang and Zoe are joining us as physiotherapy assistants. And I am of course continuing as principal Splash Physiotherapist, providing services to families, as well as developing and supporting our Splash team!
We're all holding the Dr Carol Dweck book about Growth Mindset in the photo, which was Splash's present to the team this year. We are growing a Splash library of books that further our ability to live our core values. I'll write up a review and more information about how it relates to our core values in the future.
We are also recruiting further physios so we hope to have new smiling faces to introduce you to next year.
2018 dates to get you started:
Sports & recreation intensive starts 22nd January
Full Splash Physiotherapy services start 29th January
Thanks! See you soon!
We have had a great time and loved playing towards your goals this year
We'll be looking forward to more next year!
Shayna Gavin is a physiotherapist who is passionate about helping babies, children and young people learn functional skills so they can participate in life at home, school and in their community. Recognising that children do best in their own environments, she visits homes, schools, and leisure activities from football fields to ballet classes. She also has daily aquatic physiotherapy sessions available at two private swimming schools in Moonee Ponds and Greensborough, Melbourne. She combines principles of paediatric physiotherapy, Contemporary Neuro Developmental Treatment, motor learning, and swimming teaching to address the individual needs of each child and their family. She loves providing professional development to physiotherapists, allied health and education professionals, allied health assistants and swimming teachers.
