Inspiration for ten-year-old boy

[morescribbles]

Hi folks. I am hoping for some inspiration. I mind a ten-year-old boy who has been with us for a couple of years. Recently he has seemed quite bored and none of my resources are engaging him. He isn't keen on going out in the garden to play, seems to have grown out of card games and annuals and will read when I sit them down for reading time but as soon as that time is over he doesn't maintain interest in the book. He will draw but only occasionally, he doesn't have the patience for modelling. We played Battleships the other night which he enjoyed but generally he seems to sit waiting to go home so that he can play with his ipod and computer! Would love some ideas :) He's a lovely, funny lad and I'd really like to find something to keep him a bit more entertained! He's only with us until July so it would be great to give him some happy memories before he grows out of us completely.

More grown up board game, like backgammon or deck of grown up cards?
Homework session?
Older boys books (get reading list from mum/dad?)?
Can he not use the computer for something like mathletics?

Hi Strix, thanks so much for your reply. I just had a peek at the mathletics site, it looks really good. We did use the Bond 11 plus site before their exams but I hadn't found anything educational since that could engage him online. That site looks fab. Any other recommendations like that would be brill.

Lego? I know I was into Lego til mid teens (though Im not a boy nor did I have.computer games).

Could you involve him.in the cooking? Or baking.

Meccano.

Start a planter bed outside for him to grown plants / vegetables.

I'm not a boy, or aged ten... but what about those 'crazy scientist' sets- I'm sure my brother had one when we were little.

Or even maybe use youtube to do things like build his own electro magnet.

Is he into football?- could you do a football fantasy league with him (not on a computer perhaps), and record your scores each week.

Hi MortifiedAdams, he loves lego but sadly looks down on our box a bit because he only uses the lego technix ones :) The cooking is a good idea, we haven't done that for a while. Meccano is a great idea too. I've never owned that so it would be a great resource. I should get a planter bed going, we were sprouting mung bean shoots which he enjoyed but I was disappointed when I read that you can't actually eat them without cooking them. The kids all wanted to try them!

I have a book on building paper planes that might amuse him every now and then. How about something like that?

Hi Frizy, great inspiration, I've just scouted and bought a book online called '365 science experiments'. I bet he'll love that kind of stuff.

Fantasy league...sounds great but must admit I have no idea at all about football. He's a rugger boy...wonder if you can get something like that for rugby?

Sugar snap peas would be ideal then - they can snap them off and munch away as desired!

Fab :) Yum, I love sugar snap peas, great motivator!

Alliwantisaroomsomewhere - I used to have a pad of foldable paper planes which was brill but we ran out and I haven't been able to find one since. Which book do you have? I'll look it up. Sounds great.

My 10 year old loves doing card tricks which he learns from you tube videos, it keeps him entertained for days.

Thanks for starting this thread. I am looking after an 11 yr old boy.

He likes drawing a lot. I am finding that he seems a little bored at times.

I have cm kids aged 3-11.

I must admit that he prefers to go to his friends house. I know at that age they like play stations, computer or just hanging out at the park.

Watching this space.

My 10 year old loves Bin weevils, he could spend hours on the computer. He also loves art and could make things for hours to, it just depends on what your 10 year old mindee likes. Have you asked him what he wants to do? Personally I dont think theres anything wrong with letting him play the x box etc .

My ten yr old loves Lego and science kits, he has a 'slime' science lab kit he uses a lot.

Also hama beads and craft stuff, paper planes. Athletics site is good Andi have a car track called blue track from amazon he likes.

www.amazon.co.uk/BluTrack-18sklarge-Starter-Set/dp/B000YC3PE2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361037371&sr=8-1

We got this for Xmas and my boys spend hours playing with it.

Also have you looked at raspberry pi, its a thing for computer prog, used in schools and us very good, costs about £20-30.

www.amazon.co.uk/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=pi+raspberry&tag=googhydr-21&index=aps&hvadid=12951917700&hvpos=1o1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1969478486357498735&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&ref=pd_sl_bllkd0e9o_b