<p>^ And walk away from years of commitment and work towards national recognition (Eagle scout), through no fault of his own?</p>
<p>I guess I missed the part about the OP wanting to make her child look good for prep school admissions. That makes more sense to me than worrying about activities that will impress college admissions officers, although I myself would still never prioritize “national recognition” above sincere interests, even for boarding school. (As an aside, is it common for home schooled kids to go away for high school? I wasn’t aware.)</p>
<p>And for the record, I do understand the need to expose kids early to certain activities if the hope is for them to achieve some level of proficiency by adulthood. I have one of those–my younger child, who is a serious dancer. I feel for the kids who only discover their passion for dance or music or other activities at an age when their peers have been training for years and years already. Sometimes they can catch up, but in many cases they end up being relegated to classes with much younger kids.</p>
<p>“although I myself would still never prioritize “national recognition” above sincere interests, even for boarding school”</p>
<p>This is where I am. My youngest loves to dance. Always has. She is never going to get a scholarship with it, but right now she’s taking classes at a community center in two genres and dances at her church in a third. That’s after wrapping up 8 years in hip hop, where she went as far as she was going to get at her ability level. It’s done far more than get her recognition, it’s given her confidence, taught her how to prioritize, work with others of varied abilities, and stretch herself. I value all of that more than ribbons and awards (even though the competition team for which she tried for, twice, and lost, DOES has national awards). </p>
<p>Her sister learned many of the same things on her swim team-one so underwhelming that local residents didn’t even know her school HAD one. But-she loved swimming and had some athletic ability, so she joined and had four years of doing what she loved.</p>
<p>Not join scouts in 5th grade because of the possibility that (a) they might make it to Eagle (only 4-5% do) and that (b) he might question his orientation and (c) that he would feel compelled to come out in HS and thus feel he had to drop scouts? AThats a lotta supposition going on…</p>
<p>As a fifth grader, it would be best to start with local things he can do. One or more of those many morph into a high interest thing over time. I personally think you should let your young kiddo find something that piques his interest. Then see where that goes.</p>
<p>Be sure you include activities that are not competitive, and are for fun and enrichment. </p>
<p>Drove us nuts that Irish dancing was all about the competitions. My girls just wanted to learn to Irish dance. They had enough competition with school sports, math teams, etc.</p>
<p>My son (14) has been in scouts for 7 years and loves it. It something boys can do from elementary all the way through high. It provides lots of outdoor skills, volunteer work and leadership. He is also in the OA which is the BS honor group. I highly recommend scouts. </p>
<p>My son has also been involved with Tae Kwon Do for several years (brown belt). Another activity that carry carry all the way through to graduation.</p>
<p>I forgot to mention- Odyssey of the Mind competetions. I was in them when I was in Elementary school.</p>
<p>Isn’t Odyssey of the Mind the same thing as Destination Imagination? Maybe different names for different age groups?</p>
<p>Two different things.</p>
<p>Well, in that case, what I meant to suggest was OOTM. :)</p>
<p>Not a club, but I think doing a National History Day project would be a great activity for homeschoolers. I think it starts at Grade 6.
[Home</a> of History Education: National History Day](<a href=“http://www.nhd.org/]Home”>http://www.nhd.org/)</p>
<p>Odyssey of the Mind is available for grade 5, although perhaps not possible to find a team in your area.</p>
<p>Can you find a theater group in your area? Being a confident public speaker can be very useful.</p>
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<p>Then he continues as a Boy Scout. Scouts can be gay, leaders cannot. </p>
<p>I will express my opinion on that in some other place where political commentary is permitted.</p>
<p>With the caveat of saying try a wide variety of things, your child will excel in doing what they enjoy and will naturally find their niche. Sometimes the more offbeat the better. Having said that…
All of my boys were involved in Tae Kwon Do with their dad. Two earned their black belts, one stopped one step below. It was his decision and we honored that. There were several families who homeschooled that attended classes with the boys. All really nice kids.</p>
<p>If your son is interested at all in math and technology look to see if there are any homeschooling teams doing FIRST Robotics in your area. In fifth grade the division is First Lego League (FLL). It’s an amazing program that does involve team involvement and competition, however US First has actually patented the word Coopertition as the teams are given awards for being helpful to each other. This is also a component in each of the top awards at all competitions. FLL is for 5th-8th grade so he’s the right age to start. My kids have been involved in the FTC & FRC programs at their high school, however have mentored in FLL. At every level there are always homeschool teams that kick butt!! You should be able to search on the website for teams in your area. If you don’t find a homeschool team and aren’t interesting in starting a team, check surrounding middle schools. Our high school allows others to join if they don’t have a team available.</p>
<p>[Welcome</a> to FIRST LEGO League | USFIRST.org](<a href=“http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/fll]Welcome”>http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/fll)</p>
<p>Most of all, just follow your students lead. If he starts something and wants to switch gears after a season, be open to that. This really is the time for him to be exploring.</p>
<p>My kids went through our public school system, but they met several home schooled students in the local youth symphony and in ballet. Geography Bee, Spelling Bee, and History Day are also popular activities.</p>
<p>Stradmom, not trying to turn this thread into a further discussion of this. But Boy Scouts cannot be openly gay. Per a June 2012 press release from the Boy Scouts of America:</p>
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<p>Anyway… the OP surely has their own opinion on this, and probably is not interested in further discussion on this. She has gotten a lot of suggestions for her kids that should keep them busy!</p>
<p>I stand corrected. My impression of Boy Scouts v. Dale was different. There’s also <a href=“http://www.scoutingforall.org%5B/url%5D”>http://www.scoutingforall.org</a> for those for whom this is an issue.</p>
<p>Ha-ha, and to hijack the thread very momentarily re. dance: I didn’t start dancing until I was 18 and I began dancing professionally at 29. Let’s hear it for late bloomers. :-)</p>
<p>Ok, back to our regularly scheduled program… :-)</p>
<p>OP, here’s an older CC thread on home-schoolers. It’s more focused on academics and how to present them, but also offers some thoughts on ECs, essays, and recommendations. Note that the discussion is about the most exclusive schools in the country, so the stats are probably less gloomy elsewhere. There are plenty of really excellent colleges whose names don’t start with H, P, or Y. :)</p>
<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/home-schooling-college/874682-homeschool-students-admission-rate-harvard-princeton-yale-2.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/home-schooling-college/874682-homeschool-students-admission-rate-harvard-princeton-yale-2.html</a></p>
<p>I echo other posters in saying that your student should lead you. Help him find what he loves and then help him to pursue it. Then he’ll find his path, which may or may not lead to national awards and top-10 colleges.</p>
<p>Interesting discussion. I desperately want to be a fly on the wall when some mother sits her 10 year old down and announces he’s going to take up the bassoon so he can get into a good college.</p>