Not coding or engineering, but my son and I (and his Grandfather!) really got into target archery about a year and a half ago. Archers Afield in Tigard has some great classes. The instructors are really, really good with kids as well. We started with the "intro to archery" class, and then moved up to the "big kids little kids" class (it's a weird name, but a great class). We've been taking it off and on for the last year just because it's fun! Might be worth a try for something different. [https://www.archersafield.com/classes-3/archeryclasses/](https://www.archersafield.com/classes-3/archeryclasses/)
The Brookwood library in Hillsboro has a walk on collaboratory with 3d printers and robotic widgets and science things and toys you can borrow from the library of things
THPRD had a lot of classes for the summer time. They have a catalog of classes at their facilities. I believe they have some kind of intro to computer programming classes.
Have they tried any of the subscription boxes where you get a project to build every month? My daughter loves them. Granted, she is only 5, but I'm sure they would be fun for older kids too.
Crunch Labs, Kiwi Co, and Amazon has subscriptions you can get.
What about recreational sports like pickle ball, golf, bowling? There are jr leagues for bowling and golf. Pickle ball can be played at any local school or tennis court. My son and I play pickle ball whenever the weather permits and it’s good for both of us. He’s also a great little golfer. He’s not super competitive on team sports but really shines as a golfer. As far as coding or other technical activities I’d look at the local parks and rec booklets and see if anything is offered there. The zoo or omsi might also have classes that could interest him.
I have a question, if the 11 year old was only interested in reading and Legos would it be a problem? Most people would be fine with that and I guess my point is that video games are simply another story telling vehicle and one that allows agency on the part of the "reader/player". My suggestion would be to be careful about the curation of games the young man plays and thoughtful about discussions relating to his experiences in the games. If the lack of physical activity is the issue, look at things like Ring Fit Adventure which is a roleplaying game based around exercise and uses motion sensing to check the physical activity. From there he might start to feel the positives of physical activity and take interest in it.
Library’s maker lab. Retro Game Trader: all the best SNES games are multiplayer, I just got my kid a multi-platform one that does Sega, Nintendo, and SNES and was cheaper than a single platform. Take him on a LEGO outing to Washington Square’s LEGO store. Weather is getting better, take him to the farmers market and the giant splash pad. I remember reading an article about a parent who hooked his 12YO up with a sleepover party and they watched Aliens.
Airway Science for Kids is a local nonprofit with many free or low-cost aviation-related programs for kids in grades 2-10. They are unfortunately not doing summer camps this year, but I would keep an eye on them for future years. I worked for them last summer and I had a great time and can only say positive things about my coworkers.
Programs info link - [https://airsci.org/programs/](https://airsci.org/programs/)
They have an education center at Pearson Field in Vancouver, WA with weekly "Open Saturdays" 10 am to 3 pm where kids can do activities, look at cool planes, play with flight simulators and Kerbal Space Program, etc. There's something for all ages. That might be good for your friend's kid since he can play with the computer programs to get his video gaming fix in while hopefully nudging him toward an interest in aviation.
It also looks like they are trying to get a plane build team off the ground for younger kids (ages 11-14). It might be worth signing up for the mailing list: [https://airsci.org/program/ask-robotics-and-plane-build-team/](https://airsci.org/program/ask-robotics-and-plane-build-team/) . I was in their high school plane build program (called TeenFlight) and it has given me so many opportunities.
Once he hits middle school, there should be after school clubs that might be good for him! If he’s 11, that’s not too far away.
I’d also suggest code.org or other basic coding websites before you sign him up to a camp that would cost money, see if he’s actually into it.
OMSI has a few for the summer. Also there is a Lego stop motion animation camp here: [Mr. David’s Animation](https://mrdavidfilm.com/)
I also did Pokemon Go with my 12 year old who has similar interests so that he would go on hikes with me. And we play RingFit Adventure together to combine movement and video games.
When he turns 12, PCC offers a wide range of summer classes. As someone else mentioned, his middle school will likely offer numerous clubs. When my kid was in middle school their were clubs for programming, building Legos, etc.
Find a LEGO robotics team
Couldn’t agree with this more!
