Beyond School

Discussion of all things non-11 Plus related

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anotherdad
Posts: 1763
Joined: Mon Jan 24, 2011 5:33 pm

Re: Beyond School

Post by anotherdad »

Surferfish wrote:Yes it was slightly tongue in cheek I admit, although to be fair the OP's question was very open and vague and she didn't specify what age her DS was. (he could have been 6th form for all we know).

And to be completely honest I do sometimes find these "my child is so bright and advanced he/she gets bored at school, please help" posts slightly tiresome...
:lol: Ouch.
mystery
Posts: 8927
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:56 pm

Re: Beyond School

Post by mystery »

I would have enjoyed the suggested reading list at that age. My own children (older than the OP's) could scarcely get through Bimbo magazine now, if it still existed. So, to ensure that you end up with well-read grandchildren, get him a book on childrearing too so he doesn't make my mistakes.
Amber
Posts: 8058
Joined: Thu Sep 24, 2009 11:59 am

Re: Beyond School

Post by Amber »

anotherdad wrote:
Surferfish wrote:Yes it was slightly tongue in cheek I admit, although to be fair the OP's question was very open and vague and she didn't specify what age her DS was. (he could have been 6th form for all we know).

And to be completely honest I do sometimes find these "my child is so bright and advanced he/she gets bored at school, please help" posts slightly tiresome...
:lol: Ouch.
I have to agree. I have always told my children that if they are bored it says more about them than anyone else and that in any case being bored is good preparation for a range of situations they will face in the future. Not every activity has to be educationally worthy either - why does it have to be a list of books? What about a list of beautiful pieces of music to listen to, or art works to discover? What about (Amber's hobby horses) cooking - I am into making sourdough these days - a great activity for any child - learning how to bake, make balanced meals with or without meat; and getting out into the natural world and gaining a sense of awe as well as learning about what awful things we are doing to our planet? Maybe even getting a bit political and developing a sense of social justice. Voluntary work with marginalised groups like the elderly, or disabled people?

There are lots of really worthwhile things to do which schools never touch, and which the world will still need. They don't all have to be aimed at improving the academic status of the individual and may just help to put boredom at school into some kind of context. If school work is that super-easy, then get it out of the way fast and go and do something more worthwhile instead!
newtothislondonmum
Posts: 32
Joined: Mon Nov 20, 2017 1:18 pm

Re: Beyond School

Post by newtothislondonmum »

Surferfish wrote:Yes it was slightly tongue in cheek I admit, although to be fair the OP's question was very open and vague and she didn't specify what age her DS was. (he could have been 6th form for all we know).

And to be completely honest I do sometimes find these "my child is so bright and advanced he/she gets bored at school, please help" posts slightly tiresome...
Wow! I did not see that coming. Please feel free to judge me (and my child) without even knowing us. Unfortunately, I cannot give you my address to come do this to me in person but this platform should be a good place to do so.

Thank you all to the rest for your suggestions! He is a Year 6 student. He has just finished 11+ and got into the school he wanted. I was just trying to keep him occupied so that he does not fall into the video games culture or TV watching. He has a very active weekend of swimming, cricket, climbing and walking. I was trying to gather ideas for easter breaks and summer break.
piggys
Posts: 1636
Joined: Wed Jun 29, 2011 9:29 am

Re: Beyond School

Post by piggys »

If he likes a challenge get him to read some unabridged Shakespeare and Dickens. I was ploughing through them when I was his age (but maybe I'm even more clever than he is :wink: :wink: ).
Surferfish
Posts: 682
Joined: Fri Mar 10, 2017 5:06 pm

Re: Beyond School

Post by Surferfish »

newtothislondonmum wrote:Wow! I did not see that coming. Please feel free to judge me (and my child) without even knowing us. Unfortunately, I cannot give you my address to come do this to me in person but this platform should be a good place to do so.

Thank you all to the rest for your suggestions! He is a Year 6 student. He has just finished 11+ and got into the school he wanted. I was just trying to keep him occupied so that he does not fall into the video games culture or TV watching. He has a very active weekend of swimming, cricket, climbing and walking. I was trying to gather ideas for easter breaks and summer break.
Apologies if I misjudged you then, but given the list of subjects you mentioned, it did sound a bit like you were looking to get ahead of the game at school rather than fun ideas for the easter and summer hols!

If your DS has genuinely expressed an interest in studying Geography, RS and all the rest during his holidays then fair enough and some of those that I put on my list may well actually be suitable. I used to quite like looking through the Atlas at maps of the world at that age and if he really is interested in RS he can't really go wrong by familiarizing himself with two of the definitive texts can he? The Science and History suggestions might be a bit advanced for a child that age, although Selfish Gene is very readable. Dawkins "The Magic of Reality" which is written more for children might be a better choice though. Maybe also consider the Horrible Histories and Horrible Science series or would they be too basic for him? :?
ToadMum
Posts: 11946
Joined: Wed Jan 18, 2012 12:41 pm
Location: Essex

Re: Beyond School

Post by ToadMum »

Is he already doing Latin? If not, the 'Minimus' books are quite good fun.

Ditto the 'graphic' versions ot Shakespeare, by Marcia Williams ((I think). Possibly aimed at a slightly younger readership, but he might enjoy the 'asides' from the crowd along with the actual text.
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read.Groucho Marx
newtothislondonmum
Posts: 32
Joined: Mon Nov 20, 2017 1:18 pm

Re: Beyond School

Post by newtothislondonmum »

Surferfish - he likes structure (or maybe I like structure). Last year we spent doing papers revising and suddenly he is doing no work at all. He seems a bit lost to me. He reads (none of the books mentioned) mostly fiction and has never shown any interest in Classics. We tried to introduce Dickens, PG woodhouse etc but he did not like them. I thought maybe if he spends some time getting to the topics thoroughly from school maybe it will interest him more than just reading fiction. He is top IQ (and Mensa member) and as a parent I find it difficult to keep him engaged into things for long. There is a constant "what should I do" when we are at home, therefore, I am trying to gather information on topics and books to keep him engaged. In my first post I was not sure I should have mentioned these details but maybe I should have to make it more specific.

Great help on books! I will rummage through charity shops and library to get at least few of them for him to read.
mad?
Posts: 5621
Joined: Thu May 01, 2008 6:27 pm
Location: london

Re: Beyond School

Post by mad? »

Maybe if he doesn't read non fiction get him to 'do' things in the subject areas you mention? For example, a few mentos and a bottle of coke can keep budding chemists entertained for hours, if you are in London a walk along the Thames at low tide should give him a good sense of geography and history and the chance to collect some disgusting things and get generally muddy...this might appeal more than reading about it?

Also if he is going to be travelling to school next year maybe get him to do a load of practise runs, it will keep him busy if nothing else and should boost his confidence.
mad?
liceo_classico
Posts: 47
Joined: Wed Oct 25, 2017 6:45 pm

Re: Beyond School

Post by liceo_classico »

newtothislondonmum,

my DS also enjoys non-fiction and reads quite a lot. What triggers his interest is to participate in an activity or visit a museum, and from there he will search for something at the local library or if it's worth it, buy it on Amazon.

If your username is something to go by, you live in London. Has your son done the Science night at the Science museum or the one at the Natural History? kids love it and he can get ideas talking with people there and find books that may interest him.
Impossible to get bored in this city! so many things to do and see!
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