DS was accepted into Mensa!! 😃

[displace]

I just had to share and thought maybe this board would understand my excitement. 😄 When I was young, being accepted into Mensa was the pinnacle of achievement so I feel so excited for DS. He doesn't really know much about what it means, just that I'm excited and proud. After telling him he was accepted because of some of the testing we did, he first thought it was because of his dyslexia so then I had to clarify a bit. I wasn't exactly prepared for that but I think I got through the conversation okay.

 

I joined to try to get to know more families in the area who may have children like DS. Though it may or may not yield much in the way of friends, I do hope to get more information and start focusing and shifting to DS's primary "e" in 2e, and increase our fun factor. It's been so hard focusing on the LDs that I've decided to change what we do and increase topics on DS's strengths.

 

Now to wonder about DYS. 😉

[Dmmetler]

Congratulations! I've heard good things about Mensa for kids in some parts of the country. It wasn't super-helpful here, but hopefully you'll have a great experience.

[FairProspects]

Congrats. :)

[displace]

Thanks! I hope it'll help with resources. Though this forum is probably the most helpful board ice ever found :)

[mombygrace]

Congratulations

[shawthorne44]

What area are you in?  The local groups can vary widely.  

 

If you can swing it, I would highly recommend an Annual Gathering.  They change locations every year, always on July 4th weekend.  This year is in Louisville, KY.   My DD is too young, but I've talked to parents who have glowed about the youth programming at the AG.  I remember one parent I saw drag her son (mostly literally) to the Youth Programming area, and a couple of hours later I was sitting with the mom and the son came out all happy and said, "I've found my peeps".  I got a little teary-eyed, and his mom held it together until he walked off and then cried.  If you think you might go, I would recommend you get on the waiting list for the hotel.   

 

There is also a Mensa homeschooling subgroup (SIG).  It is one of those yahoo message groups.  Also some homeschooling resources.  I haven't looked at them lately.  

 

Sometime in next couple of years I think I'll have DD tested and then get her a lifetime membership.  The price difference between her and me is about $40 and I'm old.  Then I'll drop my yearly and we will be her guest for several years.

 

[SparklyUnicorn]

Very cool!  Congrats.

 

 

[displace]

Thanks! I don't like to say where we're at explicitly but it's the most southeastern state ;)

[displace]

What area are you in? The local groups can vary widely.

 

If you can swing it, I would highly recommend an Annual Gathering. They change locations every year, always on July 4th weekend. This year is in Louisville, KY. My DD is too young, but I've talked to parents who have glowed about the youth programming at the AG. I remember one parent I saw drag her son (mostly literally) to the Youth Programming area, and a couple of hours later I was sitting with the mom and the son came out all happy and said, "I've found my peeps". I got a little teary-eyed, and his mom held it together until he walked off and then cried. If you think you might go, I would recommend you get on the waiting list for the hotel.

 

There is also a Mensa homeschooling subgroup (SIG). It is one of those yahoo message groups. Also some homeschooling resources. I haven't looked at them lately.

 

Sometime in next couple of years I think I'll have DD tested and then get her a lifetime membership. The price difference between her and me is about $40 and I'm old. Then I'll drop my yearly and we will be her guest for several years.

Thanks for the tip! I'll have to look into this!

 

The annual gathering looks cool. Plus our local gatherings seem to be falling on weekends I'm already busy (state homeschooling convention, etc). What to do? 😄

[shawthorne44]

Local gatherings are fun but they are really entirely different from the AG.  A local gathering might get 100-200 people.  The annual gathering will get 1000-2000 people.  With that many people it is always easy to find people to do stuff with.  I spend lots of time in the game room.   Next year is in San Diego, I am seriously considering going.  

[SeaConquest]

Local gatherings are fun but they are really entirely different from the AG. A local gathering might get 100-200 people. The annual gathering will get 1000-2000 people. With that many people it is always easy to find people to do stuff with. I spend lots of time in the game room. Next year is in San Diego, I am seriously considering going.

Hmm. This might be worth doing. They take the Cogat, which I know several homeschool testing companies offer. I may try to see if my DS qualifies.

[displace]

They also test there. For us it would be a 12 hr drive though for just a few days so I'm super conflicted. San Diego would not be possible though.

[smoore530]

I know this thread is a couple years old, but I'm curious if you have found your DS's MENSA membership helpful.  The psychologist that tested my DS10 recommended I try it for him.  We live in Hawaii, so I don't know if there is much available for youth here, but I figured it might be worth a shot.  We move every few years, so maybe in the next place there will be more.  Thanks.

[shawthorne44]

I am not Displace, the OP, but I do have a couple of updates on things I'd mentioned.  

 

The Mensa Homeschooling yahoo group is a bunch of lemmings.   Not even in the same league as WTM.   You'd think that rigorous homeschooling and Mensans would go together, and they probably do, but you can't tell it from the yahoo group.  

 

We attended our first annual gathering this year in Florida and it was Awesome.   Totally and completely awesome.   The kids were great.   Mensans share something with homeschoolers in that they don't age discriminate.  So, for example, DD and a new friend her age played giant Jenga with two college kids.   During the day they had a drop-off kid's program.   Then after dinner the kids played together.  We are pretty sure that three families there are more seriously considering homeschooling after the AG.  They would say something like, "We've thought about homeschooling, but we worry about the socialization."   Then we'd point to our daughter who was playing in the group with their child and say, "How is her socialization?"   Then they'd give a thoughtful, "Hmmm."    I am not a good judge of my child, but of the other children the homeschooled child from Alaska was by far the best socialized, as in he'd be the most popular kid in any public school without trying.   We decided to make it an annual thing, and we'll be at the one in Indianapolis this July 4th.  

 

Mensa kids programs have the same problems as homeschooling groups, i.e. the active parents age out, and people flaking out of activities.     

 

[displace]

I did let our membership lapse. But now DD can join... so I’m thinking of just doing a family membership 😄.

 

I was thinking about this- Mensa membership. In my area, they do have meet ups with other members but they’re mostly adults. Nothing wrong with that, and I think if we were isolated I’d really appreciate the opportunity.

 

But, honestly, DS gets along with any kid, and DD just plays with older kids usually, and we are able to have fairly intelligent family conversations (I think). I don’t actually have a ton of free time available to meet up with others. Also, though they’re gifted, I think I can meet their needs intellectually for now.

 

There’s a gifted public school program near us, which is full time. The schools focus a lot on productivity, not really higher order thinking/acceleration, and creativity, but the kids are all gifted so it’s a good social opportunity for some. And I do think the teachers are trying. DS tried it for a bit but the dysgraphia is not working for us in the school system atm. I’m still considering it for DD, who may be NT.

 

Anyhow... I’m sorry I missed the Mensa conference as we live in the state. 😩. We have had a super wacky year. I think kids just need a spot where they feel they fit in. Adults, too. It can be isolating if you’re interested in things no one else is.