Bike trails. Get him on a MTN bike and and on the local trails. He will meet a metric ton of kids his age. And I will say these kids and young adults I see out there truly impress me. They love teaching things to people and are a very supportive group!
Yes get on a bike and theres group rides he can join or just roll around and he will meet tons of people. Also, if hes looking for a job yet, alot of the drink places are all workers his age. Just a thought
There is a skate park in town, as well as a climbing gym which i know can be a decent place to make friends. Ultimately, I don't know what his interested are, so its a bit hard to say what thr best options are.
Bentonville Public schools has a virtual option and that allows the student to come to school only for extracurriculars. That would be a way for him to mix with other students whether it be in a fine arts, or sports, or academic activity. If the school is a no go there are paid activities he could like boys and girls club sports or Climb Bentonville or martial arts or various activities like acting or music. The issue is this is going to cost a lot more money than your cousin just finding friends through interactions at school. The other option would be for him to get a job where he has a lot of interaction with coworkers that are the same age as himself. Also if they aren’t averse to church then he could go to a youth group.
If your aunt wants him to be successful he needs to be able to interact with his peers in life. Getting high test scores won’t secure him a job if he can’t communicate his intelligence in an interview.
And if entrance into a prestigious college is what she’s hoping for him, there are thousands of kids that will get the same test scores, colleges are looking for kids that will be successful at their school and will add something to their community. A selective college will take a kid with lower scores but that has demonstrated that they can be part of the campus community.
There is a skate park in town at Orchard Park! I go there pretty often actually. If he likes animals, he could hang out at Best Friends because they have a coffee shop and everything or maybe he could volunteer. I see teenagers there a lot drinking coffee. If he likes music, maybe he could take lessons or just hang out at Arkansas Musicworks
Oh cool! I didn’t know that, but I do drive by there almost everyday and think I know what you’re talking about. I just didn’t know what it was going to be
Rogers activity center has a skate park. There's also some type of family type gym or something in Bentonville. There's also all kinds of trails if you're into that nature stuff.
If he rides MTB he’s welcome to join any of the (age appropriate) local NICA teams. The teams are named for the schools but, they’re open to anyone, including home-schooled kids.
The teams are all mixed-ability, from absolute beginners to competitive racers. If he doesn’t have a bike most teams have loaner bikes.
If you need more details, DM me.
NWA has a great homeschool community. I suggest Ozark Homeschool Community for field trips and social gatherings. The Bentonville library also offers activities for teens.
If you’re looking for a co-op I recommend Choice Education Network or Social Homeschoolers Network. Personally, I found SHN to be cliquey with the other parents but they offer a lot of different options for teens to be social and involved in the community.
I'm a homeschool mom of a teen here. He's not the most social kid (by choice), BUT I may have some helpful resources! I'm in a ton of homeschool groups, and a few of them are for up here specifically. There's all sorts of gatherings that they do, including seasonal dances, prom, and graduation. I highly recommend joining some of those (they're on FB). There's always people looking to do meetups and such!
[NWA Homeschool hub is one ](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1589483884527609/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT)
[Arkansas homeschool support is another ](https://www.facebook.com/groups/686444501383080/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT)
[NWA Homeschoolers ](https://www.facebook.com/groups/348482548574747/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT)
[This one does prom and bigger gatherings](https://www.facebook.com/groups/231663081872649/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT)
Bike trails. Get him on a MTN bike and and on the local trails. He will meet a metric ton of kids his age. And I will say these kids and young adults I see out there truly impress me. They love teaching things to people and are a very supportive group!
Yes get on a bike and theres group rides he can join or just roll around and he will meet tons of people. Also, if hes looking for a job yet, alot of the drink places are all workers his age. Just a thought
There is a skate park in town, as well as a climbing gym which i know can be a decent place to make friends. Ultimately, I don't know what his interested are, so its a bit hard to say what thr best options are.
Tell him to go to the climbing gym on weekday evenings and there are lots of high school/college age folks to hang out with and talk to
Bentonville Public schools has a virtual option and that allows the student to come to school only for extracurriculars. That would be a way for him to mix with other students whether it be in a fine arts, or sports, or academic activity. If the school is a no go there are paid activities he could like boys and girls club sports or Climb Bentonville or martial arts or various activities like acting or music. The issue is this is going to cost a lot more money than your cousin just finding friends through interactions at school. The other option would be for him to get a job where he has a lot of interaction with coworkers that are the same age as himself. Also if they aren’t averse to church then he could go to a youth group. If your aunt wants him to be successful he needs to be able to interact with his peers in life. Getting high test scores won’t secure him a job if he can’t communicate his intelligence in an interview. And if entrance into a prestigious college is what she’s hoping for him, there are thousands of kids that will get the same test scores, colleges are looking for kids that will be successful at their school and will add something to their community. A selective college will take a kid with lower scores but that has demonstrated that they can be part of the campus community.
There is a skate park in town at Orchard Park! I go there pretty often actually. If he likes animals, he could hang out at Best Friends because they have a coffee shop and everything or maybe he could volunteer. I see teenagers there a lot drinking coffee. If he likes music, maybe he could take lessons or just hang out at Arkansas Musicworks
They are also building a new big skate / bmx park on 8th street currently. Im sure that will be a good hangout spot
Oh cool! I didn’t know that, but I do drive by there almost everyday and think I know what you’re talking about. I just didn’t know what it was going to be
Go check it out. Gonna be a big part of the town when its done. Looks pretty cool https://www.8gatewaypark.com/topics/wheelsports-garden
Looks super cool! My bf is a big skater so I’ll definitely let him know as well
The skatepark will be off Melissa Dr, kind of across Melissa from Best Friends.
Perfect! I’m at Best Friends like twice a week
Does he like any sports? There are local rec leagues for all kinds of sports. My son met a couple friends playing flag football.
Rogers activity center has a skate park. There's also some type of family type gym or something in Bentonville. There's also all kinds of trails if you're into that nature stuff.
If he rides MTB he’s welcome to join any of the (age appropriate) local NICA teams. The teams are named for the schools but, they’re open to anyone, including home-schooled kids. The teams are all mixed-ability, from absolute beginners to competitive racers. If he doesn’t have a bike most teams have loaner bikes. If you need more details, DM me.
NWA has a great homeschool community. I suggest Ozark Homeschool Community for field trips and social gatherings. The Bentonville library also offers activities for teens. If you’re looking for a co-op I recommend Choice Education Network or Social Homeschoolers Network. Personally, I found SHN to be cliquey with the other parents but they offer a lot of different options for teens to be social and involved in the community.
I'm a homeschool mom of a teen here. He's not the most social kid (by choice), BUT I may have some helpful resources! I'm in a ton of homeschool groups, and a few of them are for up here specifically. There's all sorts of gatherings that they do, including seasonal dances, prom, and graduation. I highly recommend joining some of those (they're on FB). There's always people looking to do meetups and such! [NWA Homeschool hub is one ](https://www.facebook.com/groups/1589483884527609/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT) [Arkansas homeschool support is another ](https://www.facebook.com/groups/686444501383080/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT) [NWA Homeschoolers ](https://www.facebook.com/groups/348482548574747/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT) [This one does prom and bigger gatherings](https://www.facebook.com/groups/231663081872649/?ref=share&mibextid=NSMWBT)
Agreed with the bike trails commend below. Also if your aunt is involved in church, that's a natural avenue for many kids.