What sorts of activities do your boys participate in

[Nestof3]

that are outside of the following:

 

team sports

music

dance

boy scouts

(just to clarify, he isn't involved in any of the aforementioned things. I am looking for ideas outside of these listed)

 

I am trying to think outside of the box for my 8 year old. We would like him to have some more interaction with other children aside from just neighborhood playtime and the above mentioned activities. He's a highly verbal child with very strong science and history interests. He plays chess some with Dad. He memorizes books. I'd like to find some children he can relate to in certain ways. I'm sure this isn't coming across right, but sometimes, he leaves conversations with most children dissatisfied. He spends a lot of time alone, which is okay -- I was the same way. However, I would like to find something to give him some outside interaction, preferably with something that is stimulating.

 

He shows definite signs of giftedness -- always has. I just want to make sure he has some other children who he can relate to. Most of the children he's around -- from church and such -- just kind of stare at him and don't have anything to say when he shares what he's learning. He gets discouraged sometimes.

 

Does that make sense?

[Kissy]

It makes sense. My son is part of a local homeschool group and does fieldtrips with them. He plays soccer and football. I have thought of starting a book club so he will have someone to talk to about the books he reads. He is going to start guitar lessons. My hubby taught a physics quest to some local homeschoolers and he was very involved with that.

[JWSJ]

Periodicly, we attend a Game Day and Gym Day associated with our homeschooling group. Lots of interaction.

 

I'm also organizing some Lego Mindstorms Robotics building sessions for the same group. We organized a book club and sessions for many popular elementary age books. There are rumors that a chess club will be starting.

 

The description you gave sounds similar to my son (almost 7yo). He gets stares from other children his age. He prefers science classes for older children.

[WTMCassandra]

Both of my children, a boy and a girl, participate in an art class (taught by a professional artist), chess, horse vaulting and riding, handbells, and piano. So there's a mix of traditional and non-traditional. No professional sports or scouts in sight, though.

[Donna]

I have a 12yo and 10yo. They do judo, and taekwondo. They go to Sunday School and belong to church Youth Group. They also take music lessons...one on guitar and the other on drums.

 

My oldest also wrestles on both a team and with a club. This involves weekend tournaments, not only for competition but is also a great place to socialize. He plays with his friends, goes out on the mat to wrestle them, then they go back to playing again.

 

My boys are very advanced academically and always has been but giving them skills athletically has brought out the leader in them and other kids tend to gravitate to them. I do notice that they don't share much of their "learning" with friends but they have their sport or activities in common which gives them a common bond for friendship.

[Rhesa]

Do you have any musuems nearby? You might be able to coordinate classes for your homeschool group that your son would enjoy. Through our local museums, my son has taken science, history and art classes.

 

He has also taken several Lego courses, which he's LOVED! Physics, robotics, and an early Mindstorms. These were taught by an enthusiastic salesperson of a local robotics store.

 

When I asked my ds if he wanted to take any new classes this summer, he told me (without hesitating) "fencing". Hmmm... off to go look up that info!:)

[Rhesa]

Oh, I forgot- he is also taking chorus and drawing with a professional cartoonist. He likes the drawing class, but that might be just because his buddies are there.

 

HTH!

[Jenny in Florida]

. . . some of the things you mentioned: dance, music (piano lessons and a boys' choir).

 

He also does:

 

• theatre/drama
  
• homeschool classes at the science museum
  
• a model rocket club with his dad

He's just turned 10 and has many of the same issues as your son when it comes to interacting with age peers. He's a huge reader, into science and robotics and other similarly "geeky" things. (And I say that with all possible affection for both my son and geeks in general.) He loves Shakespeare and musical theatre and thinks Gilbert and Sullivan are the height of humor. So, you can imagine that he doesn't connect particularly well with many of the boys on the church playground.

 

One of the things we've learned to do is to look for activities that are grouped by interest/ability rather than age. For example, community theatre productions will usually have participants anywhere from 6 or 7 years old up through adults, with everyone there just because they love performing. Ditto on the model rocket club.

 

Honestly, one of the most succesful things for my son, in terms of social involvement, has been the boychoir. (I know you said you were looking for things other than music, but . . .) This particular choir is pretty rigorous, and they sing pretty frequently in and outside of our city. So, in addition to regular weekly rehearsals, they travel several weekends a year and usually at least a week over the summer. They also participate as a group in a week-long camp at the beginning of each school year. And the director builds in "team-building" activities throughout the year that are purely fun. This year, they've gone ice skating and been to see choir-mates perform in various productions. We also had a family camp-out a couple of months ago. It keeps him very busy and allows him to spend lots of time with a nice group of boys.

 

I should also mention, perhaps, that we've found a pretty high concentration of really bright boys in both choir and dance. My son has seemed to "click" with kids he's met through these two activities much more than pretty much anywhere else he goes.

 

--Jenny

[mooooom]

They started at age 7 and are still going strong 6 years later. They also tutor the little boy down the street a couple of times a week after school. They used to be in a book club, which they liked (but then we has scheduling conflicts). They belong to a teen club that meets once a month for activities. And then there is church stuff.

 

We found that it does take a long time to meet families that the kids mesh with. Keep trying activities and homeschooled field trips (if you have the option) and sooner or later you'll run into other kids like your son.

[Myrtle]

My son is involved in a sail training program on a tall ship through a museum. It teaches him the basic skills needed to sail as a junior crew member aboard during a day sail and he also receive instruction in folklore and customs of the sea, maritime history, and seamanship skills. Some of the younger crew members give occassional tours of the facilities and they all do restoration work on the ship.

 

We also just got involved in a chess club.

