This
afternoon, we went to a local bakery to pick out Lilly's birthday cake, but
it's closed on Mondays. Rats. I probably could've figured that out before heading
out there. Since we were out & it was way too early to go to karate, we got
my car washed (I almost forgot my car is white!) and picked up a few things at
Walgreens. We still had time before Shawn's karate class started, so he had a
quick snack and changed into his uniform. Then he got to watch some of the
purple belt class before his. Their kicks were impressive! Shawn understood
right away why it was necessary for them to be using padding as protection!
In
his class, he practiced:
Ax
kick - stand with legs crossed, lift front foot as high as possible, then come
down so heal makes contact (able to break a person's collar bone if done
correctly!)
Double
block - or the instructor would take his ears!
Fold
/ High block - or get bopped in the head by a padded bat!
Discussion
about 'Intensity - face, voice, force'
1-2
punch relay race
At
the end of class, Shawn took the 2nd stripe test, but he needed to
practice his high block more before he could pass the test. (He wasn't turning
his wrist up to the proper position and his arms flailed up & out, trying
to knock the hit away, instead of staying firm in an almost 90° angle in front
of his forehead.) He worked with the teaching assistants for extra
practice. I could tell he was worried and getting frustrated, but they were
encouraging him and he kept working at it. In the end, he earned his stripe.
Phew!
While
I watched from behind the glass, the teacher in me could barely keep herself
sitting on the really uncomfortable bench seat! The teaching assistants were
basically saying/doing the same instructions and modeling over & over
again, which is fine if he was just needing practice, but Shawn was still
making the same mistakes most of the time. Even though he earned the
stripe, I got an idea and couldn't wait to share it with him. I knew it'd
help him to understand what his arms were supposed to do. While I bit my lip
until class was over, I was practically giddy in the car and promised him I had
a trick to help him practice at home. After he changed into pjs and I had
dinner in progress, I used marker to draw big red stop signs on the inside of
both wrists. That way, when he blocks, he's supposed to show the stop sign to
whomever he's trying to block (since a block is supposed to *stop* the hit)! We
still had to work on the flailing vs firm 90° arm a little, but the wrist
position was instantly fixed! Then, I told him to make his arm look like a box
(90°) in front of his forehead.
Done.
Like
magic.
Throughout
the rest of the evening, I'd randomly call out, "Block!" and Shawn
would show off his perfected move.
Oh,
it felt good to be able to take something that a student struggles to do and
turn it around to make sense! I miss that part of teaching more than anything.
And,
Shawn thought it was funny that I drew on him. Whatever works, kiddo!
I
wonder if karate has honorary belts ;)
After
dinner, we finally changed out the few remaining Valentine's decorations for
spring/Easter ones. I cut a few branches off a pussy willow tree by our front
walk and Shawn helped me decorate it with hollowed eggs from past years and
small hanging ornaments. He also wanted decorate eggs, but it was getting too
late for that tonight.
Instead,
we started a new book series at bedtime: Judy Moody by Megan McDonald. We're
starting with Judy Moody and Stink: The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Treasure
Hunt. Though it's not the first in the series, it's the one we own and if
Shawn likes it, then I'll check Freecycle and the library for others. In the
first couple of chapters we read tonight, it doesn't seem like reading the
series in order is imperative. Shawn's having a lot of fun with the pirate
theme.
Look
out Mary Pope Osborne! Jack & Annie's Magic Treehouse adventures might have
some competition!
