What would you want your 13-year-old child to learn, read or watch?
 

I'm creating a summer curriculum for my 13-year-old son. And I'm putting together a list of books, documentaries and other pieces of wisdom to help my son become a jedi at life.

What do you wish you had known at age 13? What book is a MUST read for him? What documentary changed your life?

The US education system is great for helping kids regurgitate facts, but it doesn't excel at teaching people to become a critical thinker.

What information and knowledge should be on any 13-year-old's radar, aside from religious texts and dogma?

Thanks in advance.

Isn't that almost an algebra year?

I don't know what books are appropriate for that age group. It seems like there's a lot of nonfiction stuff that would be valuable.

I was counting on you to bring the thunder, man!

Marvel Comics.

Thinking back, I spent a lot of thine that summer watching reruns of Giligan's Island and Leave it to Beaver. Throw in some chess, stamp collecting, and sandlot football and he's good to go.

That all those stories in my older brothers' Penthouse weren't really true.

Teacher here.

Anything with problem solving, science, math What if....

Study skills and

How not to be a pain in the ass in 8th grade.

But, since you are asking how to make your kid better, I will assume you have cared for a long time and are an involved parent.

Read October Sky. The movie is great. The book is even better. Every 8th grader should read that book. What they did and tried is not what kids do today.

Read non-fiction. Too much emphasis is put on fiction, which is not reality.

http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1426575448l/867247.jpg

The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi was a piece of literature I was instructed to read when I was that age. Pretty cool stuff I learned from that.

One thing I know for certain.

What ever this dipshit learned is not something you want your kid to learn.

I wouldn't know. I spent the entire summer working 16 hours a day and like four on Sundays. That probably helped me more than any learning would have.

Did this involve tractors?

lol

A Separate Peace. If you haven't, read it for yourself first then talk about it.

Learn Python programming

Learn the game of golf

Drink mad dog 20/20 by the bottle