Lifesaving Tips

For Parents !
Make children wear a life jacket when on a dock, riding in a
boat or raft, when skiing or tubing, and even when fishing or playing
near the water. California law says that all children under twelve years
of age must wear a properly fitting U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket
while underway on a vessel of 26 feet or less.

Children should be constantly supervised when in or near water, even if

they are wearing a life jacket.

Swimming lessons and infant/toddler water adjustment class promote water

safety, but they do not replace adult supervision.

Teach your children to wait for permission before getting into the water.
Teach them also not to run or push on pool decks, docks or boats.

Show your children safe areas for swimming.

Use and enforce water safety rules, children learn from the actions
of adults.

Never use inflatable water toys, like beach balls or water wings, as life
jackets or life preservers.

Learn infant/child cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). When visiting a

new water area, know where the nearest phone is to call 9-1-1 for help.

Meet the AquaSMART

Characters !
Learn how to be AquaSMART. Let Splasher, Surfer, Diver, Charlie and Joe
help you learn how to be safe in and around the water!

Diver I’m
Splasher

Surfer
1
Charlie and Joe
 Selecting
Life Jackets
For Children
........................

A personal flotation device (PFD), or life jacket, can keep your

child afloat and keep them warm in cold water. Drowning can
occur in less than a minute, without noise, and often happens
even when an adult is nearby.

What do you look for when choosing a life Jacket?

• The U.S. Coast Guard approval number on the life Jacket–this means
the jacket meets specific criteria for performance and design.

• Check the size and weight limits on the label. Try the life Jacket on
the child. Check for proper fit by lifting the life jacket at the shoulders.
If there is more than three inches between the child’s shoulders and
the life jacket, it is too big! If the life jacket lifts up to cover the child’s
mouth or ears, it is too big!

• A head support collar is important for small children. It supports

their head when in the water and a loop on the collar allows for
grabbing and lifting a child from the water.

• Small children must have a crotch strap that promotes a snug fit.
The strap should be used at all times to help keep the life jacket
in place.

• For older children, it is important to consider comfort and appearance.

Let the child participate in the selection of their life jacket. Put their
name on it.

• After selection is made, have the child test the life jacket in a pool.
This gives you a chance to observe the fit and performance of the
life jacket in water, and gives your child a chance to become
comfortable with their life jacket. Teach your child how to swim
on their back while wearing the life jacket.

2
 uaSMAR
Aq the

Be

T
Waterways
of california
ACTIVITY 1:
...............

The State of California

Color the map and learn more
about California. Use the helpful
color key as a guide.

Color Key

Mountains: Brown

Valleys: Green

Rivers: Blue

Coastline: Orange

Desert: Yellow

Ocean: Blue

Water is an important resource!

3
 uaSMAR
Aq the
Be

T
Waterways
of california
ACTIVITY 2:
..............

How Do We Get Our Water?

Water is important. Every living thing needs water to
live. Read how we get our water below. Write the correct
number next to the picture to show what happens first,
second, third and fourth. Color the pictures.

1. In California, water comes from snow and rain.

2. Waterfalls and streams flow into rivers and lakes.
3. Rivers and lakes flow into canals.
4. Canals are used to bring water to farmers and people in the cities.

4
 Le
ART sson
M
Learn

1:
AquaS
to
...................
ACTIVITY 1:
Swim !
Learn to Swim Word Search Word Bank
To be safe, learn to swim. Circle the LEARN
words in the dolphin puzzle that are
listed in the word bank. We’ll teach you TO
to be AquaSMART in no time at all. SWIM
BE
SAFE
BUDDY
POOL

S H S A F E K
R S D G J B E
T L W T A C L
O K A I V B E
V H E P M N A
B U D D Y C R
G P O O L U N

5
 T Lesso
AR n
M
Learn

1:
AquaS
to
ACTIVITY 2:
Swim !
.......................

Swim With a Buddy

Remember, always swim with a buddy. Using
letters from the letter bank, fill in a letter to make
the correct word in the space below.

Draw a picture
of yourself
or a buddy.

