Archive for the 'Canoeing' Category

Set out a race course - starting at point ‘a’ and race to point ‘b’ and back. Put one camper in a canoe without a paddle, sitting at the front or bow of the canoe. Line up all the canoes on the starting line. Upon GO, the racers get up from their seat and go to the back of the canoe. Next they climb up onto the stern gunwales and start to bounce on the gunwales, propelling the canoe forward to point ‘b.’ At point ‘b’ they get back into the canoe, use their hands to turn the canoe around and head back to point ‘a,’ by continuing to bounce on the gunwales. The first canoe to cross the finish line wins.

Divide campers into teams of three. Two people are paddlers and one person gets a small pail. Put the two paddlers in a canoe, but put the third team member (with the pail) in another canoe, with two paddlers from another team. Each canoe has two paddlers and a person from another team, with a pail. Upon GO, the race begins and the person with the pail tries to fill up the canoe, in which they are a stowaway, slowing it down with the water weight. The first canoe over the finish line wins.

Get 3 or 4 campers to get into a canoe and then all they get is their hands and they need to race from one point to another point and back. The first team to finish wins.

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Instead of having the campers race from point A to point B with normal canoe paddles, give them brooms instead and see what happens.

In canoeing it is very important that the paddle is held correctly and that the strokes are performed correctly. If everything is done correctly then it is very easy to use, steer and control a canoe either it be with only one person or two. The proper way to hold a canoe paddle is to put the same hand that is the side that you are paddling on at the bottom near the blade of the paddle. Then you take your other hand and with the palm facing the ground you grab the very top of the paddle, so that the back of your hand faces the sky. Never should the top hand grab the shaft of the paddle, this will cause a decrease in efficiency and control. Some stroke that can be taught are:
-forward stroke
-back stroke
-J-stroke
-D-stroke
-cross bow draw
-figure 8 stroke

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