Practice drowning?

I didn't catch the whole piece, but the lunch time news had a bit about what appeared to be a training session for kids. Elementary school kids, with regular clothes - not the uniforms, and not summer outfits - were falling into a pool, with a current in it. They were floating along, clutching backbacks or whatever, with their shoes and clothes soaked. After floating for a while, someone would toss them an empty plastic bottle, and they could clutch that while they floated a bit farther. All around and in the pool were adults, so it clearly wasn't terribly scary, but I thought the idea of practicing falling in and floating with your normal clothes was a good one. Some of the kids started out pretty stiff, but after a bit, they all seemed to relax.

One thing about Japanese emergency preparation, they seem to do real practice quite well. From the biological outbreaks to earthquake to drowning, go ahead and run a live practice session. I have to admit, I'll bet it helps when the real thing hits.