Portia,

Thank you for your input. DS8 has been in soccer the last 2 years through the YMCA and loves it. We have them in as many after school programs we can. He and his brother are both in the City wide chess club and we take them to as many matches as we can. Both of my DS's have problems relating to other there age in one way or another. One suggestion was Cub Scouts. I am looking into this now, both boys seem somewhat interested. We are hoping the kids in his Bridges class will connect and we can set up some play dates. Thank you for the additional ideas about weekend clubs.
The Epsilon camp looks great, It is only 4 hours away. We are looking to see if we can shift some other obligations to free up the window.



Originally Posted by Portia
You have found the right place. Many of the struggles you mention are familiar. Finding one's tribe is very difficult. We have had most success in following interests. It also involves a lot of parental support creating opportunities for socialization. You had mentioned that last year he was with a group that seemed to work well on projects. Have you considered inviting them over for a playdate or creating some sort of afterschool project they could work on together?

Another way to meet others through following interests is to find clubs like history, math, Lego, etc that meet on the weekends. We also find luck with camps such as soccer, Lego, math, engineering, theater, etc.

ETA: You mentioned that your son is ahead in math. Have you considered Epsilon camp? Here is the link:
http://epsiloncamp.org/