What are your students' academic interests?

[sagira]

I'm curious on what your dc's academic interests are, how you are accommodating them, and how they are pursuing those interests themselves. In short, how are they working towards their own academic goals (if they do)?

 

 

[Arcadia]

Older - robotics, astronomy

Younger - robotics, marine science

 

For robotics we pay for the kits, summer camps and help when needed for soldering.

For their science interest, they read up, watch videos, go to related events.

 

To them these are not academic interests but it indirectly helps their academic subjects.

[Farrar]

Programming mainly.  One of my boys is interested in art and math as well.  Both of them are interested in history and science in a general way.

 

For the grammar stage, we didn't accommodate those interests as part of "school" much at all.  I provided opportunities to do them.  We do some art, but it's not a focus of the curriculum.  History and science were on a classical cycle type approach.  Obviously, for my mathy boy, we have done plenty of math and done things that catered to his strengths in math thinking like Beast Academy, as opposed to the weaknesses like basic computation.

 

But next year as we enter the logic stage, I'm letting content be kid driven, so that will be mostly on them and I'll be just pushing skills.  My guess is that there will be a good bit of programming during school time.

[Melissa B]

dd 14 - theater, film, drama, music

 

Dd auditions for anything which we will allow. She reads on her own about film, theater, etc. She watches as many movies and TV shows as we will allow - claiming it is important to her future plans. :001_rolleyes: She will discuss theater and film to no end. She practices music on her own (guitar and keyboard.) She also takes acting classes throughout the school year and participates in summer theater. She will be attending a two week summer camp in which she will study jazz dance, modern dance and fencing (apparently good practice for stage combat. :) All of us attend as many local performances as we can afford.

 

She is also really looking forward to August when she will be old enough to volunteer at two of the local theaters. Dd is currently taking an online summer class in Cinema which will count as part of next year's English credit. And she has concrete plans to attend CC as a dual enrollment student her last two years of high school in order to earn her AA in Theatre.

 

dd 10 - science, science, science

 

Dd currently plans to become a chemical engineer. She loves all math and science. We have signed her up for a two week summer camp in which she will study chemistry, anatomy (dissection) and CSI procedures. We've also joined a homeschool co-op that has a science focus so that she will be sure to have weekly experiments and discussions with other children about science topics. We allow her free reign with the microscope and other science equipment at home where she likes to perform her own scientific discoveries.

 

[Desert Strawberry]

Sagg likes math. He wants to accelerate through pre algebra so that he can get to the good stuff faster. He wants geometry, trig, and calculus. Badly. 

This year, we switched to LoF. He moves fast-always has, but LoF accommodates his speed much better. He used the extra time to explore Khan Academy, which is how he knows where he wants to go next.

We added braingenie for extra practice, but I am allowing him to move forward at his own pace. He's almost done with Decimals and Percents, Elementary Physics is next, then preA. For the summer he is only doing math and reading. I'm curious to see how far he gets by August.

 

He has just discovered that writing isn't torture, and now he's all fired up to learn better skills. In the fall, we will tackle writing in a big way.

[MinivanMom]

Oldest - Literature and creative writing

Second - Science (especially ice-age mammals & geology) and history (especially ancient Rome & American wars)

 

For the oldest, I work really hard to give her the downtime she needs for reading and writing independently. Occasionally, I will point her in the direction of a new author or genre, and I keep my eyes open for writing contests. Our university has a summer writing program that is supposed to be wonderful. It didn't work out for this summer, but I will probably send her next summer.

 

For the second, I help him to find books and documentaries on his interests. We have also taken way too many trips to museums and historical sites. That seems to be enough at this point.

[Ethel Mertz]

Music, ornithology, art, languages

 

Music - he lives, sleeps, and breathes jazz drumming. We invested in what is now his third drum set, he takes private jazz drumming lessons and we buy dvds of jazz drumming, we do composer studies on jazz musicians, and he reads and watches a number of documentaries on jazz. He also takes voice lessons.

 

Ornithology - he is one of two youth members of our local bird club, he reads college level books on birding, we build family vacations around birding (attending two conferences a year and traveling for spring migration), he does bird walks with local birders.

