Holly IN Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Hello I know this has been discussed somewhere but I can't find it. In fact, I think I was the OP. I did asked about SWB oldest boy that did projects via specialized education. Ok.... Now projects without being specialized? My son is 14 and will be a Freshman this fall at home. DH and I want ds to have projects completed for graduation. We do not care what it is as long as he finishes it. It doesn't have to be specialized. It can be anything. We made him go on a computer fast this week (Starting Sunday and he gets it back this coming Sunday). One accomplishment he made was put a doorknob in his closet door... We applauded him for this. We truly felt that if it wasn't for the computer fast he wouldn't have done this. We told him to put it on there 1 1/2 years ago. We also are having him write down stuff about himself to learn about his likes/dislikes, his interest, prayer journal and thoughts. He has refused to do this from Sunday to Wed. Today we went somewhere so he was forced to write his interest down....and couldn't come up with things. He is frustrated with dh and I... Any thoughts... Holly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 well..my ds's are installing a boiler with dh in our winter house. They have run radiant heat, plumbed a bathroom, remodeled a bathroom, installed a hot water heater, will repair and paint fences around our year, learn basic car care check fluids, tire pressure, change windshield wiper blades, etc.) They also learn to cook, do laundry, change diapers...their wives will thank me! :D Faithe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jane in NC Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Boy, do I love tags. I found the project thread here with the appropriate tag of "Projects". Funny, I couldn't find it via searching---too many pages. Anyway, my son's projects through the years have included stop motion animation, electrical projects (see Make magazine for more ideas than the day has hours), community service (he created a data base and helped build pens for a wildlife rehabilitator; he also helps her out with the day to day stuff.) As a 4-Her there are a number of activities which keep him occupied: project books, cumulative records, posters for this or that. I would encourage your son to learn how to cook. Perhaps he could manage a meal a week for the family? This could be pancakes one Saturday, a barbecue, or making lasagna or something with a fair amount of prep. He could make root beer for your family for a 4th of July treat. Do you have elderly neighbors who might need a hand with yard work? Maybe he could trade weeding for woodworking lessons. One of the things that can be done with projects is help a teen see the world outside of himself. It is also an opportunity to turn the mundane into an educational experience. (Anyone can buy a soda--there is a science that goes into making it.) Or a chance to learn how to do something on the cheap. Have fun! Jane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue Hen Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 Projects ~~~ DH laid a 30x30' stone patio, both boys helped. Oldest did the most work. When it was completed 'we' decided that it needed a stone wall. DS took that project on last summer. That's 60' of stone wall, 2' to 3' tall since the yard has a slope to it. DH decided to have the boys tear out the old steps to the backdoor. DS took on the project of building the new steps, in stone to match the patio. New garage/woodworking shop went up (1200sq ft building). DS had the project of laying in the insulation in the ceiling and walls. Good reason for that: DS took on the project to build a 18' wooden strip-built sea kayak. He wanted to use the woodworking shop. Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Halftime Hope Posted June 4, 2009 Share Posted June 4, 2009 (edited) I say a bit, because there is some thought behind what we choose to do, but often projects fall into our laps, and sometimes they take us wonderful, unplanned places. - projects should be something that either 1) follow a child's bent, enriching them and helping them grow in the passions that are likely to be an ongoing part of their work or creative lives--both are good! OR 2) stretch a child/young adult into an area that is beyond their comfort zone. Having both kinds of projects going on "balances" a young person. The first plays to their strengths, building confidence; the second stretches them in spite of their weaknesses, building confidence. :) - Some of the projects should benefit others, as well, not just themselves. Projects allow them to do things that are not directly related to their own well-being, again stretching them beyond their own self-interests. This is particularly true when they are involved in projects that are bigger than anything they can manage by themselves. It is very good for youngsters, especially gifted ones, to work as part of a team. That bit of philosophy aside, my eldest is an audio/computer/video/lighting kinda-guy. Being responsible for the everyday working of our church's tech area has been wonderful for him. He is the "go to" guy, and thru the process he has learned all kinds of things about working with people, such taking the endless complaints (no one is entirely happy with the sound, apparently!) and occasionally thoughtless comments with grace, putting others' need before your own, handling pressure cooly, making decisions on the fly, solving problems quickly when under extreme pressure, working with a shoestring budget, overlooking others' blind spots in loveknowing they do the same for you, working with artistic temperatments. I couldn't have paid enough for him to learn these lessons. I kiss the ground that his mentors walk on :D because they have been patient with him. Last summer he was employed at a summer camp where he worked tech, but had to interact quite a bit with kids. That was a stretching job for him. :lol: (Not exactly a project, but it might as well have been...) We've done all kinds of building and landscaping projects, but none have taught him as much as the above. This summer we've had an unexpected project drop into our laps that will take us someplace we had not planned--we're going to have an exchange student, and it will be their job to be her companions, so she really gets a lot of immersion in English. That will stretch my kids' ability to try new things, to focus on taking care of a newbie in the group for an extended time, to really extend themselves with a new language, when--for the guys--language is not their forte. We're very excited about this "new project!" Edited June 5, 2009 by Valerie(TX) ughh: typos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenda in MA Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 (see Make magazine for more ideas than the day has hours) My son also loves Make magazine! His latest project (and this one isn't for school because he just graduated) is an animal detector he built in our backyard. He rigged up a camcorder with motion-sensing software on the computer. When motion is sensed, the computer records until it doesn't sense motion anymore. He got this funny video of a crow eating the bait while a mockingbird buzzed it. He also built some motion-sensing lights for night-time recording, but he's been disappointed because the only thing that his come to eat the bait at night has been mice. He's thinking of setting it up again during the winter to see if anything different shows up. He's done a variety of projects over the years -- some for church, some involving computer networks for relatives. He also refurbished an old Apple II computer just so he could see how it worked. He has learned so much by doing these projects. We've also resorted to computer-free week at times to try to encourage him to branch out and try something new. I second the suggestion to get your son cooking. Mine loves to cook, and it definitely is a big help to me. Brenda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NCMom Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 (edited) My oldest did a few different projects. He built a few structures w/my dh (chicken coops, arbors, table, etc.), did a lot of computer networking and Linux stuff, taught some co-op classes, and had a few extremely unusual jobs. He did not have one huge final type project though. Pretty much things came up and he did them, except the classes which he proposed and wrote the curric for himself. My next one (a dd 13 :001_smile:) is considering a big one as a 4+ year effort. She is considering getting a permit for growing goldenseal and possibly also trying ginseng and bloodroot. We have the perfect place for all three and have them all three growing wild. The area is a few acres on a steep slope in the forest, so just putting in the beds would be quite a job. This would be an organic effort so much research is needed. She has to have a business plan, make contacts in the industry and w/the people doing the research on growing medicinal herbs in this state. This is probably only one company in Marshall, NC and one lady scientist from NCSU that she needs to contact lol, but still. The plant part is right up her alley but the planning/networking part will stretch her a lot. Not sure what else she will tackle but I'm sure things will come up. Anyway just what we have done/are doing. Georgia Edited June 5, 2009 by Georgia in NC spelling! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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