Project 9 year old can do independently at home in summer

[pooppants]

I've scheduled quite a lot of downtime for my nine year old daughter this summer. A lot of my time is spent looking after my nine month old and I am looking for some enticing projects that my daughter could do fairly independently when we're at home this summer. Most if not all of her friends are highly programmed during the summer so she will be on her own in that respect. She is not really a craft kit type of gal or a big reader.
Any ideas??? Many thanks in advance again,
Pooppants

[Kelly Jene]

I know you said she's not a craft kit type of gal, but would she like to learn to knit or crochet? Do you want to ask her "if you could learn something new this summer that could be done at home, what would it be?" When I've done this with my boys, it's amazing the things they've wanted to learn! A lot of it can be done at little cost.

[damona]

my 9yo ds is learning to crochet and i also got him a latch hook kit that he has just started. he also loves to do the dance dance revolution game for playstation, which i love since i have a hard time getting him to go play outside.

we went to the thrift store yesterday and i gave him $10 and told him he could pick out whatever he wanted, books, craft stuff, movies, clothes, anything, but it had to be under $10 total. he got 6 books, a movie, a computer game, a t-shirt and 4 skeins of yarn. all his choice! maybe you could do something like that with your dd?

sidewalk chalk? those big velvet posters that you colour in? choose-your-own-mystery books? lol, i have no idea what girls like these days, and reading and crafts was about all i ever did as a kid!

[Carlyn]

http://www.mothering.com/discussions...d.php?t=910509 has a lot of fantastic ideas for summer fun. Hope you and your children have a great summer!

[lilylove]

Moved to The Childhood Years

[Igraine]

http://www.daringbookforgirls.com/

I gave this book to my dear friend's 9 y/o daughter. It is her newest treasure she tells me. Check out the website and get the book (not cheap, but it is full of amazing stories, projects... I wish I had it when I was a girl).

And enjoy your summer!

[Mallory]

My 7 and 8 year olds love wood working.

With a miterbox and saw and a hammer and nails, they are able to build quite independantly.

The big cost here is wood. If you know someone who has a shop and would give you scraps, or if there is construction nearby, they will usually save some too.

We try to do a real project for presents, after the fourth we are going to start on christmas presents. But mostly I just keep some library books of simple projects around for them to get ideas from.


I am also amazed at what my older one can cook independantly, and it is so nice when he can make dinner.

[2 in August]

My dd is almost 7 we are doing some fun projects with her friends this summer. With your dd being older, she could do them on her own.

Worm composting...
http://www.ciwmb.ca.gov/Schools/Curr...Activities.pdf
http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/worms/


Solar cooking...
http://www.sciencebuddies.org/scienc...Eng_p013.shtml
http://tristate.apogee.net/kids/fes_ifrm.aspx

Balloons...
http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/s...oncolumns.html
http://pbskids.org/zoom/activities/s...nandstraw.html
http://www.hometrainingtools.com/art...r-project.html
http://www.questacon.edu.au/html/squ...on_bottle.html
http://www.questacon.edu.au/html/squ...on_skewer.html
http://www.questacon.edu.au/html/squ..._stop_pop.html

Pond in a jar...
http://www.d.umn.edu/~tbates/ened3342-1/pondlife2.pdf
http://www.kidsgardening.com/onlinecourse/Act43.htm
http://science-class.net/Ecology/Eco...iecosystem.pdf
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...29/ai_17027832