What sorts of activities do your boys participate in

[Nestof3]

that are outside of the following (I'd rather not go in one of these directions right now):

 

team sports

music (he is totally uninterested in music at this point)

dance

boy scouts

 

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.

 

Does that make sense?

[Whisperlily]

Check for clubs or classes held at local museums, science museums, art studios, etc. What about classes on woodworking? Lego Leagues?

 

Are you willing/able/gifted in organizing regular "theme" playdates for your son? Once a month invite (multiple) friends to science experiment afternoon? Board game day? Lego/Erector set building event? Creating inventions with leftover cardboard/tape/rubberbands/plastic, etc? "Investigating Electronics" where you allow them to take apart non-working appliances, small or large? If you did this for a few months, inviting friends from various places, you might find a friend or two that he really "clicks" with, and find out what type of things these other boys are into... in your local area.

[5wolfcubs]

My 8yo ds is the talker in our family. In fact, just tonight I commented on this after listening to him go on and on and on and...you know how it is. He said "It's not that I like to talk so much as I don't like it quiet." Hmmm...maybe this boy needs an iPod. Anyway, he's participating in a homeschool theater for the first time...he likes it. Actually, your ds is already in a lot of activities! How about a Deconstructing Penguins-style book discussion group?

[Snickerdoodle]

Your son sounds like a dream friend for my 7 yo if he's willing to talk on an on about history and science.

 

I don't have any advice, but I think I'll be in your shoes in a year.

[Kelli in TN]

4H, Cub Scouts/Boy Scouts, church......

 

Next year we will probably be doing swim and gym as well.

[RebeccaC]

Our local Y and community center offer art classes for kids this age and my boys took drawing and painting. I did play dates some with activities for the kids to do and some without just depended on the kids coming over.

[abbeyej]

that are outside of the following:

 

team sports

music

dance

boy scouts

 

Some that ds does:

 

-Fencing

-First Lego League (small teams create Lego Mindstorms robots to complete a series of challenges and do a research project which they present in a creative way -- the minimum recommended age is 9, but they only enforce the maximum age and ds was on a team from age 7)

-Chess club (there are either scholastic tournaments with just other kids, or there are informal groups for players of all ages to get together and play -- I prefer the latter)

-Boys' book club at the local independent children's bookstore

-Math Olympiad (Individual challenges but within the context of a team practice with creative word problems)

-Theater (Shakespeare camp at the local Shakespeare theater later lead to the opportunity to audition for a child's role in a professional production... He had a wonderful experience and would like to do more theater.)

 

I know you say "dance" is not an option. I had to mention it, after I read your description of your ds though. There are not many guys in ballet with ds, but the ones who are are a little more focused (even the super high energy ones) and just... A little different, but in a good way. *If* there's a strong classical ballet program in your area with high quality teaching and some other boys already in the program, it might actually be a good opportunity. Ballet requires mental focus, physical strength and agility, balance...

 

Also, we haven't done Odyssey of the Mind or Science Olympiad, but those might be good in the same way that First Lego League and Math Olympiad have been for us. They tend to pull in bright, creative, focused kids (though there's no requirement that they be those things, lol, and the individual team your ds finds himself on will make all the difference in the world), and perhaps he would have more of a connection with them.

[A.J. at J.A.]

I just started a History Club that my boys (6yr and 9yr) have thoroughly enjoyed and they also get to be with other kids.

[Caroline]

My boys do Kids Chess, Lego Robotics (both FLL and the soccer one), and art classes. (They do other things, but they were on your not right now list.) They swim in the summer, but they are on a team, so I guess it would be considered a team sport.

[Michelle T]

and bowling with our local homeschool group. He also does PE with the group, but that's team sports.

 

Is your city large enough to have a Dept of Parks & Recreation? Ours offers tons of classes for both kids and adults, classes in just about everything. We've done lots of classes through our city.

 

Michelle T

[PrairieAir]

My youngest has participated in fencing, Lego Robotics, and gymnastics. Right now he's doing wrestling and that seems to be the biggest hit so far. He gets all the good lessons from sports (self-discipline, learning to eat healthy, and maintaining a personal exercise and training program) and the camaraderie of the other kids in the wrestling club and adults who really care about kids and the sport. It is super cheap compared to other sports we've done. There is a $20 a year fee and tournaments usually cost $15 each with no admission fee to watch. The coaches are all in it because they wrestled and loved it or because they have kids interested in it or both. These guys are great with kids, too. (Well, our coaches and most of those I've seen at tournaments are anyway.) The only equipment we've had to buy is headgear and wrestling shoes. Some clubs may ask you to buy a singlet. Our club provides singlets and also keeps a box of used wrestling shoes to pass down as kids outgrow them. Ds has really learned and grown so much from this. It is not something I ever would have thought of though. I think kids start wrestling at around 5 here.

