Posted on 01/22/2006 4:45:41 PM PST by Lorianne
I think the books mentioned in the previous post are the "Tackett" series.
Congratulations on an excellent outcome for both of you!
:-)
Exactly. Every villan in any movie is male. What are they supposed to think???
Hmmmm....what else did I enjoy reading as a kid.....Conan Doyle (Doesn't sound like your son's speed, though.) Twain was excellent. I liked the Tom Swift / HArdy Boys series. About any kind of historical fiction/nonfiction (military history in particular, because my family had a military background that could tie into it). I liked Orwell when I was in High School because I figured out all the metaphors on my own - I still think that Orwell was a prophet.
The key, at least for me, was to find books that could hold my interest. Biggest issue I had in HS and college with reading was slogging through the 'classics' like Wuthering Heights (ugh) and anything by Joyce. Never found an author that could say so little with so many words. :-)
Sounds like you've got quite the inventor on your hands. With a little encouragement and direction, you'll be surprised with what will come of it. Don't get discouraged, though, if you come home and various and assorted appliances are in a million pieces. I was forever taking stuff apart, just to see how it worked. :-) Drove my parents nuts.
Yeah, he's been taking the house apart for quite some time. Whenever something gets broken, it goes to him before it goes to the garbage. About 1 time out of ten, he can fix it. He really likes to change it into something else, though. He took a broken blender apart then attached the motor to his GI Joe motorcycle. Put the doll on it, turned it on, and ripped the bike to shreds.
He's electrocuted himself so many times that I'm surprised that his hair doesn't glow.
He does love his new soldering iron, though! He spent the evening making jewelry for his sister and me.
I'll try to offer him a good selection of books to keep him from getting bored. I'm keeping a file of all you guy's suggestions for future reference.
I'm not familar with the series you are mentioning - the book I am referring to is entitled "Hatchet" and it involves a young boy named Brian who is stranded on a remote island. The only tool he has is his hatchet which his mom gave to him. The story is about his learning survival skills by trial and error-it's so compelling I blew through it in one night after picking it up out of my daughter's backpack and glancing at a few pages.
Oh, sorry. The same author wrote a series which (I now think) is about a boy named "Tuckett," covering a number of years from early adolescence to adulthood.
I'll have to look for "Hatchet" for my boys!
Ralph Moody is a great writer for boys. His first book is called "Little Britches (Father and I Were Ranchers)," and then he has several others about ranch life in the late 19th century.
Your son might like Theodore Roosevelt's books about hunting and exploration.
Vision Forum and Mantle Ministries sell a variety of reprint fiction for boys - histories and Western novels, mostly from before 1900.
One thing that stands out in all these older books is that boys were functioning as young men before they were in their teens, instead of being legal and functional infants for almost 20 years.
It's also something that a boy finds very hard to admit (even to himself)-remember-men hate to ask for directions when they're lost! So if he's stuck, encourage him to first ask himself if he understands the concept. If not , he needs to know it's ok to ask for clarification and keep asking until he "gets it".
The next step is to develop a plan - what needs to get done? His "plan" should match his style of approaching things. I hate to make lists and would rather do some brainstorming, dive in, let things develop through trial and error, then edit edit edit. My hubby likes to break things down and draw out the whole plan then analyze what he needs to do to get each part done. How would he approach this assignment if it were in his workshop? (No, "torching" it and watching it burn is not an option). What "tools" would he need?
The best way to get "unstuck" is to do something you're good at - it releases your brain from the "fight or flight" mechanism and unleashes creativity. Another way is to inject some humor into the situation. Before she gets a chance to start complaining, we often do an exaggerated impersonation of our daughter when she's "ramped up" about homework. It's probably quite a sight to see mom or dad stomping around screaming "I HATE MATH!!!!! IT'S SOOO STUUUUUPID!! WHEN AM I EVER GONNA USE THIS STUFF?????" but it gets her giggling at herself and she loosens up enough to get the job done.
Ooh, I'll have to check that out as well- I have 3 girls, but they seem to enjoy these books.
My daughters do, as well. My oldest (14) read half a dozen books about big game hunting in the last couple of weeks, after I told her she was taking a break from nothing but fantasy novels.
Marie, your son might like Louis L'amour, too.
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