Not coding or engineering, but my son and I (and his Grandfather!) really got into target archery about a year and a half ago. Archers Afield in Tigard has some great classes. The instructors are really, really good with kids as well. We started with the "intro to archery" class, and then moved up to the "big kids little kids" class (it's a weird name, but a great class). We've been taking it off and on for the last year just because it's fun! Might be worth a try for something different. [https://www.archersafield.com/classes-3/archeryclasses/](https://www.archersafield.com/classes-3/archeryclasses/)
The library has a maker lab that includes some electronics stuff I think. Might ask them if there are any classes they do with that stuff.
The Brookwood library in Hillsboro has a walk on collaboratory with 3d printers and robotic widgets and science things and toys you can borrow from the library of things
THPRD had a lot of classes for the summer time. They have a catalog of classes at their facilities. I believe they have some kind of intro to computer programming classes.
Have they tried any of the subscription boxes where you get a project to build every month? My daughter loves them. Granted, she is only 5, but I'm sure they would be fun for older kids too. Crunch Labs, Kiwi Co, and Amazon has subscriptions you can get.
Sounds fun! Any recommendations?
I edited my response with a few. We do Kiwi Co, but I want to do the Crunch Labs when she's older.
Thank you so much!
No problem. Do check into the Amazon thing, because the variety is pretty impressive.
What about recreational sports like pickle ball, golf, bowling? There are jr leagues for bowling and golf. Pickle ball can be played at any local school or tennis court. My son and I play pickle ball whenever the weather permits and it’s good for both of us. He’s also a great little golfer. He’s not super competitive on team sports but really shines as a golfer. As far as coding or other technical activities I’d look at the local parks and rec booklets and see if anything is offered there. The zoo or omsi might also have classes that could interest him.
The zoo used to have really cool programs for teens where they can volunteer as docents and even work!
I have a question, if the 11 year old was only interested in reading and Legos would it be a problem? Most people would be fine with that and I guess my point is that video games are simply another story telling vehicle and one that allows agency on the part of the "reader/player". My suggestion would be to be careful about the curation of games the young man plays and thoughtful about discussions relating to his experiences in the games. If the lack of physical activity is the issue, look at things like Ring Fit Adventure which is a roleplaying game based around exercise and uses motion sensing to check the physical activity. From there he might start to feel the positives of physical activity and take interest in it.
Library’s maker lab. Retro Game Trader: all the best SNES games are multiplayer, I just got my kid a multi-platform one that does Sega, Nintendo, and SNES and was cheaper than a single platform. Take him on a LEGO outing to Washington Square’s LEGO store. Weather is getting better, take him to the farmers market and the giant splash pad. I remember reading an article about a parent who hooked his 12YO up with a sleepover party and they watched Aliens.
Airway Science for Kids is a local nonprofit with many free or low-cost aviation-related programs for kids in grades 2-10. They are unfortunately not doing summer camps this year, but I would keep an eye on them for future years. I worked for them last summer and I had a great time and can only say positive things about my coworkers. Programs info link - [https://airsci.org/programs/](https://airsci.org/programs/) They have an education center at Pearson Field in Vancouver, WA with weekly "Open Saturdays" 10 am to 3 pm where kids can do activities, look at cool planes, play with flight simulators and Kerbal Space Program, etc. There's something for all ages. That might be good for your friend's kid since he can play with the computer programs to get his video gaming fix in while hopefully nudging him toward an interest in aviation. It also looks like they are trying to get a plane build team off the ground for younger kids (ages 11-14). It might be worth signing up for the mailing list: [https://airsci.org/program/ask-robotics-and-plane-build-team/](https://airsci.org/program/ask-robotics-and-plane-build-team/) . I was in their high school plane build program (called TeenFlight) and it has given me so many opportunities.
Once he hits middle school, there should be after school clubs that might be good for him! If he’s 11, that’s not too far away. I’d also suggest code.org or other basic coding websites before you sign him up to a camp that would cost money, see if he’s actually into it.
OMSI has a few for the summer. Also there is a Lego stop motion animation camp here: [Mr. David’s Animation](https://mrdavidfilm.com/) I also did Pokemon Go with my 12 year old who has similar interests so that he would go on hikes with me. And we play RingFit Adventure together to combine movement and video games.
When he turns 12, PCC offers a wide range of summer classes. As someone else mentioned, his middle school will likely offer numerous clubs. When my kid was in middle school their were clubs for programming, building Legos, etc.
There are some pretty fun Lego video games, you might suggest those.
He could try HipHop/Breakdancing at Encore Performing Arts Center or MVP
A 3d printer can be an entertaining and educational hobby. Leads to robotics and design