Letter Bank

b s n a w

Learn to wim.
Swim with a uddy.
Be safe in the ater.
You should ever swim alone.
Swim with an dult.
6
 T Lesso
AR n
M

2:
AquaS
Wear a
Life Jacket!
ACTIVITY 1:
..............

LEARN ABOUT LIFE JACKETS

To be safe, connect the dots to help
Diver put on her life jacket. Color
E1
in the jacket. TYP ore
Off-
sh

TYPE 2
Near Shore

17
2
16 3
TYPE 3 id,
1 4 nA
Flotatiot Water
s
For mo orts
18 Sp
15 5
13 14
12
TYPE
19 Throw 4
Devicaeble
s
6
11 20
8 7
10 9

TYPE
Specia 5
l-u
Device se
s

“I will always make sure my life jacket

fits me, and is always buckled up tight.”
—Diver
7
 T Lesso
AR n
M

2:
AquaS Wear a
Life Jacket!
ACTIVITY 2:

The Right Safety Equipment

To be safe, you need to wear the right safety
equipment! Circle the equipment that each
person needs to wear to be safe when playing.

glove shirt helmet baseball

life jacket fishing oar whistle

pole

knee pads helmet hockey stick rollerblades

8
 T Lesso
AR n
M
Learn

3:
AquaS Float !
to
ACTIVITY 1:
..............................

Learn to Float MAze

Learning to float is really important in case you get too tired
to swim. Help Surfer and Diver float downstream through
the maze.

Start

Finish

Everyone should practice

floating in a safe place, like
a swimming pool, with an
adult watching.
9
 T Lesso
AR n
M
Learn
3:
AquaS

ACTIVITY 2:
to
Float !
..............

Surfer And Diver’s Floating Story

Charlie and Joe know, if you fall into a river,
float feet first downstream. Read the story
and fill in the missing words.

Surfer and Diver are floating downriver in their

. Both of them are

wearing life . All of a sudden,

they bump into a . The raft

tips them over into the water. Surfer and Diver need to

stay . To be safe, they both need to

protect their heads by

with their pointing downstream.

Word Bank

feet raft floating

calm rock jackets
10
 T Lesso
AR n
M
Learn to

4:
AquaS Rescue Safely !
ACTIVITY 1:
..............

Find the Safety Helpers

Draw a circle around the helpers
you can use to reach.

board oar hand bicycle branch shoes

Draw a circle around the helpers

you can use to throw.

inner tube empty ice chest clock life jacket beach ball rescue ring

Draw a circle around the helpers

an adult can use to row.

raft air mattress chair inner tube camera row boat

If you can’t reach, throw, or find an

adult to row, go call 9-1-1 to get help.
11
 T Lesso
AR n
M
Learn to

4:
AquaS

Rescue Safely !
ACTIVITY 2:
...........

Rescue Safely Crossword Puzzle

Accidents happen at the pool, lake, river
Word Bank
and ocean. It is best to be prepared.
Learn ways to rescue safely! Use the
words from the word bank to finish the
help
puzzle. Helpful clues are listed below. reach
throw
row
1. 3.

2.

4.

Across Down
2. to stretch out 1. to assist someone
and grasp in need

4. to move with 3. to hurl or fling

oars into the air
12
 T Lesso
AR n
M
Look before

5:
AquaS
you leap !
ACTIVITY 1:
................

Find the Safe Swimming Areas

Look for dangers before you enter the water. Cross
out pictures where you should NOT swim. Then, color
the pictures where it is safe to swim.

rocks and logs beach with lifeguard

canal marked swim area

swimming pool with adult no lifeguard on duty

WARNIN
G:
No
Lifeguar
On Dut d
y

13
 T Lesso
AR
M
n
Look before

5:
AquaS
you leap !
ACTIVITY 2:
..............................

MAtch Up the Signs Helpful Signs

Signs warn us of dangers you can’t
always see. Be a sign watcher and This sign tells where we can
be safe. My friends below are all get first aid if we get hurt.
mixed up. Help them This sign tells us we cannot
decide where to go. swim here. It is dangerous.
Draw a line from the
problem to the sign This sign tells us we can call
9-1-1 for emergency help.
that will help them.
This sign tells us someone is
? there to answer our questions.