 

Art - he draws and paints birds. He has taken art lessons from local members of the art guild. He is also taking a couple of digital photography classes.

 

Languages - He wants to learn every language in the world. I will not survive that undertaking so for now, we focus on three - Latin, Greek, and Spanish. 

[Luckymama]

Sigh.

 

Dd (finishing 8th) is interested in maths, geology, and archaeology. Math has been an interest since she was very small. Geology became an area of interest during fifth grade, her first year homeschooling, when she chose to study earth science. She discovered archaeology through the study of ancient history, also in fifth grade.

 

Maths: She uses Art of Problem Solving books day to day and has taken a few AoPS classes (usually over summers). She likes to take old AMC exams for fun (she does one every other week or so). We just keep chugging along. She'll be through all the AoPS books and classes by her junior year, so she'll take classes at the university for those last two years.

 

Geology: Science Olympiad events fill the need. This past year she watched lectures of the first course in the geology major progression at the university (the prof had the taped lectures set to open access---bless him). I will allow her to take dual enrollment geology courses at the university after she has chemistry next year (we will have to pay full cost). She's always been the type of kid to analyze whatever rock she came across :)

 

Archaeology: I was blown away last month when she began talking about studying archaeology in college, but I can see how interests in geology and ancient history combine to form an interest in archaeology. She watches Time Team (BBC) episodes for enjoyment. She prefers ancient history of any region to any other type of history. Ancient literature and art are fascinating. She is beyond excited to go to China with us this month as we will be spending time at the Great Wall and in Xi'an (Terracotta warriors, full of Tang Dynasty ruins and artifacts). She has found a summer programs for high schoolers in the US Southwest, a one-week archaeology camp and a three-week archaeology field school, and is scheming to do one next summer. Academically, she will be studying ancient world history (a survey course, not just classical region) and intro to archaeology next year as a freshman. She has also joined a study/discussion group for Human Geography with two members of her old robotics team---the other moms and I hope to get the kids ready to take the AP exam next May. Intro to Social and Cultural Anthropology at the university is on her short list for tenth grade classes (this particular class is an online section specifically for dual enrolled high school students and would be reduced tuition).

[Chrysalis Academy]

Yeah, we're trying to figure this one out as we speak.  And I really have no idea any longer where to draw the line between academic and extracurricular interests - I don't think there is really even a line any more.  

 

If you ask Shannon, she'll say the classes/schooly things she likes best are science and literature.  So our content studies next year will be pretty well split between being science-driven and literature-driven.  We're doing the Big History project, with a greatly expanded science component, and not a lot of extra history.  Literature will be focused on fantasy lit next year - no history-based lit, which makes sense because we'll mostly be studying the history of the universe before writing was invented!  But those will both be sizable chunks of our day with lots of space for rabbit trails.  We're doing the first half of the Coursera Fantasy & Science Fiction class to kick things off over the summer.  We're also including an "academic" study of the Harry Potter series in the context of other fantasy literature, because she loves it so much.

 

She has also begun writing a fantasy novel.  It's actually really good so far.  She'll have lots of time to work on it this summer, if it's still in progress in the fall I'll have to figure out how to fit that time in with the "official writing lesson" time.  

 

Her main extracurricular interests, both of which are turning more academic, are theater and horseback riding.  For theater, she participates in local youth theater, 3-4 main stage productions a year.  Practice time can range from 0-12 hours per week, which can obviously have a big impact on the school day.  We go see lots of plays.  She's fallen in love with Shakespeare so we are watching and reading our way through the comedies right now.  She's also developed an interest in filmmaking.  So I've signed her up for an online filmmaking class - another chunk of the school day will go there.

 

Horseback riding has also taken an academic turn, in that in addition to riding twice a week, she's taking Coursera's Horse Course currently and looking forward to the next offering of their Equine Science course.  The local CC has a great equine science program, but that will have to wait a few years . . . she's only 11 for goodness sakes!  Her coach has said that she's ready to start showing, but I'm not sure how I feel about that, or how to fit it in both time-wise and cost-wise.

