AnniePoo Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 I have a gifted 7yo who needs to throw himself into an obsession. He's been without one for a while and is getting moody and aimless. Is there anything I can do? I'd love to see him dive into something physical or even reading, but he tends toward all things factual. If he could have anything in life it would be to raid the Lego City section of Toys R Us and build, build, build. He's not even into building with legos for fun, he needs to have a plan to follow. But I don't have thousands to spend on Legos that he builds once then keeps on display. He blows through school work in no time (singapore, CC memory work, cursive, reading, copy work, math drill). He tends to lean toward mastery-based materials. Can you all think of a reasonable hobby or even more schoolwork to experiment with to see if he loves it? I can't seem to keep him busy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ethel Mertz Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 Birding - get lots of guide books, check to see if you have a local bird club Astronomy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellojwolford Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 What about computer programming? Has he tried Scratch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 Lego Idea books and Rebrickable. Rebrickable takes the sets you have and tells you what other sets you can build with them, and you can download the instructions. It's a nice way to expand beyond "build once, put away forever"for kids who aren't ready to move to mostly free building. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
texasmama Posted November 21, 2015 Share Posted November 21, 2015 My bored AL went through a period that he loved to climb trees and brace himself a few feet up and read a book. He invented colored pens, whittled things, and threw himself into WW2 history. Some of these things may not be the best choice for a 7 year old, but I kind of looked for what he seemed interested in and then suppplied him with things to do it. He did not want to use kits - he wanted to create things. He build some crude furniture in the garage. He made a car for his sister's stuffies. He whittled totem pole looking things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnniePoo Posted November 22, 2015 Author Share Posted November 22, 2015 Birding - get lots of guide books, check to see if you have a local bird club Astronomy Bird watching would be a hit. He had an animal obsession a few years back and knows tons about birds. What about computer programming? Has he tried Scratch? Great idea. I've never heard of Scratch. I'll google that next. Lego Idea books and Rebrickable. Rebrickable takes the sets you have and tells you what other sets you can build with them, and you can download the instructions. It's a nice way to expand beyond "build once, put away forever"for kids who aren't ready to move to mostly free building. I will go there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnniePoo Posted November 22, 2015 Author Share Posted November 22, 2015 My bored AL went through a period that he loved to climb trees and brace himself a few feet up and read a book. He invented colored pens, whittled things, and threw himself into WW2 history. Some of these things may not be the best choice for a 7 year old, but I kind of looked for what he seemed interested in and then suppplied him with things to do it. He did not want to use kits - he wanted to create things. He build some crude furniture in the garage. He made a car for his sister's stuffies. He whittled totem pole looking things. Hah! Our kids must be oppositely gifted. :-) My guy doesn't really like books, hates the outdoors, and doesn't have a creative bone in his body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnniePoo Posted November 22, 2015 Author Share Posted November 22, 2015 As I was driving tonight I though music might be good for him. An instrument. He has this drive to completely master something, which backfires because then he has nothing to do with his time. But with music he could learn the instrument, then spend time mastering actual songs, of which there are many! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackie Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 Lego rental? https://www.pley.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LTBernard Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 I have this problem also. My DS6 seriously needs to be busy all the time. He would love to spend all of his time playing video games, but that is not something we want for him. We allow some video games on the weekends. Video game time is used as a reward for good behavior and so even on the weekend we don't allow endless video game playing. He loves to read, but during the day he seems to not be able to settle enough to read. He will at bed time want to stay up to all hours reading. He sometimes will read during the day, but typically he just complains about being bored and pace around the house getting on everyone's nerves. I would love to find something for him to do that doesn't involve a monitor or complaining. My husband suggested today that we just school through the weekend also. I think he was kidding, but at the same time, I was annoyed enough today to consider it. I work part time during the week (M-F 4/day). I guess I could make Saturday a school day and then spread out the work instead of adding more.... Sorry not much help other than to say you are NOT alone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