Emergency! I need
help. Someone is
hurt badly.

My friends cut
their feet. They
need first aid. ?
I want to go
swimming. How will
I know if I can’t?

Question: I wonder
if it’s okay to ride my
bike on the dock?

14
 Le
ART sson
M
Don’t overload

6:
AquaS
Your B0at !
ACTIVITY 1:
.....................

Help Load and Balance the Boat

Small boats can tip over. To be safe, don’t overload your
boat. Help make this a safe and balanced boat. First,
cut the page in half along dotted line. Then, cut out the
characters, ice cooler, inner tube and fishing gear. Finally,
glue the pictures into the boat so the boat stays balanced.

✄
✄

Diver Inner Tube

Ice Cooler Surfer

Splasher Fishing Gear

15
 T Lesso
AR n
M
Don’t overload

6:
AquaS
Your B0at !
ACTIVITY 2:
...........

Fun Balancing Boats

Try this fun experiment and learn more about the
importance of balancing a boat. To get started, you will
need a large plastic bowl, a jelly jar lid, and about 12–15
pennies. Then, read and follow the steps below.

Fill the bowl with water to Float the jelly jar lid upside-down
1 represent a lake or ocean. 2 on the water to represent a boat.

Balanced boat: the boat will remain

3 Place coins in the boat 4 stable if it has the same amount of
to represent people. pennies on each side. Add pennies
one at a time on each side of the lid
(3 to 4 on each side).
1¢ 1¢

1¢ 1¢
1¢
1¢
1¢ 1¢

1¢
1¢ 1¢ 1¢
1¢ 1¢
1¢ 1¢1¢ 1¢
1¢ 1¢ 1¢
1¢ 1¢ 1¢
1¢
1¢ 1¢ 1¢
1¢
1¢

Unbalanced boat: place pennies Overloaded boat: stack pennies

5 one at a time on one side of the lid.
6 in the middle of the lid and
The boat will eventually capsize. eventually the boat will capsize.
1¢
1¢
1¢
1¢
1¢
1¢
1¢
1¢ 1¢
1¢
1¢
1¢
1¢

1¢
1¢

16
 Le
ART sson
M
Stay with

7:
AquaS
Your B0at !
ACTIVITY 1:
...................

Diver and Surfer’s Adventure

Stay calm and stay with your boat if your boat turns
over. Read the story about Diver and Surfer. Help
finish the story below.

One Sunny day Diver and Surfer decided to go for a

ride in their boat. They both put on their life jackets

before they left on their trip. Surfer and Diver were having so much fun

they didn’t pay attention to the choppy water. Suddenly the

boat bumped into a big wave. The boat turned upside

down and Surfer and Diver fell into the water.

What should Diver and Surfer do next? Help Charlie

and Joe put the pictures in the right order. Write
the number 1, 2, 3, or 4 next to the correct picture.

stay with first, stay help and blow whistle,

boat calm rescue wave arms
for help

17
 T Lesso
AR n
M
Stay with

7:
AquaS Your B0at !
ACTIVITY 2: Safety List
...........

If Your Boat Turns Over If your boat turns over:

Read the Safety List then
look at the pictures below. ✔ 1. Look, listen, and keep
There are two sentences calm.
for each picture. Circle the
✔ 2. Stay with your boat.
sentence that tells you the
best way to stay safe if ✔ 3. Look for boats that are
your boat turns over. close, blow your whistle,
and wave your arms to let
Always wear a properly fitting U.S. them know you need help.
Coast Guard-approved life jacket!

1
• Look and listen for help.

• Yell, scream, and cry for help.

2 • Flap your arms up and down.

• Remain calm and stay

with your boat.

3 • Look around for help; if

boaters are close enough,
blow your whistle, and wave
your arms to let them know
you need help.

• Yell, yell, and yell until

someone hears.
18
 T Lesso
AR n
M
Learn the

8:
AquaS Boating Rules
of the
Road!
ACTIVITY 1:
..........................