 

So, yeah, the main way I feel like I"m accomodating all this - besides finding & paying for classes & shows - is to ruthlessly curtail and drop a lot of the other stuff I thought we'd be doing, in order to make time for the critical stuff (math & writing) and leave plenty of time for pursuing academic interests and extracurricular interests.  It can be kinda hard to let go of some of my ideas, but at the same time it is tremendously exciting to see her taking more ownership of her education.

[MEmama]

Currently, astrophysics.

 

I've accommodated by finding challenging online courses, documentaries, books and so on and actually watching/reading/studying them with him. Plus I listen to and participate in endless hours of his theories and discussions, and have largely put aside other schoolwork while this obsession runs its course (that's it's nearly summer is helpful there).

 

Also, programming. This one is entirely on him; I purposefully decided to not learn it alongside him so he'd have to take full ownership of it. One of the best decisions I've made all year. :)

 

And, math. He's downright giddy to start algebra in the fall. My biggest contribution there is to hand over the reins to DH and get out of the way. They are going to have fun. :)

[Penguin]

7th grade DS: All things international. Foreign languages, international affairs, geography, world history, world literature.

 

And programming.

 

We are going to have a guidance counseling session next week. I have my own ideas about how to structure 8th grade to suit his interests, but I want to hear his thoughts.

[Heathermomster]

DS pursues WWII aircraft and history. He has also taught himself how to draw 3-D objects in Google Sketchup.

[sagira]

It is fascinating to me how so many young kids have such amazing interests they are willing to work for! Keep 'em coming!

[Dmmetler]

DD-Herpetology, especially snakes. She works with a range of mentors and organizations on research and conservation, and I basically tweak her academic schedule to allow this to happen. She still does a pretty heavy academic schedule at all, but, for example, a lot of her writing is tweaked to specific purposes, like writing press releases, articles, or speeches. She and I will be spending 4 days at her first international conference this summer. Oh, and we have two pet snakes, a tank of frogs, a plastic pool serving as a frog pond, PVC frog tubes, and various types of tiles and garden edging embedded in our backyard for DD's studies of rough earth snakes. I now know more about reptiles and amphibians than I ever wanted to know.

 

She also enjoys math-AOPS fills a need for her, and likes math competitions, although she rarely prepares much for them-it's more a social/affiliative thing for her. I'm trying to put together a monthly math club for kids to share those interests. I also have done mythology and Latin clubs the last two years for similar reasons. I'm going to let Latin go in favor of math, but mythology is a good social fit for her. Online literature and history help meet her social needs and give her someone to discuss topics with other than me. She's excited about an etymology class this fall, too.

[lewelma]

Math for my older. I have done *major* accommodations but only starting at age 13.  I've talked extensively about it on these 2 threads:

 

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/503756-how-do-you-cater-for-the-specialist/

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/516013-the-specialist/

 

My younger is a generalist.  He loves it all!

 

Ruth in NZ

[Kfamily]

My older daughter has moved through a few different interests but, in general, they've always been in the history/literature category. Over the years, I have allowed some of her interests to dictate what we do in school, but often I've just provided her with the books and resources she needed and she pursued these on her own time. Hmmm, that sounds contradictory, but what I mean is that I did both. For example, with regard to school work I would reconsider books to which she was adamantly opposed and I created writing assignments that were motivating for her. But, just because I reconsidered books did not always mean that she would be excused from them. Gulliver's Travels by Swift was not a book she wanted to read, but I felt it was important to have some background knowledge of Swift. She read the corresponding sections from English Literature for Boys and Girls, which she does enjoy. This book gives author background information and usually a basic overview of one/some of the author's major works. I then had her read "A Modest Proposal" and the first two parts to Gulliver's Travels (but not all of it). She wrote one a couple of informal narrations and then we were finished with Swift. :) I use the books by Dorothy Mills for history not only because I love them, but because she likes them too. I just recently let her chose from a couple of books on poetry that I had for her to start. She choose Sound and Sense: An Introduction to Poetry. I keep as much literature and history that she loves as I can around to balance out the subjects she does not like. On the other hand, she also followed many passions on her own time. My husband and I supplied her with the books and resources she needed to follow her passion for Tolkien, Dickens, Bronte and languages such as Irish Gaelic, Anglo-Saxon, etc.