musicianmom Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 As I was driving tonight I though music might be good for him. An instrument. He has this drive to completely master something, which backfires because then he has nothing to do with his time. But with music he could learn the instrument, then spend time mastering actual songs, of which there are many! Piano would be a great idea. I'm hesitant to suggest a string instrument because there's a lot of work at the beginning to produce a decent sound, and that can be really frustrating for gifted kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmmetler Posted November 22, 2015 Share Posted November 22, 2015 In a similar vein to birdwatching, Frogwatch USA. Learn frog calls for frogs native to your area (which can be done on their website or through workshops), pick a site or two (which can be your backyard) and monitor regularly and report frog use. Lots of opportunities to be outside (and, if you choose, go into nice, messy mud.) My DD was involved in a project with them and PBS Kids to adapt their training for their SciGirls program to get kids involved. And, DD needs replicants for her frog project, so if anyone wants to put a wading pool pond up this Spring, observe it, and report frog (and other animal use), please let us know! There are a LOT of Citizen Science projects which can use energetic kids who like being outdoors (and parents who are willing to go with them. In the USA, we're kind of in the offseason right now, but it's still worth checking out. SciStarter is a good place to start. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black-eyed Suzan Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 (edited) DS went through a Periodic Table obsession at 8. He used Chemistry 101 dvds, Ellen McHenry's Elements, the Element book by Theodore Gray and every book about chemistry in the children's section of the library. He's been without an academic obsession for a while now. He loves sports, so that helps, but he's still cranky. I understand! :grouphug: ETA: Remember SOTW audio books causing a mini obsession earlier. Edited November 23, 2015 by Black-eyed Suzan 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elastimom Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 Hi! My DS enjoyed Snap Circuts when he was around 7 years old. If you can, get the biggest kits and an AC adapter. He also liked Knex Roller Coaster set. Although my DS wasn't very fond of paper folding, Origami might be a good building activity. There are many YouTube tutorial videos for just about any animals, flowers, and other interesting shapes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathnerd Posted November 23, 2015 Share Posted November 23, 2015 My 8 year old AL is obsessed with Sports and Music. He plays 2 sports, chess, 2 musical instruments + musical ensemble + music theory class. We spend more time on sports and music than on academics - that is what he wants to do and we support him. He has enough things to do because of his non-academic interests that he hardly has any free time - he plays team sports 4 days a week (games, practices, clinics etc), individual sport 4 days a week (coach sets the schedule), 2 musical instruments (classes, daily practice), plays chess in a chess club. He also sits alone composing tunes, writing them down, refining them for long periods of time. If you have an obsessive learner, I second music and a sport that your DS is not a natural at (because it takes a lot of effort to progress and teaches perseverance) - they are an endless resource for learning and the kid will never, ever be bored with nothing to do. At age 7, I took him to a museum to a talk by an author who wrote a book on paper airplane folding (who owns the world record on longest distance a paper plane can fly) - he provided a great talk on the aerodynamics of flight and how to design planes that fly in different manners depending on weight distribution, shape etc. - my DS who was refusing to do Origami because of poor motor control became a paper airplane and Origami enthusiast that day - in whatever free time he has, he folds paper airplanes and origami shapes and has a collection of a few hundred paper airplanes and has inspired many friends to take up the hobby. So, another idea is to look for someone who might inspire your DS to take up a new hobby. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rush Posted December 1, 2015 Share Posted December 1, 2015 (edited) My 8 year old AL is obsessed with Sports and Music. He plays 2 sports, chess, 2 musical instruments + musical ensemble + music theory class. We spend more time on sports and music than on academics - that is what he wants to do and we support him He also sits alone composing tunes, writing them down, refining them for long periods of time. If you have an obsessive learner, I second music and a sport that your DS is not a natural at (because it takes a lot of effort to progress and teaches perseverance) - they are an endless resource for learning and the kid will never, ever be bored with nothing to do. Same here. 7 yr old - ballet, 3 sports and music classes (piano, vocal, choir and musical theater). And every time we tried to reduced his activities he became bored and grumpy. I am so happy i've read this topic as we thought that only our kid is so weird :w00t: Edited December 1, 2015 by rushhush08 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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