Marie and the Blue Whale 3: Consolidation Level: Responding to More Challenging Water Situations

Marie and the Blue Whale: Consolidation LevelResponding to More Challenging Water SituationsThis title is part of the Marie and the Blue Whale series, a cognitive-based water safety programme designed for children aged 3–8.While many early water programmes focus on physical swimming skills, this series addresses a critical gap: how young children think, respond, and make decisions in water before and beyond their swimming ability.The Consolidation level introduces children to more complex and unpredictable environments, including flooding conditions, open water, and unfamiliar settings. These scenarios are designed to support behavioural transfer, helping children apply the same safety response across different contexts.The programme is built around a simple, repeatable cognitive routine:PauseStay calmLook aroundMove safelyRather than teaching technique, this book supports:• early-stage risk recognition• calm behavioural response under pressure• decision-making before physical action• consistency of response across environments (pool, beach, flood conditions)This makes the book suitable for structured use in:• early years classrooms and primary settings• water safety education programmes• school wellbeing and safety units• library collections supporting child safety and life skills• pre-swim lesson preparation contextsEach title includes an integrated caregiver and educator guide, providing simple prompts and reinforcement strategies that can be used in both home and educational environments.Developed by Nari Shin, a water safety educator with over 17 years of field experience, including contribution to the early development of the World Aquatics Discover Water programme.This resource is not a learn-to-swim manual.It is a pre-swim cognitive water safety programme designed to reduce risk by supporting how children think and respond before, during, and beyond water exposure. Read more