 

My oldest did karate for a while and that was another great experience.

 

We have done 4-H and enjoyed that. There are so many projects to choose from with 4-H. I think it would be hard not to find something he likes.

[Colleen]

nt

[Danestress]

I'm impressed by some of the really cool things your boys do!

 

I have a swimmer (which I guess technically is a team sport, but it's different and has been a great way to make friends and is wonderful exercise)

 

A competitive tennis player (which I wouldn't recommend unless you didn't really like having weekends anyway, lol, but he loves it).

 

Both took art lessons for three years. Not really place to make friends, but they liked it and it lifted the art teaching burden off me.

 

They do a "contenders for faith" class with the Dads (and their own Dad) through our homeschool group. That has been a lot of fun.

 

They also both take music lessons, but know you didn't want that.

 

Maybe your children would really like doing a co-op? Or how about a Community Bible Study homeschool class?

[6packofun]

He collects the miniature figurines and plays almost weekly at a local comic book shop where they have fun tournaments! (Think Dungeons & Dragons based in the SW universe...) They also do other board game/tournament type things and sometimes kids just go to hang out and talk about comic books, graphic novels or find other kids to talk about their obsessions. LOL

 

My ds also takes golfing lessons every summer and goes to the driving range with his dad and some buddies. :)

 

Ultimate frisbee is another good one. Also, we're just getting into Geocaching! Very fun!

[hsmamainva]

I have two boys.

 

My 13 year old plays baseball -- he's so psyched! He was picked for 2nd base this year .. after playing for 3 years as a shortstop! He needs a bigger hat to fit his swelling head...that's how proud he is! :)

 

My 8 year old takes Tae Kwon Do .. which I highly recommend, if your son doesn't care for team sports. He's close to receiving his Blue Belt after spending a year and a half in the sport.

 

Both boys take art classes, and both play chess, although we don't have access to a chess team -- I wish we did!

[Rebecca in GA]

My boys are newly 7 and almost 12 and they don't participate in any organized outside activities. They enjoy playing with their church friends and neighborhood friends, and with each other. They dig trenches, have "wars," build cities with blocks, hit the wiffle ball in the front yard, ride bikes, read books, make paper airplanes, have light saber battles and write stories....

 

Not that it's particularly helpful to the OP, but I just wanted to point out that some boys are happy without participating in too much outside stuff. Or maybe mine are just weird! ;)

[Mom2boys]

My history loving ds10 is in a Living History 4-H club. He gets to hang out with kids who love American history as much as he does. we also participated in a geography co-op this year which both my boys have enjoyed. We took some classes at the zoo. And, ds10 will invite kids over to play a favorite board game (Risk) or computer game. The park districts and museums in our area also have programs specifically for homeschoolers. Those can be great places to meet kids with common interests.

[Krista in LA]

He does Cub Scouts and piano too. We go to TKD 2-3 times a week and it has been good for him in many ways. Besides the exercise, he has developed some discipline and leadership, has a better attitude, and has learned some self-defense. It works well as an individual sport, but also requires cooperation and working together in class. My dd and I do it also so it's a family affair.

[Nestof3]

Wow -- great ideas! Keep them coming.

 

The reason I mentioned the team sports is that I just don't feel I can commit to the time required for those. Probably sounds lame, but I have to admit, I just cannot shedule something three times a week.

 

My boys do all sorts of creative things at home. I love being at home, and he has never seemed dissatisfied with the things he does. He spent an hour typing up Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh on MS Word today. The boys play Playmobil, military stuff, pirate stuff -- they even act out the computer game Logical Journey of the Zoombinis and create plays about it. Their creativity stuns me. They have great times together, and my 8 year old spends quite a bit of time just listening to audio books, memorizing books, reading books, etc. He loves to play Risk and Stratego as well.

 

I was just considering adding something to his life that would allow him to use some of his strengths with other children. Our 6 year old is not interested in the same things as our 8 year old, and sometimes it seems like our 8 year old would like an outlet for his passions, so to speak. He loves history and nature. He really almost latches onto anything that he encounters. He embarks on so many missions -- for a while he was trying to compile information on evolution so he could prove it false. One day that he felt sure he was called to be a vertebrate paleontologist so he could prove creationism. Now he's recreating history with Playmobil about the Saxons. He really takes what he learns seriously, and I was hoping I could find something that would allow him to share this with someone who would be more responsive, so to speak.

 

Oh, we also do the Contenders for the Faith as a family, with the two younger boys participating.

 

I am going to print out this thread and think on it. Thanks!

[Sandy in Indy]

Band, juggling club, speech club, yoyo club and Star Wars minis are some of the things my older ds likes to do.