I have a question for Blackbeltdisneygirl. How much do you push your students to compete? I signed DS12 up for Karate when he was 7. We didn't take for very long. From the first class, all the instructor talked about was preparing for competition and competing. He also had twice a week sessions (once at 7 at night during the week, and once at 8 am on Saturday morning -
) If you were competing, I believe he also tried to hold another practice during the week. I thought it was a little much for a beginner. DS burned out quickly, it was just too hard with school/homework/trying to get into bed at a decent hour. I confess, I know very little about martial arts. Can you not move through the belts without competing? I think, if DS could have taken a once a week class that wasn't focused on competition, he might have enjoyed it more. Perhaps that is impossible, though?
I don't push my students at all to compete. It is a personal choice. Our school didn't even start competing until about 3 years ago. It's never been our focus. We started a competition team about 1 1/2 years ago, but it is mostly adults. We also don't compete in stand up (American Kenpo), just in grappling. That further limits the amount of students who compete b/c some only do Kenpo, not ground work. Not all of my children compete yet either. My son and oldest daughter are the only ones out of 5 who do. My second oldest daughter is looking forward to competing though, and is in the process of training to do so. My son doesn't like it much anymore, but if I let him out of it, he would sit around playing guitar all day. I want him to stay well-rounded, so he competes maybe once a year, and trains 3 days a week. My daughter loves it. (he still likes karate, so I wanted to specify that. Even if he didn't, he doesn't have a choice in the matter b/c I won't quit on him. Sometimes we have to push our kids to be the best they can be without crushing their spirits. Karate is just part of our day.)
Anyway, you should be able to find a school that doesn't focus on competing. Our school does not require it for moving through the belt rankings. Again, it is not our focus. Our focus is building strong, confident, respectful kids who have the skills they need to defend themselves. The only reason we started competing in the first place was b/c in the studio you can't go hard on your training partners, so it was a chance for us to test skills to see where our shortcomings were. I would look around for a school that doesn't require it to get through the beltrankings. Belts are VERY important to a child building confidence. I often have to have conversations with parents who say they aren't going to make their kids go through the rankings. It is something that the kids work very hard to earn, and it is crucial to confidence building. At age 7, our kids' classes are between 4:45 and 7. 7 is for mostly the kids who are learning in specialized classes like weapons, so they aren't required. There should be a school near you somewhere that has earlier classes. Though at age 12, in our program, you child would be considered an adult, and classes end at 9 for adults. I guess I would just do some research on the schools in your area to see what might suit your family and your schedule. Most schools offer some sort of free trial. I don't want to knock the other school, but it seems to me that a karate school should be focused on the wellbeing of its students, not on winning medals or trophies.
He use to enjoy soccer and he did play it for about 2 years before the competitive nature of the other kids and sadly the parents squashed whatever desire he had to play it. He does not like the pressure that comes with competitive team sports (I really can't blame him). Now, he is cool as a cucumber playing piano at recitals and in church ---tons of people listening to him ---that doesn't bother him but of course no one is yelling at him.
We do play games as a family outdoors --- he loves "hunting" us with the Nerf guns (think paintball but with Nerf darts). He likes helping his daddy gather and cut wood for our bonfires (but we don't do this on a regular basis - maybe twice a month). He also helps my husband dig fence post holes, when asked. I would just love to find a way to motivate him to be active outside more often than when we are working on our place.
We have discussed adding a horse to our collection of animals but as of right now, its just not feasible. The money it would take to maintain the horse is just not there considering we already have 20 pot belly pigs, 6 barn cats and a dog.
Now, he will walk on our treadmill inside the house and he will walk on this for an hour at a time while he watches tv. But he won't go outside for a walk unless I ask him to. So he is active just not outside where you would think an 11 year-old boy would want to be. I know he can't be the only young boy like this.
I have considered buying or letting him make a marshmallow gun, since he likes to build, and letting him shoot marshmallows at the pigs. The pigs would love the marshmallows and would chase and "hunt" him if he hid from them with marshmallows. (They are pets and extremely gentle ---they will sit in his lap if he sits down)
Blackbeltdisneygirl - if you have game suggestions I am willing to try them. We have 10 acres that are open pasture so anything can be played out there.
I'm just curious if this is a growing trend among children these days. It just seems that instead of active playing its becoming more and more sedentary play.
