Wasps, Wakas & Wallabies Nepal Update Getting ... - Canoe & Kayak

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Kayaking With Kids – tips to get your kids started and loving it. By Karen Knowles On board together is a great way to build confidence in young kids. Karen and Jessica (3) Knowles enjoy a day at the beach, Mount Maunganui. There aren’t many sports a whole family can enjoy all together without someone being left out because they are too young or too old. Kayaking is a sport your 6-month-old will enjoy nestled safely between the legs of his Grandad , while the school age kids revel in the independence of their own first kayak. Exploring deserted beaches are family days to treasure which your kids will never forget. Our children were introduced to kayaking on their first summer and through a gentle introduction have grown to love the sport and look forward to kayaking summer and winter. The trick to their enjoyment is making sure their first experiences are good ones and their confidence is built up slowly. On the beach we used the kayak as a cot to keep baby and toys off the sand Kayak Choice Sit on top kayaks are great for kids. Their stability is excellent for new paddlers and Mum or Dad can easily jump on board with the very young ones. If you are a confident sea kayaker a double sea kayak is perfect from about 3-4 years on. We have also used an inflatable very successfully when the kids were very young. The higher sides kept From around 3 years onwards, kids make great co-pilots in a double sea kayak. Bronnie and Ezra (3) van Lith explore the caves at Tongaporutu. 20 ISSUE FIFTY Two • 2 0 0 9 www.kayaknz.co.nz
Disappearing for a few days on a family adventure. Ariana (then 6) and Daniel (then 8) Van Lith on the Tangarakau River. everyone safe on the water while on the beach we used the kayak as a cot to keep baby and toys off the sand and provide a comfy place to sleep. A Canadian Canoe would work the same way. Pick your day and time The very first time you take the kids paddling make sure it is a really nice day. Don’t be put off if the young one is scared at first, or didn’t enjoy a cold splash of water, sitting on the bank and watching the family enjoying themselves will encourage them to give it another go. It may take a few sessions of watching for them to become self motivated. You could even try having the kayak on the waters edge with Dad holding it and child on Mums knee and then gradually let the kayak drift out. Estuaries are a great starting point especially if your child is paddling their own kayak. In the shallow water you can walk What age can I start the kids out? 0-3 years – keep them on your knee on a sit-on-top. 3-4 years – on a sit-on-top single but stay close or perfect for the front of a double. 5+ years – single sit on tops kayaks should be fine. 7+ years – single sea kayak 9+ - start them on small rapids. I have seen a six year old fall asleep mid paddle stroke in the front of a double alongside for some distance. To get the kids used to paddling under their own steam tie a long rope to the kayak and let them paddle away. You can pull them back if necessary plus, this method saves quite a bit of back ache for the parents. It is a good idea to choose a destination no more than about an hour away for the first paddle. Even though your kids may love the outdoors if kayaking is a new experience an hour may still be long enough for them. The ideal situation is to be back at the beach and the kids ask to go out again; you can then gauge how to plan future trips. My advice is to always plan a shorter trip and extend this if everyone is happy. Take along a few things to make the paddle fun for the kids (and adults) such as water pistols, water bombs, toy fishing rods, even a stick to drag in the water can amuse for a long time. Take a snorkel and mask and let the kids hang their heads overboard. This is great fun especially in marine reserves. In winter we look for estuaries full of mangroves. Weaving in and out of the mangroves looking for treasure and sunken boats is a real adventure for the kids. Sleepy Little Monsters Paddling may well put your kids to sleep which can be a great thing. If you are planning a longer paddle time it for the kid’s usual sleep time, then you may get another hour or so under your belt. Just be aware that even older kids may also fall asleep. I have seen a six year old fall asleep mid paddle stroke in the front of a double sea kayak, so it’s important make sure the Editors Note: A great range of boats! The photo featured below is European. In NZ a buoyancy aid must be worn. www.kayaknz.co.nz ISSUE FIFTY Two • 2009 21
Page 1 and 2: ISSUE 52 Getting Kids into Kayaking
Page 4 and 5: Issue 52 contents Kayaking With Kid
Page 6 and 7: The Perfect Family Tonic Carol Twee
Page 8 and 9: Wasps, Wakas, Waterfowl and Wallabi
Page 10 and 11: View from the lookout between Lake
Page 12 and 13: Stunning beauty is revealed as the
Page 14 and 15: Product Focus The team at Barracuda
Page 16 and 17: Canoe Slalom the race may not go ah
Page 18 and 19: White Water Join Your Local The who
Page 22 and 23: Feature Kayaking With Kids continue
Page 24 and 25: great base for a family Panmure Pla
Page 26 and 27: Keep the Kid board this su Mission
Page 28 and 29: Success on the Manukau Harbour by S
Page 30 and 31: Fishing The Buddy System - Scott Ch
Page 32 and 33: Multisport 2009 MULTISPORT CHALLENG
Page 34 and 35: Technical caught in a tree. To perf
Page 37 and 38: Whitewater NZ White Water They’ve
Page 39 and 40: Phone 0508 529 256 for more info &
Page 41 and 42: Selection - Knowledge - Experience
Page 43 and 44: You’ll find it all at canoe & kay
Page 45 and 46: You’ll find it all at Canoe & Kay
Page 47 and 48: You’ll find it all at Canoe & Kay
Page 49 and 50: The Struggle Continues Despite thes
Page 51 and 52: Now available at Canoe and Kayak st

Wasps, Wakas & Wallabies Nepal Update Getting ... - Canoe & Kayak

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