KidZone
Are you the ultimate diving fan?
What am I?
Some divers (especially military divers) use this. What do you think it is? Choose an answer below –
A spring for a spear gun trigger
Oops! That’s not quite right. Try again!
A clip to attach a glove to a the end of a wetsuit sleeve
Oops! That’s not quite right. Try again!
A nose clip
Well Done! You got it right!
It is a nose clip. When you pull the two black rubber stoppers apart you can clip the spring over your nose to keep it tightly shut.
When a diver wears a full face mask (that is one that covers his whole face) he can not reach his nose to pinch it when he needs to stop his ears hurting from the effect of water pressure. So he wears a nose clip which keeps his nose shut so that he can blow into his nose to clear his ears underwater.
What do you think it is made from? Choose an answer below –
Metal and plastic
Oops! That’s not quite right. Try again!
Metal and rubber
Well done! You got it right!
It is a metal spring with two rubber stoppers – one at each end of the spring.
Metal and wood
Oops! That’s not quite right. Try again!
Amazing facts about…
Going Underwater
So what is different underwater?
Water is colder than air. That’s why divers wear wet (or dry) suits to keep them warm underwater.
Everything looks fuzzy if you open your eyes underwater. That’s why divers wear masks to help them see clearly.
Water filters out colours. Red is the first colour to go. That’s why things tend to look blue underwater.
Sound travels 4-5 times faster underwater than in air. That makes it difficult to work out where the sound is coming from underwater.
When you go deeper your ears might hurt. That’s because the water above you presses on your ears. That’s why divers have to clear their ears by trying to blow through their noses while they hold their noses.
Even though diving equipment is heavy in air, it weighs much less underwater. That’s why divers wear weights to help them get their weight in water ‘just right’ – not too heavy and not too light.
There are currents underwater. A dive can swim out of quite calm water and suddenly find he or she is in a strong current.
There are also temperature differences underwater where warmer water and colder water are right next to each other. It can come as a complete surprise when a diver finds the water goes suddenly much colder (brrrr) or warmer (mmmm).
Remember things are very different underwater. So if you go diving, join a club and obey all the rules to make sure you are safe.
Then you will be sure to have a lot of fun.
Funny Bones
What did Cinderella wear to the Underwater Ball?
Click to find out
A glass flipper!
Cool Kidz
Lachlan, Tobey and Zac made some drawings and posted them on You Tube.
Why don’t you try doing something like this?
Gather some amazing ocean facts.
Make a poster about each fact.
Photograph the posters.
Make them into a slide show.
Post them on You Tube.
Go for it!
Books we love
Sharks
an Osborne beginners book
By Catriona Clarke
A perfect introduction to sharks. What do they eat? What is the biggest shark? Which shark glows in the dark? What do you call a baby shark? And what on earth is a tasselled wobbegong? So many questions – and here are all the answers.
Brightly illustrated pages with a few sentences on each page, brimming with fascinating facts. Specially designed for young people who are ready to read on their own.
180 cm x 250 cm (just right for small hands)
Paperback