I think you have a kid who does seem to enjoy a healthy balance, now that you have given us more information! It's great that he walks on the treadmill! I hate the treadmill! Guess that's why I do karate. He obviously enjoys shooting in a fun environment, so I like the idea of the marshmallow gun. There are plenty of instructional videos online on how to make one yourself, so maybe that could be an outdoor family project. We were talking about making them with our kids as an offshoot of my business (I sell products at flea markets on the side), and haven't gotten there yet. My son is recently really into airsoft guns. They are safe as long as you wear eye protection. They don't hurt as much as paintball, and the bb's are tiny, so they don't leave a huge mess. One of my son's friends likes to set up bales of straw and other obstacles. They have safe zones where you can remove eye protection if needed and you cannot be shot. It's a great way to get your son moving and playing outside. With an only child, mom and dad have to be really active in their play instead of letting them hang out with their siblings while you work. On the other hand, it might be a great way for your hubby and son to reconnect. Your hubby obviously can handle shooting, so having an airsoft war will be a great way to connect on the same level. The guns can be really affordable too. Look on ebay and at flea markets.
With that much land and with your animals, there is a lot of work that has to be done, I am sure. Sometimes with our students, we will do timed drills. It turns something that is maybe not so fun into something the kids look forward to. For example, we will take gear, pads, balls, and pretty much anything soft that we use in the studio, and pile it in the middle of the mat. We then have the kids run a speed drill where they are only allowed to take one item at a time and put it away. We time them, and they try to beat their time. This is a drill we run to help parents see a fun way to get kids to clean their rooms and such. I am sure you could alter this to fit whatever you are working on in regards to your chores. That way, not only are the chores getting done, but he is running and being active. He'll get a kick out of trying to beat his times. Oh, and it doen't count if they do a sloppy job. We toss the item back in the mix, and they have to do it again. That way the job is getting done right and fast.
Relay races are a great way to get kids moving. I change it up all the time. One day I will tell the kids to warm up by making their bottoms hit four corners of the mat. This is easy with a wide open space. You can just map out four corners. It's funny to see them running and sitting, running and sitting until they get all four corners. I've done this with all kinds of changes, like doing crab crawls to all four corners and such. Again, they are trying to beat their times. We also do line drills where they are going in straight lines and doing all kinds of different things. We'll do cartwheels down the line, forward rolls, wheelbarrows, snap kicks, bear crawls (hands down on the ground, butts up in the air), seals (bellies on the ground, but hands are pushing arms up so head is up in the air. they use only their arms to pull them along), scorpions (hands down, one leg up and straight, they sort of hop on one foot and two hands all the way down), etc...
Obstacle courses are fantastic, and again can be timed. We do over and under obstacles, in, out, and around obstacles, rope climbs, rope swings (instead of climbing the rope, swing across something) etc...How fun would it be for your son to come outside and mom and dad have an obstacle course set up. It's even more fun if mom and dad participate and time themselves too! They love the safe competition that is good-natured.
Let me know if we are on the right track. I can give you more if you think we are heading in the right direction. If not, I can give you others.
Sedentary lifestyles are becoming an epidemic, so you are absolutely right in thinking it is becoming more common. Kids spend most of their time on computers, video games, TV, play that involves sitting, etc... I often have to undo that damage. I see overweight children on a daily basis, and have to get them moving and refocused. I have a weight issue, but it's not for lack of trying. It's due to thyroid and some major health issues I've had. I refuse to let it happen to my kids, and that's why I get them involved in so many outdoor activities and karate. I do want you to know that what you describe about your son paints a picture of a child with a pretty healthy balance. I wouldn't have a problem teaching him in classes b/c he already seems to be a focused kid. As long as he is exercising at least 30 minutes to an hour a day, I wouldn't be too worried. What really matters is making sure he develops good habits so he doesn't become overweight as an adult by not making exercise a habit.
My advise is to read read read. Do some searches at your local library for homeschooling books. There are tons out there written about every facet of this journey! Find some that interest you and dive in. I may be a nerd, but I always have a book with me. I find it calming and energizing to sneak in a few pages here and there...plus, it is great for the little ones to see you reading. Also, look up homeschooling conferences in your area and try to attend at least one. It is amazing how encouraging they can be. You will learn so much and will be so excited to begin the journey. Plus, it is great to look at the curricula in person and see what works best for your family. Know that your are not alone and you can do this! 