 

My younger daughter enjoys almost all subjects (yeah, so far...) but she is most passionate about science. I'm keeping balance with all subjects and yet trying to include as much science as we can handle. I also keep her stocked with many books for independent reading, watch many documentaries with her and check out what we can from libraries.

 

Here are some things I'm trying to get started for her:

• I plan on getting her a subscription to Astronomy magazine, because she loved to look at each new one as it came out at the library when we were in Okinawa.
• She wants to read Science Matters together and she wants me to read Parallel Worlds by Kaku with her.
• I've already let her cover some astronomy this year. Sadly, we did not like the text we used. We tolerated it but did not care for it much. I decided part way into it that we would just read the rest of the book together and just do our own work with it. She's creating an astronomy notebook (narrations with drawings), created models of the planets and painted them, watched Cosmos (which she loves) and many astronomy documentaries and we still need to do one or two more things before this is finished. I'm also planning on covering the constellations with her after we finish Greek Myths. I'm currently looking at some local astronomy options too.
• I'm also planning out physics for her and plan to start this work very soon. I have several books that we'll be using.
• Her older sister and she will be studying botany together using The Magic and Medicine of Plants and other books. I'm tying some of their science together and just adding to my older daughters work load. For example, my older daughter will read the corresponding chapters in her biology text on plants.
• She will also study marine biology starting with tidal pool life (Pagoo and Life in a Tidal Pool) and then moving into The Sea Around Us by Rachel Carson. This is another passion of hers. She says that she wants to be a marine biologist and an astrophysicist too. Don't you love how ambitious they can be when they are young!
• We will also be starting a study of birds, which she is very eager to begin. I think we could spend all day on science for her. LOL!

I'm currently in the process of revamping almost every subject with both girls. It is a time of big transitions all over and it is keeping me very busy!!

[momto2Cs]

My dd is fascinated by dinosaurs. She's practically memorized all the Walking With series, and spends much of her time lingering over the various dinosaur books that have piled up in our house over the years. She also loves math. She plans to be a veterinarian (has since the age of 2), and so we're looking into animal related volunteer opportunities for her.

 

My ds is very science-minded, so he's going to be running himself through Hewitt's Conceptual Integrated Science Explorations, and then wants to go through Conceptual Physics. He's really looking forward to AoPs in the fall as well. He is also fascinated by cars, and writes a blog about them. He is considering a career in restoring old cars/specialized autobody work, so he studies up on all sorts of car-related things. As far as practical hands-on work, he's currently taking apart and rebuilding a two-stroke engine, and volunteers in a bike shop.

[merylvdm]

My boys who are now in college were interested in computers - I taught them both to program in Visual Basic and then they took it from there. I paid for webhosting when they wanted to have their own websites, but for the most part they found what they needed by googling and quickly took off on their own. The younger took part in Lego League and also built the robot for our Science Olympiad team each year they had that as an event.

 

My youngest daughter loves Physics and Math. She has done a lot of contests related to those fields and is doing an online Udacity course on the History of Science. I also got her to teach hands on science lessons to 5th graders in an inner city after school program. 

[happypamama]

12yo -- Music and Latin.  Other languages too.  She's using Mango and DuoLingo to teach herself Spanish and Italian, and I do Latin with her during the school year.  She also keeps teaching herself to play music and reads about music on her own.  Also, costume design.

[chiguirre]

T is fascinated by economics. She's been listening carefully and asking questions about the stories on Marketplace and did a short class on the basics of economics. I think we'll try to add some Financial Times and Economist articles in next year.

[RootAnn]

Eldest really likes languages (!!) right now. She's doing Latin & Spanish during the school year which included me assigning some Duolingo time once or twice a week (Spanish). We've been done with our 'school year' for several weeks now, but she has a 70+ day streak going on Duolingo and I realized she's also working through French Duolingo on her own.  :blink:

 

Dd#2 is very artistic, so she draws/paints/colors and does crafty things (making doll outfits, learning latchhook, etc.) whenever I'm not forcing her into something structured like school or cleaning. It isn't very "academic." 

