Bubble, bubble, toot, toot, chicken, airplane, soldier! Denis is learning to swim! We've signed up for swimming lessons this semester, and so far Denis has had two classes. He loves getting in the pool, splashing about, and following his instructor's every move. While you certainly can't call what he's doing swimming, he is going through some very important motions - like learning to get his face wet. "Someday," I tell him, "you'll be able to swim like Froggy."
Denis is on the far right during the stretching session.
Tell me, all you other Froggy Learns to Swim readers out there, what does bubble, bubble, toot, toot, chicken, airplane, soldier actually mean? Is it just froggy-gibberish, Jonathan London-gibberish, or is there some hidden magic in that phrase that instantly turns kids into swimmers?
While Denis works on perfecting his swimming techniques, I've decided I'm going to focus on perfecting my pool-side, fruit-inspired appearance. You can be sure I'll be taking cues from the ever stylish, ever fashionable Mrs. Froggy.
3 comments:
The chicken airplane soldier are the words they used to use when teaching people to swim on their back. You would do what they called a frog kick with your legs while your arms did the chicken-airplane-soldier. When you went from airplane to soldier, the water might rush over your head, so if you are tooting or bubbling you won't inhale the water.
That explains it! Thanks, Terie!
We love the Froggy books too! And yes, I always wondered myself about the bubble-bubble-toot-toot...phrase. I figured it had something to do with the motions of swimming but couldn't seem to think hard enough to figure it out! Glad to hear an explanation. Owen loves the water too!
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