50 things a geeky kid should have done before they turn 12
With the deepest of bows to this Geek Mom article, here’s my more Australian list of 50 things a geeky kid ought to do before turning 12 (an event only weeks away for my older son).
- Tear something electronic apart
- Build something fabulous with LEGO
- Look at something under a microscope
- Build a robot
- Body surf
- Learn to use a saw, hammer and screwdriver
- Hold a live animal, especially of the kind they might eat later
- Write a program
- Do a practical joke
- Attend a geeky event
- Save up for something they really want
- Go for a bush walk and carry their own stuff
- Plant seeds and watch them grow
- Look through a telescope
- Watch a movie trilogy (you know the ones)
- Create a lightsaber or magic wand from an old cardboard tube
- Learn how to use a map
- Stay up and really look at the stars (and ideally pick out the Southern Cross)
- Read a trilogy
- Organise a collection of something
- Mix something cool with a chemistry set
- Visit a science museum
- Get covered in mud
- Learn a magic trick
- Mix Mentos with Coke
- Snorkel with the fishes
- Make a stop-motion animation
- Build their own fort or cubby
- Read a comic book
- Learn to hold their fingers like Mr Spock
- Watch an animated series (Batman, Last Airbender, etc)
- Launch a model rocket (or rocket car)
- Play a video game all the way to the end
- Jump off something into the water
- Build a model
- Make a webpage using tags
- Have a water fight
- Sew a button
- Make a fire and cook damper
- Make a Rube Goldberg machine
- Spend a night in a tent
- Fly a kite
- Make a paper airplane or newspaper boat
- Cook a meal
- Dam a creek
- Visit an observatory
- Build a go-cart
- Learn about a significant Australian scientist
- Invent something
- Watch clouds go by for 15 minutes