Is This Just "Busywork"?

Since my son is homeschooling, i really have no need for "busywork". That worries me a little bit because a couple of the projects i've found to do may just be busywork! They sound like so much fun but...will he learn anything from it? He has no interest in projects of any sort associated with schoolwork. When i told him to do a science experiment and it counts for school, suddenly he wasn't even slightly interested in doing one - this is the kid who does experiments all day every day in summer! AARGH!

The project I like is one for a book project as opposed to a book report. He hates doing reports, I understand that and am okay with it. He may have to anyway occasionally if I can see a good reason for it. It's hard to insist he write a report on a fiction book. I asked Steph why someone would need to do that and her idea is that it helps retention. Why would he need to remember the details of someone's made-up story? So I decided to find a non-fiction book, he prefers that anyway. Remembering factual, useful information makes good sense. I thought I had it covered until i realized there MAY be a reason to do a report or project on a fiction book. He could use some help keeping his attention focused, following a storyline (I'm sure you're familiar with how often kids ask questions while watching a movie!), using context clues to make a prediction... There are lots of reasons, aren't there? I just thought of a few more while writing this sentence.

Well, good, that means we can do the fun project after all!