[sagira]

RootAnn, my dd6 sounds just like your dd#2. She's artistic. I am starting to see an even greater interest in animals and nature. She wants to become a vet when she grows up. In school science is her favorite subject.

[My3girls]

Dd12 is in to reptiles and natural science. We check out lots of books, watch documentaries, and go on nature walks. She has caught numerous critters with her dad and can identify all kinds of animal tracks. I'm not sure where to take her for more experience and knowledge so I'm presently researching.

 

Dd9 likes art. She has taken drawing classes and pottery classes. I would like to get her into more, but the budget right now is a bit tight. I'm hoping to start back up in the fall.

 

Dd8 is in to music, photography, and cinematography. She has a kids camera and video camera, right now, that she uses constantly. She is asking for guitar and piano lessons. I'm signing her up for recorder for the fall more so that she can learn to read music than anything and then we'll determine what 'real' instrument she will pursue when she is 9. I'm just too afraid to make a big investment and then have her change her mind.

[Critterfixer]

Currently, nothing in particular. 

[Targhee]

Rising 7th grader loves reading, math, art, engineeting, and science.

 

Reading - she has her personal reading, we have family read aloud (currently Pyle's Robin Hood), and she takes an online leadership class where they hold colloquia to discuss a new book every 2-4 weeks

 

Math - we use challenging math and we foster a math culture on the home with lots of logic, games, puzzles, discussion, challenge each other, etc. I've yet to find her a math circle, though my other kids have one

 

Art - I've done a poor job fostering this :-/ She makes lots of messes. We did studio classes for 3 years, and will likely start them again.

 

Engineering - co-op class, First Lego League, snap circuits, scratch programming, looking into Python and getting a raspberry pi

 

Science - aside from science school work (which she generally chooses the topic for and I pull something together) Science Olympiad, and tons of documentaries, books (I book bomb the house regularly, and they each add to it)

[EndOfOrdinary]

Currently Ds (9) is toggling between two seemingly opposite tracks.  He is really engaged in learning languages and the history/culture of ancient places.  This is then polarized with wanting to end Global Warming and extensive environmental oratory work.  

 

We are getting to a place where we will definitely be having to choose a bit, I am feared.  Next year will be a struggle, so he is slowing down his environmental work.  This last year has been very intense and we wish to keep the intensity lower so that he does not burn out.

 

Environmental Work - beginning his own non-profit using the Internet to mobilize kids against global warming and environmental destruction.

 

Foreign Languages -  Latin, Ancient Greek, Spanish

Ancient Lit/History - Epics, Religion/Mythology, Western Civilization

[EastTNmom]

DS (9) loves (I mean LOVES) meterology and geography.  If he could meet Reed Timmer from Storm Chasers, he would probably pass out.  :)  He has been obsessed with weather from an early age (1st grade?).  We have read, it seems, every tornado/severe weather book from the library, watched documentaries, explored weather related sites on the internet, met 2 local meterologists, took zoo classes about weather, conducted many weather experiments, and have lots of random tornado drawings stashed around our house.  :)   We are looking into a Weather Spotter class for him and I would like to get him involved in computer programming.

 

As for geography, it fits hand in hand with meterology.  I have supplied him with numerous maps and supplies and he just drinks it up...researching, sketching, making up his own lands and continents as well.  He finished world geography early last year and was wanting more and I had to scramble to keep up with him.  This year I am prepared with several options.  I tried to find a geography bee to enter him into, but could not find a local one.

[shamima]

DS likes building things. So we did robotics this year. He really got into it and could explain all aspect of the robot they built to swim, float, and fetch stuff. We along w/ 3 other kids, one being his younger sister competed and the team brought home 2 trophies - both on presentations. They were the youngest team out of the 4 teams participating and did a 10 minute oral presentation w/o any written aid. They were organized in their written presentation as well and got 1st place. It's too bad we can't compete all year long.

 

He's also looking forward to building w/ trash art class but wants to make things for use.  He likes to learn hands-on and would make a great apprentice. But where shall I find one to take him on. He wants to build his own desk and workbench and not to mentioned a go-cart w/ some electronic features.

