Swimming Nina and the Neurons

# If you've got a question and you don't know where to go

# Ask Nina for some help cos she's got a science show

# She makes sense of her senses while helping all her fans

# By doing her experiments with potions and with bangs

-# Touch your tongue

-Tongue!

-# Fingers

-Fingers!

-# Eyes!

-Eyes!

-Ears!

-Ears!

-# Nose!

-Nose!

# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know

# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know

# Luke he helps us with our eyes and Felix with our touch

# Ollie sniffs out smells and scents and Belle she hears so much

# Bud is Ollie's brother he helps us with our taste

# They're Nina's little Neurons and they're coming to your place

-# Touch your tongue

-Tongue

-# Fingers

-Fingers

-# Eyes

-Eyes

-Ears

-Ears

-# Nose

-Nose

-# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know

-Yeah!

# Nina and the Neurons find out what you need to know

# Oh, yeah! #

Wooh! Oh, hello there.

I'm just about to do an experiment to see how fast my swimmer

friend can swim across this tub of water.

So, let's see. Good luck!

Go, go! You're doing really well. What a great swimmer.

BEEP BEEP

Oh, I hear a beep, I see a flash, I wonder what they're going to ask.

-BOTH: Hi, Nina.

-Hi!

We've got a question for you.

How do we swim?

That's a great question. "How do we swim?"

Swimming is a really fun sport

but how do our bodies move through the water when we swim?

Why don't you come down to my lab and we'll investigate?

-BOTH: See you soon, Nina. Bye.

-Bye!

Well, I'm going to need some help to answer this one

and I know just who to ask.

OK, Neurons, time to get to work.

ALL: Neurons at the ready, Nina.

OK. Today's question is, "How do we swim?"

Which Neuron will be most useful in helping us find the answer?

ALL: Me! Me! Me! Oh, me!

Will it be fabulous Felix?

I can help so very much if you need the sense of touch.

Will it be beautiful Belle?

I send messages to brain from ear. If there's a sound, I'll help you hear.

Will it be lovely Luke?

For looking and seeing, day or night,

I'll help you with your sense of sight.

Will it be awesome Ollie?

If it's pongy or whiffy but you can't tell,

-my messages help your sense of smell.

-Or will it be baby Bud?

Sour, salty, bitter or sweet, I'm your taste buddy whenever you eat!

It's Felix!

CHEERING

ALL: Go, Felix! Go, Felix! Go, Felix! Go, Felix!

Marvellous! A little touch can mean so much, Nina.

Today's question is, "How do we swim?"

When we're swimming, we feel the water all around us

so, Felix, our touch Neuron, will be helping us.

I need to get the lab ready before the experimenters arrive.

Olivia loves eating pizza.

Nina loves baking.

I like floating on my back.

I like jumping in.

But they both want to know, "How do we swim?"

So, today, for one day only, Nina and Olivia become the experimenters!

-Hi, guys.

-BOTH: Hi, Nina.

Welcome to my lab and thank you for your great question,

"How do we swim?"

To find out, let's start by using our senses.

ALL: Whoop whoo! A senses experiment! We're ready, Nina.

Now, there are quite a few styles of swimming, aren't there?

-Can you name any?

-Crawling.

-Yeah. Can you think of any?

-Breaststroke.

That's right. Very good, guys. Let's take a look at some.

This is the breaststroke.

Your arms go forward and then we pull them back Can you try?

Forward, then pull them back. That's it. Keep going!

Ooh! Good!

THEY GIGGLE

Oh! That feels simply marvellous.

Now, what about this one?

This is the front crawl.

You put your arm in front of you and pull it under

the water and then do the same with

the other arm, so you guys do it too.

Oh, very good. Very good.

What about the doggy paddle, Nina?

Oh, yes! Let's not forget my favourite stroke, the doggy paddle.

Oh, thanks, bud.

So, look carefully

and tell me what parts of the swimmers body are moving.

-Their arms and legs, Nina.

-That's right.

When we're swimming, we use our arms and our legs.

But how do they help us move through the water? Let's get experimenting!

So, we know that we move our arms in different ways when we're

swimming different strokes, but why do you think we move them?

-To go through the water.

-Yes. Our arms pull us through the water.

When we're swimming, our hands are a bit like a paddle

and they pull us through the water like this.

Do you want to try? Make your hand like a paddle.

Listen!

Slosh, slosh, slosh.

What did it feel like?

It feels like we're pulling the water.

So, their hands act like a paddle which means you can pull more water.

And move through the water more easily!

That's right. Well done, Neurons.

This is a great shape for our hands and our arms when we're swimming

because we pull lots of water towards us and it helps us to move.

But what about our legs? How do they help us swim?

Time for another experiment and I know just the place.

Oh, it's somewhere warm and bright with lovely, clear blue water.

Let's go!

Hmm. Where do you think we're going today?

Somewhere bright with clear blue water? I can't wait!

-A beautiful lake, perhaps?