 

I think looking into civil war and revolutionary war reinactment clubs might bear some fruit as far as history/hands on mixed age groups. Also near us is the hisotorical armed combat society which teaches its members how to use a broad sword.

[Desert Rat]

and we love it for the social interaction. I find that Huck doesn't talk much to kids about what he's learning. We've spent many hours discussing how to carry on a conversation, what other kids like to talk about, giving other kids the chance to talk, etc. I make sure he has at least a few things to talk about which means I've caved on a few shows he watches, like Spongebob. It's helped immensely. Kids just didn't get it when he pointed out different rocks on the playground and started identifying them! :)

My boys also love soccer and I'm looking for a chess club closer to us to join in. The only one available in our area is 30 minutes away on Friday nights.

I like the other suggestions about rocket building clubs, etc. It might be something to look for in our area. We are also trying to get involved in a gifted kids group in town but are having problems because of schedules and the fact that most of the group are girls!

HTH

[mcconnellboys]

In the fall of the year, Jr. First Lego Leagues and Lego Leagues form up. These allow for math/science oriented kids to work together on a group project. The competition is generally around the first of February. I think the competitions are very good as they heavily emphasis team presentations, both through the running of the course set up for the robots and through various oral presentations. Check with local university math or science departments for info on groups in your area (or start your own for homeschoolers!) The Jr. First groups do not work with automated robots, but do set up simpler exhibits. They can add in as much info as they want to their display boards and keep running notebooks of the activities they've done through the fall, etc. They can also attend the presentations of older groups and learn a LOT at the competition.

 

Any group can obtain the National Geo kit for running a geography bowl. If there are not any groups in your area, you might start your own. I believe that the competition for this is in the winter, as well, so it would also run through fall. Geography clubs can run year round, once they get started, in preparation for the next year's competition. Winners can move up into the higher levels of the National Geo programming.

 

Start a chess club for homeschoolers in your area if you have those who can help teach it (or perhaps he's at a level where he can help teach it). You should be able to join the national chess federation and get in on local area competitions. We used to do this and competed against a ton of area public and private schools. There are also lots of region-wide competitions in our area. One thing about chess, though, it doesn't allow for much talking, LOL......

 

One social opportunity I've been providing for my younger son this year (trying to combine some physical activity for him as well) is some sort of light group sport that allows them to talk to each other while they play. We did group golf lessons in fall and will be picking those up again in April. Through the winter weather, we've done a series of bowling dates; open swim time at an area YMCA; gym and swim through that same Y; play dates at a local gymnastics place, another place with a large tunnel system where they can play, and occasional lunch dates at Chuck-e-Cheese. These will give way to a weekly "park day" once spring weather hits.

 

Regena

[fishnoises]

I was not homeschooled as a child. I went to public schools and I still had trouble making lots of friends. I was stared at! (At least it felt that way!) We did move a lot so I was always the new kid. It wasn't till I was in college that I became more comfortable around my peers. And that was only when I got a job as a waitress. I was hired as a busboy and had to switch to waiting during the slow months. This is when I truly learned to interact with strangers.

I guess my point is, I wouldn't force your sons into social situations just to get him to be social. Too much may be too much. (And he may withdraw more away from his peers.)

He will figure out his place in society and he may do it by observing rather than participating. Don't assume that because he has few friends that he isn't in control! He may be choosy in who he allows to be close and personal with. It may take a while, but he will find that great friend (or friends).

This is all coming from someone who knows what it is to be the odd one in the room!

[fishnoises]

Dawn,

I thought your son was already doing all those things!!! Sorry i misunderstood. You know, I do know people who have schedules like that. I don't know how they function. I would be a nervous wreck.

[Guest jdolembo]

choir and dance, which are out for you, but they also do group classes at the local zoo once per month. And they take swim lessons at the University. Other children are involved, but it is not a "team" where they are competitive, they are simply learning together. Also, I am a runner and triathlete, so they do local fun runs where they meet other children.

[Beth in Central TX]

My boys participate in choir, AWANA, and Sunday School. During the summer the older boys do a one-week music camp. We also do VBS and swimming lessons in the summer, but only if it works in our schedule. Other than that we are at home or doing something together as a family.

[asher]

Dawn,

 

My 6 yo sounds very similar to your son. I had never heard of Junior Lego League, that would be right up his alley. Anyhow, I've tried repeatedly to get ds involved w. activities aside from playdates w. neighborhood and hs pals, to no avail. :( He'll get excited about archery or Karate, but then when it comes down to enrolling him, he opts out :confused: I was pretty reclusive as a child, too, so this doesn't surprise me.

[Blue Hen]

My oldest is a bit older than yours, and really it took awhile to find the activities that suited him, that matched his interests. We had tried the soccer route, and the cub scout route, and the music route, and the swim team route...........

 

Finally we lucked into Science Olympiad and oh how I wish we had discovered this one earlier. DSs are on our local homeschool team and the oldest (G&T) just walked away with FOUR medals at the senior high state competition. He also has 7 other medals from previous state competitions and 3 national medals, but the activity so suits him. Lego-leaque is not quite similar but if I didn't have SO in my area I'd look into lego-leaque. Oh, and if you live anywhere close to northern DE your 8yo would be very welcome to join our Elementary SO team.

 

This past winter DS happened to get asked to join the inline speed skating team at our local rink---he was going way too fast during open-skate :D Well, he loves it and finally he has found a team activity that really suits him.

[daisychics]

that are outside of the following:

 

team sports

music

dance

boy scouts

(just to clarify, he isn't involved in any of the aforementioned things. I am looking for ideas outside of these listed)

 

DS goes to Thai boxing classes, 6 week course science "Academy for Future Space Explorers," piano and swim.