 

He'd like to become an engineer but when I mention rigor of the academics, he balks and says he's changed his mind :-(  Very challenging. He's 11.5 yrs old and I'm waiting for maturity to come - isn't it 14?

 

shamima

[Space station]

My favorite thing about homeschooling is being able to tweak things to cater to their dreams and goals.

 

Dd10 - Wants to be a mathematician and loves math, programming, and ancient languages. So we started using AoPS, doing the forthunt programming classes online, reading lots of biographies about mathematicians and mathematical discoveries, and we will be adding Ancient Greek formally to our studies this year. (We are friends with the local classics professor at the university, and she really likes talking to him; I just keep hoping she won't decide she wants to add in his specialty - ancient Persian!)

 

Dd13 - wants to be an astronaut, so I present everything to her with that spin on it. She was not interested in studying "Earth Science" so I am billing it as "Planetary Science" for next year. Same topic, different spin, and at the end she will design her own planetary system. We are using the AstroVenture curriculum online from NASA for this. We also supplement her math with problems from the NASA website's Space Math series. She watched an interview with astronauts who said that learning Russian was the hardest part of their training, so she has decided to start studying that now. Thankfully, that is my husband's second language, so he can support her in that, and I don't have to!

[sarawatsonim]

Does Doctor Who or Harry Potter count count? I'm kidding…..almost ;) DD9 is a hard to motivate child but if it has anything to do with Egyptian History she is enthralled. She said she wants to be an Egyptologist and I kind of hope it sticks. I am going to get her The History of Ancient Egypt course from The Great Courses which I am sure will be advanced for her but she will enjoy immensely (I am hoping it stays on sale until payday).  I am also thinking of enrolling her in one of the Minecraft courses because she could easily spend hours on there if I let her. 

 

DD3 is obsessed with the human body. She carries around and goes through the DK Human Body Encyclopedia daily. It is her preferred night time read  :huh: She said she wants to be a brain doctor today.

[sagira]

Currently, nothing in particular.

My ds10 is like this. I was happy when he wanted to read more about the stock market crash of 1929, so I got him Six Days In October, which he's finishing up now.

 

He wants to build a robot to protect the world from bad guys. However, he has a Physics Pro set you have to twist his arm to build with. He says he already knows how to build the robot when he's an adult..

 

I was going to look into Lego robotics classes again, but we have none that are near us. He has Minecraft but doesn't play with it often.

[brehon]

Currently, nothing in particular.

Oh, thank goodness I'm not alone with a generally uninterested kid. He just turned 13, tolerates school, and really isn't passionate about anything. He does like reading about WWII naval history, so there's that.

 

My 11 yo also has no abiding interest in any particular area.

 

Ah, well, they're young yet. Plenty of time to find a passion, right?

[Critterfixer]

Yup. 

I love seeing that there are children with high levels of passion for academics at an early age. When I was a child I was very much the odd one out because of how passionate I was about certain things. I'm finding it a little more of a challenge dealing with my beautifully average and broadly enthusiastic children who can be excited about dragons one week, ships the next, fans and circuit boards and leopards. 

[lewelma]

Does Doctor Who or Harry Potter count count?

 

My younger is doing all his language arts work using Hogwarts is Here.  Outlining, note taking, reading, composition, etc.  And study skills like learning how to interpret a question, making sure you actually answer the question, typing, keeping track of assignments. etc.

 

It is great! and free too!

 

Ruth in NZ

 

[sarawatsonim]

My younger is doing all his language arts work using Hogwarts is Here.  Outlining, note taking, reading, composition, etc.  And study skills like learning how to interpret a question, making sure you actually answer the question, typing, keeping track of assignments. etc.

 

It is great! and free too!

 

Ruth in NZ

 

 

 

Thanks for this! I don't know how I didn't know about it. I am not sure if her writing skills are quite good enough yet, but maybe this year after 6 months of WWS1 under her belt it may. I think she would be so much more motivated to do this type of work. I think I would even be motivated to do this type of work for fun :) 

[Carrie12345]

DD-Herpetology, especially snakes. She works with a range of mentors and organizations on research and conservation, and I basically tweak her academic schedule to allow this to happen.