-No! I hope it's the seaside!

Something's got a strong smell but it's not the seaside.

I can smell chlorine. It's a swimming pool!

So, we know you both can swim and you should always swim with an

adult and to keep an eye on us, we have Chris, our lifeguard.

-Hi, Chris.

-BOTH: Hi!

-CHRIS:

-Hi, guys.

Now, you're both holding floats which means you won't be

using your arms, just your legs.

Can I ask you to kick your legs and we'll see what happens?

Go!

And stop!

-So, what happened there?

-We moved forward.

-Yes.

You weren't using your arms but your legs pushed you through the water.

Well done.

This time, you're holding on to the side

and I want you to try kicking again.

ALL: Yay! Splish, splosh, splish, splosh, splash!

Stop kicking and relax.

Oh! Now, what happened to your legs when you stopped kicking?

-They dropped down in the water.

-That's right.

Kicking keeps your legs up near the surface

and also helps to keep your body flat in the water.

Why does a flat body help, Nina?

Great question, Belle.

Keeping our bodies as flat as possible makes it easier to

move through the water when we swim.

So, now we know that our arms pull us through the water

and our legs push us through the water.

But which one helps us most with our swimming?

Time for an experiment.

So, your question was, "How do we swim?",

and we've discovered that swimmers use their arms and legs

in different ways and these are called swimming strokes.

Let's look at Ruaridh and Alistair swimming.

Do you know what stroke they were doing?

The breaststroke.

Ruaridh and Alistair did the breaststroke at the same speed

but this time, Ruaridh is only going to use his arms

and Alistair is only going to use his legs.

So, who will be fastest?

-I think the one using their arms.

-I think the one using their legs.

Well, let's see. Are you ready, swimmers?

Ready, steady, go!

ALL: Yes! Come on! Go on! You can do it!

Now, watch carefully. Ruaridh is pulling the water with his arms

and hands and Alistair is pushing the water with his legs.

Froggy legs is leading.

So, who finished faster?

-The legs-only swimmer, Nina.

-Yes!

Alistair, who was using his legs to push through the water, won.

And that's because in the breaststroke, our legs help us

to move much more than our arms do.

So, let's try the same experiment again but with front crawl.

But this time, Ruaridh is only going to use his arms

and Alistair's only going to use his legs.

Who do you think will win?

-Arms only, Nina.

-Legs only.

OK, well, let's see. Are you ready, swimmers?

Ready, steady, go!

You can see that Ruaridh is pulling the water

with his arms and hands and Alistair is pushing the water with is legs.

CHEERING

So, who finished faster?

Was it arms-only swimmer or legs-only swimmer?

The arms-only swimmer, Nina.

Yes! Ruaridh, the arms only swimmer, was faster and that's because

in the front crawl, our arms move us much more than our legs do.

So, for breaststroke, the legs are important.

Because froggy legs move as quickly.

And in front crawl, most movement comes from the arms.

Well remembered, Neurons.

And thank you to our brilliant swimmers. Thanks, guys, bye!

The great thing about swimming is that bodies of all shapes

and sizes can move quickly through the water.

We can use the swimming stroke that suits our body.

These are paralympic swimmers.

They've found the best way to use their arms and legs to move

as fast as they can.

Those swimmers are amazing.

Yes, Luke. Swimming is a brilliant sport for everyone.

So, your question was, "How do we swim?"

And I think we've answered it.

Swimmers move their arms and legs in different ways.

For some strokes, our legs push us through the water.

And for others, our arms and hands pull us through.

And once you've found YOUR favourite stroke, swimming is brilliant fun!

So, I hope that's answered your question.

-BOTH: Thanks, Nina. Bye!

-You're welcome. Bye.

If you want to know more about the science that's all around us,

go to the Nina section of the CBeebies website. Have fun!

ALL: On your marks, get set, go!

# Get sporty, do-be do-be doop doop do-be do-do

# Get sporty, do-be do-be doop doop do-be do-do

# If you're itching for some exercise from your head down to your toes

# Toes!

# Why not try out something new and give it a real go

# Go!

-# Whenever you are restless and feeling kind of bored

-Bored!

# Grab your friends and go outside and try a brand-new sport

# Get sporty, do-be do-be doop doop do-be do-do

# Get sporty, do-be do-be doop doop do-be do-do

# Spinning, throwing, running, jumping, lots of fun to do

-# Cycling, diving, sliding, rolling, It's really up to you

-Yoo-hoo!

# If you're wondering how a swimmer swims or a bike can go so fast

# Give it a bash and make it last, it's time to go get sporty

# Get sporty, do-be do-be doop doop do-be do-do

# Get sporty, do-be do-be doop doop do-be do-do

# Get sporty, do-be do-be doop doop do-be do-do

# Get sporty, do-be do-be doop doop do-be do-do. #

And remember, whether it's inside, outside,

on a bike or in a pool, we can all try something new and get sporty.

See you again soon! Bye!

-ALL: Bye!

-Get sporty!