yellowperch Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 I am trying to think of narrow, specific academic or mainly academic skills a bright diligent but suddenly flighty 9-year old could master in 6 weeks. I am looking for something that he could work on independently daily or almost daily, and something he could see progress resulting from consitant effort. Begining typing is an example. I am being purposefully vague here. Forgive me. I know it all depends on the child. I'm hoping for some brainstorming that might result in a new idea or two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aurelia Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Memorizing a poem or passage? Organize a dramatic reenactment of a historical event (writing a script and directing a play, for example)? Recording notes on all the kings and queens of England, like dates of birth, death, years as a ruler, children, etc. Create and present a unit study on a topic of his interest to siblings... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloggermom Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Focus on the weakest area. For my son that would be writing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MelanieM Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Learning to build a web site, caligraphy, writing a particular type of poetry, a new art technique, a new music piece if s/he plays an instrument, videography, photography, knitting, crochet, cooking, baking... I know some of these things don't sound like academic skills, but I think they are certainly all valuable, and can all be tied into academic success. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 (edited) I would go handicraft or something with his hands. Disassemble and reassemble an old machine in a certain amount of time. Do a Lego kit. A woodworking or other kit from Hobby Lobby. And no, he's not likely to get any degree of typing proficiency in 6 weeks, at least not in our house. Now if you changed that and suggested he create his own App and learn the programming or learn to use an ipad to do a specific function THAT he could probably do, lol. Have you thought about entering all your books into library software? That would keep him busy and be worthwhile and techie. It's actually very fun and would pull together lots of skills. You can get a barcode scanner for $10 or let him enter the ISBNs manually. The software does the rest. He would do the pulling, entering, and organizing. You could probably breed small rodents in that amount of time. Gross. Go with the library software instead. :) Edited May 5, 2011 by OhElizabeth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootAnn Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 :bigear: Link to the library software & bar code scanner, s'il vous plait? *totally interested although not the OP* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 :bigear:Link to the library software & bar code scanner, s'il vous plait? *totally interested although not the OP* Google Readerware and you'll find the software I use. On their homepage they have info on how to find the scanner. There are fancy ones, but I use a CueCat that I bought off ebay inexpensively. There are other software options these days too. That was just what I found and started with. It suits me. Actually, I say that, but I started with a program where you entered all the fields MANUALLY, what a mess! So the scanner or ISBN/LCCN entry is wonderful. You punch that in, and the fields all fill in. The only things I enter manually now are the really old books that don't have an ISBN/LCCN or where it pops up something wonky like a Polish title. Generally though, it just works. Not expensive and just works. And it has options to sync it with your portable device too. I don't happen to have one of those, but there you go. If you want other software options, do a board search. It comes up with regularity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EppieJ Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 (edited) Would something like Khan Academy work for him? It's broken into segments which would allow him to see progress and there are points & "badges" that can be earned. There are also short lessons he can hear/see for better understanding of a concept. http://www.khanacademy.org/ Sorry, for some reason the link doesn't seem to be working, but if you google Khan Academy you'll find it. Edited May 6, 2011 by EppieJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StephanieZ Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 multiplication tables? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spetzi Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Memorizing comes to mind: countries (or a continent's countries) on a map, captials (state or national), presidents, Gettysburg Address or other speech or passage, squares/square roots, prime numbers, etc. I realize this is a not a skill, but it's what hit me in the moment. Playing an instrument or a specific song on piano or guitar might work, too. Yo-yoing, magic tricks...... Sorry, that's all I have at this early hour! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mazakaal Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Memorizing a long poem or historical speech (Gettysburg Address, something by Winston Churchill) Do a unit study on your state or on a particular country or a particular time period (Civil War, Victorian England) Using Khan Academy to master math facts Learning to play chess Learning to outline a text - Beginning Outlining could probably be done in 6 weeks. It's not a very long book from what I remember. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sahamamama Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Draw a world map from memory Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Typing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Violet Crown Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 Learn to read Middle English. Mine did it at about that age in about that time. Using: Bellerophon Chaucer General Prologue Chaucer Studio recording of General Prologue Riverside Chaucer [for Mommy's reference. There are also cheaper Chaucers; this is just the one I had] notebook for making personal dictionary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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