Charlie and Joe Learn the Rules

Help Charlie and Joe learn the
boating rules of the road. Read the
“Rules of the Road” list. Then, find
the signs and color them.
Always Wear
a Life Jacket
Rules of the Road
Color the “Boats
Keep Out” sign ROCK
orange.

Color the life

jacket yellow.

5 Rock-Danger No Smoking Diver Down,

MPH
Color the “5 MPH” Boats Stay Clear
speed limit blue.

Color the “Diver

Down” sign red.
5
MPH
ROCK Color the “Rock”
sign orange.

CF
Color the “Left
1
Channel Buoy”
green. Weather Flag 5 miles per hour Boats Keep Out
CF
speed limit
A Color the “Center
Channel Buoy” red.

CF
2
Color the “Right
Channel Buoy” red. CF CF CF
1 A 2
Color the “Weather
Flag” orange.
Marks Left Side Marks Center Marks Right
Color the “No of the Channel of the Channel Side of the
Smoking” sign red.
Channel

19
 T Lesso
AR
M
n
Learn the

8:
AquaS
Boating Rules
of the
Road!
ACTIVITY 2:
...........

Courtesy is the Rule

Always be courteous, follow the rules
and watch out for swimmers, fisherman,
skiers and other boats. Surfer and Diver
are going out in a boat. Can you help
them learn the courtesy rules? Cross
out the pictures where Surfer and Diver
should NOT go boating.

It is safe and courteous to go boating. . .

too close to the dock on the bay while following close to swimmers
the rules of the road

ROCK

5
MPH

on the lake while close to people fishing close to rocks and logs
obeying speed limits

21
 T Lesso
AR n
M
Alcohol, Drugs and

9:
AquaS
Boating Don’t Mix !
ACTIVITY 1:

Alcohol, Drugs,
..............

Word Bank
Boating and Stress
alcohol noise
The main stressors of
boating (sun, wind, noise, dangerous no
and waves) make drinking alcohol and
taking drugs while boating even more balance sun
dangerous. Using words from the word
bank, fill in the missing words below. drugs mix
waves wind

1 Say to alcohol and drugs.

2 Boat passengers who drink or use

can lose their and fall out of the boat.

3 Loud from the boat engine, heat from the ,

blowing , and the moving of the water,
all add to the bad effects of alcohol.

4 Drinking alcohol or taking drugs makes boating

for everyone.

5 Alcohol, drugs and boating don’t .

21
 T Lesso
AR n
M
Alcohol, Drugs and

9:
AquaS
Boating Don’t Mix !
ACTIVITY 2:

Say NO To Alcohol and Drugs

It is dangerous to drink alcohol or use other drugs while
boating. The AquaSMART characters know that alcohol,
drugs and boating don’t mix! Color and cut out the pictures.
Then, glue them to popsicle sticks to make puppets.
Sample popsicle stick puppet

Alcohol, Drugs
and Boating
Don’t Mix!
✄

Charlie Joe Alcohol, Drugs and

Boating Don’t Mix!

Diver

Surfer
Splasher

Boat
22
 T Lesson
AR
Keep our
AquaSM

10
:
Waterways
................
ACTIVITY 1:
clean !
Let’s Clean the Water
Help clean up our waterways. Draw a circle
around the things that will hurt animals and
plant life.

G
BA

23
 T Lesson
AR Keep our
AquaSM

10
Waterways

:
ACTIVITY 2:
clean !
Help Keep Our Waterways Clean
..............

Recycle and reuse whenever possible.

Help Diver clean up the mess below.
Draw a line from the garbage to the
correct recycling bin.

G
BA

trash
please
recycle

trash-
food
glass plastic cans paper waste

e
r

at ttl
e
w
bo

jar

24
 Cut Here ✄
..............

Certificate of Accomplishment
Awarded to:

for completing this water and boating safety activity book

Great Job!

OF C ALIFOR
TA
TE NI Presented by the Parent/Guardian
A
S

California Department of
«
DEPARTME

ER W AYS

Boating and Waterways Date

AT
NT

OF D
B OAT N
ING A