View Single Post
  #5 (permalink)  
Old 06-25-1999, 11:50 AM
Bernie's Avatar
Bernie Bernie is offline
Avocado Advocate
 
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: St Louis MO, USA
Good question. See the point is the student must react immediately to the paper falling to have the best chance at catching it because if you wait more than a half-second it will float very randomly and become much, much more difficult to catch. I hold the paper vertically so it drops straight at first. One of my students can pop to his feet as soon as I drop it and catch it before it even starts floating. Others react/get up much slower and the paper starts looping around randomly and they end up diving on their stomachs to try to catch it, and usually end up doing the 5 "up-downs". Again the trick is the faster you move to try to catch it, the easier because the paper doesn't move around wildly at first!

I often joke when the air conditioning is on by saying: "We have to be careful where we are for this drill because it is too hard to catch the paper when it's in the path of the air vents. Now- everyone stand in front of the air vents!"
Well, the parents get a kick out of it at least.
I also joke by asking "What's the point of this drill?" and if a kid answers "To make us get up faster." I say "Wrong- it's to make you do up-downs!" and I immediately drop the paper 1 inch from the floor so he can't catch it!
Of course, if the kid answers "To make us do up-downs." I reply "Exactly right!" and I still drop the paper one inch from the floor so he can't catch it!

Gosh, ain't I a stinker!

Bernie

Reply With Quote