Sebastian (a lady) Posted October 27, 2016 Share Posted October 27, 2016 (edited) I'm trying to think about what 9th grade (and beyond) might look like for my kid next year. His older brothers were both very strong readers at a young age. He read later and is still slower than they were at the same age (unless it is science fiction). He is a good thinker who poses a lot of what if questions. He is hands-on, having done some detailed projects in origami, quilling, kirigami, and building events in Science Olympiad (like Wind Power and Tower building). He built a foot long origami aircraft carrier being attacked by a detailed origami dragon with tiny airplanes falling into a quilled ocean. This drew from directions in several different origami books and had quilled waves that were his own design. He had to scale the origami designs up and down in order to build the composite whole he was looking for. He is methodical at math. He has a pretty good memory, but not the see it once and remember it recall his brothers have. He is working through AOPS Intro to Algebra. Once he gets it, he has it. But it may take several exposures to finally get what he's doing (I do extra problems with things like older Dolciani). What can I include in high school that will give him a place to grow and stretch, while also meeting him in his strengths? I like Science Olympiad, but it is a ton of work unless it lines up with the science topic of the year. I'm curious about things like Project Lead the Way, but I'm not sure how homeschool friendly they are. Suggestions? Edited October 27, 2016 by Sebastian (a lady) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted October 27, 2016 Share Posted October 27, 2016 Sebastian, I have no idea if the following broad suggestions will help you, but Sailor Dude was and still is a very slow reader. He is less hands on than your son, but we still needed more than just reading a text or working problems. I found early on in high school that limiting the number of classes to around six allowed for more time to go in depth, process what he was working on and yet still offer challenges. We pretty much kept classes limited to the core 4 X 5, but built his areas of interest into those classes. Also, because ds is the type of person who has never outgrown the "what if" questions, it was critical for there to be space in the day, usually first thing in morning, to spend some time discussing or having him explain whatever question was boring a hole in his brain. What do you think your son's 9th grade classes will look like at this point? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GThomas Posted October 27, 2016 Share Posted October 27, 2016 What can I include in high school that will give him a place to grow and stretch, while also meeting him in his strengths? I like Science Olympiad, but it is a ton of work unless it lines up with the science topic of the year. I'm curious about things like Project Lead the Way, but I'm not sure how homeschool friendly they are. Suggestions? Your son sounds totally cool. Does he know about Make: magazine? We just picked up some from our library. They are great idea generators. They are also online. I am over the moon excited about one of their articles last year about building near-space balloons. There's a global contest for it as well. I know nothing about technical stuff but I'm going to give it a shot. (yeah, ok my son can help out if he wants ;-) From 3-D printable humanoids to crocheting mermaid tails, this is my new fav magazine. My 11 year old couldn't put it down last night. Maybe your son will find some interest-led projects of his own to take on? How was your son able to be in Science Olympiad? Was there a homeschool team? It sounds like your son has interests that might line up with architecture and engineering. Any local classes in the area or online in these subjects? Have you also looked into your regional and state STEM fairs? Ours take homeschoolers. I don't think there are annual themes you need to align with. I would also encourage him to always be thinking about problems he might take a stab at solving. Did you know that NASA uses origami techniques for solar space travel? Origami is also being used for bendable electronics, antennas, cell origami in biology, to detect diseases...the list goes on! A stop-motion film using his origami creations would also be a fun and educational endeavor! Have fun! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
swimmermom3 Posted October 27, 2016 Share Posted October 27, 2016 I would also encourage him to always be thinking about problems he might take a stab at solving. Did you know that NASA uses origami techniques for solar space travel? Origami is also being used for bendable electronics, antennas, cell origami in biology, to detect diseases...the list goes on! A stop-motion film using his origami creations would also be a fun and educational endeavor! Have fun! That is so cool! Sebastian, would your son be willing to share a photo of his project? Origami Science This Ancient Paper Art Makes Flexible, Super Strong Electronics: Kirigami is changing the way we design materials Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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