 

Same here, but with a focus on frogs and turtles. Sigh.  Happily/sadly, we don't have room to properly care for more critters!

 

Both dds are very active with our conservation district programs and have started to volunteer there.  I also promised to ask around this week to get them some sustainable farming volunteer work.

 

Organized science programs have always been frustrating in our house, so they'll be doing Earth and Space in a weekly co-op this year and our "home" science study will be Environmental Science (all conservation.)

[Dmmetler]

Same here, but with a focus on frogs and turtles. Sigh.  Happily/sadly, we don't have room to properly care for more critters!

 

Both dds are very active with our conservation district programs and have started to volunteer there.  I also promised to ask around this week to get them some sustainable farming volunteer work.

 

Organized science programs have always been frustrating in our house, so they'll be doing Earth and Space in a weekly co-op this year and our "home" science study will be Environmental Science (all conservation.)

 

Have your DDs found "Save the Frogs" yet? Kerry Kriger is a really nice guy with a huge amount of enthusiasm, and is quite willing to include enthusiastic kids in his programs. My DD has done a lot of his webinars designed for adults, and has hosted two Save the Frogs events locally. Sea Turtle Conservancy also seems pretty receptive to kids.

 

I know what you mean on limited space for critters. We have two snakes and a tank of frogs inside, tree frog tubes, a plastic wading pool serving as a pond to encourage frogs and toads outside, and various coverboards and tiles placed in the yard for DD's snake studies. Plus several friends who live more remotely who are MORE than willing to let DD come do whatever with the critters in their yards (very much including "If you want to take them home with you, please do!")

 

 

Also, if they're interested on the research side, I'd seriously check into SSAR. SSAR is the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, and they're amazingly receptive to kids who want to make herpetology their career and learn more. My daughter is attending her first professional conference in 2 weeks, and I've been amazed at how receptive they are. It's not just that they're allowing a 9 yr old to attend, it's that they already have a network of supports in place for high school students that they can tweak to fit her special case, and honestly WANT these younger kids at the conference with the PhD college professors, zoo research heads, and leaders of major non-profits. My DD's mentor set DD up, but given their response to DD, I suspect that if you contacted them directly, they may well be able to point you in the right direction to meet people locally and regionally, even if you're not interested in the national conferences (next year's will be in Kansas City). Apparently most professional herpetologists were kids who were obsessed with cold blooded animals and had trouble getting taken seriously too.

[Carrie12345]

Have your DDs found "Save the Frogs" yet? Kerry Kriger is a really nice guy with a huge amount of enthusiasm, and is quite willing to include enthusiastic kids in his programs. My DD has done a lot of his webinars designed for adults, and has hosted two Save the Frogs events locally. Sea Turtle Conservancy also seems pretty receptive to kids.

 

I know what you mean on limited space for critters. We have two snakes and a tank of frogs inside, tree frog tubes, a plastic wading pool serving as a pond to encourage frogs and toads outside, and various coverboards and tiles placed in the yard for DD's snake studies. Plus several friends who live more remotely who are MORE than willing to let DD come do whatever with the critters in their yards (very much including "If you want to take them home with you, please do!")

 

 

Also, if they're interested on the research side, I'd seriously check into SSAR. SSAR is the Society for the Study of Amphibians and Reptiles, and they're amazingly receptive to kids who want to make herpetology their career and learn more. My daughter is attending her first professional conference in 2 weeks, and I've been amazed at how receptive they are. It's not just that they're allowing a 9 yr old to attend, it's that they already have a network of supports in place for high school students that they can tweak to fit her special case, and honestly WANT these younger kids at the conference with the PhD college professors, zoo research heads, and leaders of major non-profits. My DD's mentor set DD up, but given their response to DD, I suspect that if you contacted them directly, they may well be able to point you in the right direction to meet people locally and regionally, even if you're not interested in the national conferences (next year's will be in Kansas City). Apparently most professional herpetologists were kids who were obsessed with cold blooded animals and had trouble getting taken seriously too.

 

Thank you! I'll definitely check those out.

The 12yo just became old enough to register for the PAHERP survey, which has been fun.  One of our Environmental Educators is really excited about their interest, and I think that's going to open up some neat opportunities.