Hi everyone,
My name is Alicia and I love the ocean.
One of my favourite creatures in the ocean is the humpback whale.
Have you seen them before?
Today we are going on an ocean adventure in our imagination.
Would you like to come?
For our adventure,
You might like to get your favourite small toy,
Which you can fit in your hand.
Once you have your toy,
Find somewhere really comfy where you can sit or lie for our adventure for a few minutes.
Have you found your spot?
Once you are comfortable,
Take a look around you.
What can you see in the space you are in?
Which colours can you see?
What sounds can you hear?
You will need your strong arms and legs for today's adventure.
Can you wave your hands?
Reach them up to the sky,
Stretching up tall.
What about your toes?
Can you give them a wiggle?
Let's do a few slow breaths together,
Breathing in slowly through your nose,
And then gently out through your mouth.
If you have your toy,
Hold it on your belly now,
Or you can put your hands there instead.
Can you feel your toy and tummy going up and down as you breathe?
Take another slow breath in,
And a gentle breath out.
Can you hear the sound that your breathing makes?
You can leave your toy on your belly if you like,
Or take it off,
Whatever you prefer.
Today we are going to use our imagination to go on a boat trip to see the humpback whales.
It's like there's a movie in your mind.
Before we hop on the boat,
Put your life jacket on.
This will help you be safe on the water,
And I'll be your guide to help you as well.
We are going on a boat ride in the ocean.
Maybe you can hear the sound that the ocean waves are making.
It's a pretty calm day today,
So there's just some tiny baby waves making ripples on the water.
Can you smell the salty air?
What can you feel on your skin?
Maybe you can feel the little breeze tickling the hairs on your arms.
Ahead of you,
You can see the blue ocean stretching in the distance as you climb on board the boat with your life jacket on,
Ready to go.
Are you ready?
You take a seat on the boat and you're all settled in.
Sitting around you are some of the people you like being with,
Maybe some of your family or special friends.
The boat leaves and takes you away from the land,
Out to sea where the whales live.
Can you see any whales?
Sometimes you can see them jumping out of the water,
And sometimes you can see their tails waving at you.
As we go out to sea,
The driver of the boat has spotted some whales in the water.
There's a mummy whale and a little baby whale.
They are playing together.
Do you want to see them?
There's a special challenge for you today.
The whales want to say hello to you in the water.
Do you want to say hello to them?
You have your life jacket on,
And remember that I am your special guide who will help you in the water.
I'll be right by your side.
Shall we jump into the water?
One,
Two,
Three.
Let's jump in.
Splash!
You did it!
Remember,
You can hold on to me if you need to,
And your life jacket will keep you afloat.
What does the water feel like?
Is it cold or warm?
Can you hear your breathing?
If you like,
You can put your head under the water and slowly blow out some bubbles.
Remember to put your head up to take a breath in.
There's a big whale,
A mummy whale who has come to say hello to you.
You don't touch it,
But you can see its eyes,
Its big body and its flippers.
There's a little baby whale by its side too.
The mummy whale is looking after the baby whale.
The mummy whale has a special message for you.
She speaks in whale language,
But you can understand it.
Can you hear the message?
It's just for you.
You might like to say thanks to the whale,
As now it's time to hop back in the boat.
Take one last look at the mummy and baby whale before you get into the boat and we'll zoom back to land.
Remember the important message from the whale.
Not many people get to swim with the whales,
So you are very special.
How does the message make you feel?
Maybe happy,
Excited or sad.
The boat arrives back to shore and you get out,
Taking your life jacket off and wrapping a towel around you.
You have the special message from the whale and the feeling with you.
You are back.
Can you hear your breath again?
Maybe you can hear it in your nose.
Can you feel your toy on your belly,
Moving up and down each time you breathe?
You've been on a big adventure today,
So you might want to wiggle your arms and legs,
Stretch them out.
Move your head gently from side to side,
Wiggle your fingers and toes,
As you slowly come back.
Remember the special message from the whale,
Just for you and how it made you feel.
I hope you enjoyed spending time with the incredible humpback whales in the ocean.
