<p>I was 13 when I was in 9th Grade 
Weird.</p>
<p>EDIT: Whoops, just read he’s turning 13 next summer 
My bad!</p>
<p>Anyhow, enjoy life. Take it naturally. Read books, do whatever extracurriculars fascinate you, but science research? Isn’t it a little early to worry about that (unless he’s really into it)? I understand where you’re going, though. You want him to develop these skills and discover his passions early in life so that he can persevere. I would say that, at this age, it’s far more important to send him to courses where he can have a good experience and discover more about himself, rather than ones that will appeal to universities. Also, make sure that, rather than making him do a million different activities and extracurriculars, make him focus on 2 or 3 that he has a strong passion for, so that he can get really good at them… I’ll stop mumbling on now, but, hopefully that helps, even though it doesn’t answer your question :/</p>