Hi-Yah!

Friday saw the second weekly class at WMA Karate for Explorers Club members. While last week's class introduced the Explorers to owner and teacher, Howard Letting, and allowed some practice of basic kicks and chopping, the action really heated up yesterday morning. After some warm up exercises, including left, right, front, back and upper kicks, the tiny tots were amazed and delighted when their quiet and patient instructor broke a board right in front of the Explorers' little eyes with one smooth chopping motion! After a moment of shock, giggles and squeals filled the room, and the kids were more motivated than ever to learn some moves of their own. One illustrated story book and several demonstrations later, the Explorers were practicing five tae kwon do positions under Howard's patient instruction. Shayna has proved to be a particularly attentive student, with her masterful left kicks left the rest of the group in admiration, while both Rio and Shelton seemed to have other plans for themselves during class: namely, picking up their exercise mats and moving them around the room as the rest of the group worked!
While her Explorers were busy kicking and chopping in downtown Brooklyn, head teacher Brittany was on diaper duty in downtown Chicago! The Explorers Club's best-dressed teacher headed out the door early on Thursday afternoon to spend a long weekend with her brother, sister-in-law and one-year-old niece, Madison. She may have missed Friday afternoon's post-karate lunch of pizza at Bedouin Tent, something tells us that a Chicago-style deep dish pie may have been a perfectly acceptable substitute! Luckily Kisha and office manager Nichole Washington were on hand to lend some extra lunchtime help to the Explorers Club team. Rio in particular needed a watchful eye focused only on him as he rushed to gobble a slice so quickly that he almost didn't give the hot cheese time to cool off!