Ahh, thanks for the list of books. My 4 year old DD has her own Kindle, as do I (I have a very generous mother in law) and I've been struggling to find something quality for her to read.

Okay, need help, what is BFSU and what is a history pocket? Thanks for the suggestions :-)

My DD is 4, turning 5 in June and starting kindergarten in the fall. She goes to a private school for now, and I have hopes of homeschooling in the future but right now I need to work. I'm a speech path in a public school, so I will have this summer off with her. Right now she's reading on about a late 2nd to early 3rd grade level. I have no idea where she is in math, but in our free time at home when she wants to do "Molly school" we've been working on place value with tens and ones, counting by 2's and 5's etc. She is advanced, maybe gifted, I don't know really. What would you suggest for summer enrichment? We'll do a lot of reading of course, lots of trips to the library. I know I've heard that with gifted kids you can broad rather than deep. What are some fun things to study and do you have any resource suggestions. In her interests she is a pretty typical 4 year old girl though she's had a few obsessions. A year or so ago it was all about the human body and she would explain how the digestive system worked to anyone who would listen :-P She was also into weather for a short time, mostly tornadoes and the like. So, what would be fun and high interest for a newly five year old girl?

Netter's Human Atlas is a great human body book. It's the one I used in grad school for anatomy, but it's all illustrations and very colorful but incredibly detailed. I kept it for my 4 year old in the future since she's very biology/anatomy oriented as well.

Can anyone share some free online resources for children to learn additional languages? DD is very language oriented and we are struggling to find something to broaden her learning rather than going deep in any one area. I think learning another language would be right up her alley. I've heard of Muzzy, but to be honest I don't want spend any money since this is just for fun and to give her something else to occupy her mind.

No, I don't. I was actually referencing another board I'm on. Pretty much anytime a parent asks a question regarding an advanced child they get shot down by many other mothers (many of whom are teachers). Pretty much the only place I talk about my DD is with close family and on this board.

Wow, I've never thought about that, but I think you bright up a good point!

I keep hearing that more than likely by 3rd or 4th grade most of the kids will have evened out ability-wise. My precocious talker/reader likely won't stand out by that time, her abilities will be nothing special because all the kids will be around the same level. Why do people say that? Do most kids even out? I have mixed emotions. Yes I would think that lots of children that are slightly ahead when they begin schooling will level out and be about even, or still slightly ahead. My DD seems to be more than slightly ahead. She's not PG or anything, I know that, but I'm sure she is gifted to some degree. She started reading at 3, and now at 4 years, almost 3 months she is reading on about a 2nd grade level and is suddenly FLYING forward in her ability. It's like everything is sliding into place and she is understanding and reading longer and longer words. She is writing sentences (using creative spelling, but doing pretty well, haha). She's been talking since she was 8-9 months old. She was an early talker and a good talker. Again, not profoundly early...not quoting Shakespeare by 16 months or anything, but short statements by 16 months (I'm a speech path, so that's one thing I do feel knowledgeable about). Are all the other kids going to "catch up" with her? Ugh, I swear I feel like this makes no sense. I guess I just feel like she's special (of course she'd be special to me no matter what, but you know) because of her abilities and I'm proud of her. I'm proud to have a bright child and it's like on all sides I keep hearing "well, she's really not THAT special, and the older she gets the less special she'll be." Does anyone understand what I mean or am I rambling, heck, I don't even know what I mean? Okay I figured out a reason why I am asking this. DD is currently in private pre-k though I am hoping to HS after K (long story as to why). I'm thinking about all this because I don't know whether or not I should make a point to talk with her pre-k teachers about her abilities and seeing if they can work with her on her level, like she is a super smart kid, or just leave it alone, because hey, she's not THAT abnormal and her peers will catch up eventually anyway (and make her sit through letter of the week EVERYDAY, though she's known all her letters since she was 16 or 17 months old).

Yes, this is what my daughter does, well sort of. When we turn the page, she immediately starts scanning the pictures. She will sometimes want to look at the picture for 30 seconds or more before she starts to read and then while reading her eyes will dart back and forth between the words and the pictures. I always figured she was using picture clues to help her more full understand what she was reading and to give her help in deciphering words that were a bit beyond her ability to read.

My DD turned 4 in June and is reading on about a late 1st, early 2nd grade level. The issue we are running into is the amount of text on each page can be overwhelming for her when we try to read books that are reading level appropriate, even if the words themselves aren't. She gets lost on the page when there are more than 6 or so lines of text. Is it okay to continue to read picture books and things like that even with her reading skills blooming? Is it normal for them to be overwhelmed by the sheer number of words on a page?

Ellen Tebbits is a Beverly Cleary book, the same author as all the "Ramona" books which we are about to start. She also has many other good books for children.

We don't really have any options. We don't have any family here that could babysit while I work and I'd rather send her to pre-k than daycare particularly since her school is fairly small and I'll only be working 3 days a week, so she'll be there for pre-k 5 half days and then she'll be staying for mother's day out the rest of the day on the days I work. She already knows many of the other kids there and the staff. I keep telling myself exactly that, it's an expensive "play time." Which is really okay since she is just 4. We will keep moving forward at home no matter what, it's not like I could stop her, haha. She's flying forward so fast with next to no help from us. We are just facilitators and give her what she needs and she goes on her own. Thank you! This is exactly what I needed to hear. That also sounds exactly like what her pre-k class will be like and also most likely what her attitude toward it will be. She doesn't seem to even know that she can do things that most kids her age can't do.

We don't have any in our area. We live in Oklahoma City and the nearest one I know of is in Tulsa which is about two hours away, that would be awesome though. I do want to bring her home after I finish my two years of work, hopefully life will work out well enough for that to happen.

Well, for my DD specifically I think they would be right in that, at least right now. She is very much socially/emotionally a 4 year old. I don't think at this age she'd function very well in a 1st grade classroom, she'd probably do okay in K, but nothing higher. I seriously doubt they'd even considering letting her go to the K class instead. At her school there is actually a pre-k class ahead of hers since they divide pre-k into young 4s and then late 4s/early 5's. She's in the young 4s class.

My DD is 3 and will be 4 on the 15th of this month. I'm going to work this fall so she's going to pre-k at the private school I had her in for 2-day preschool this last year. She is reading somewhere around a mid first grade level (with very little help from me) and is doing math somewhere around a late K-early first grade level. She is also very science oriented, loves it, and I assume she is ahead since she knows a ton about all sorts of subjects but that's not really as measurable as math and reading. By the end of the summer I estimate she'll easily be around 3rd grade for reading because of how fast she's progressed since she started, and if we continue in math she'll be probably mid-late 1st grade level. I'm freaking out a little because her pre-k is SO far behind where she is. I know pre-k is more about peer interactions and working in a group setting etc but they do have a plan of attack for every academic subject area and knowing what they are doing is making me worry. I don't want DD sit through an entire year of stuff that is much below where she is. I guess it's upsetting me that I am going to be paying for her to go to school and she might not learn much. I know the school says they work with the kids on their level, BUT she will be with the same kids she was in school with this year and none of them are where she is, so she'll be one out of an entire class. Should I expect the teachers to take her aside and teach her on her level? Is it reasonable to ask if she can join the first graders for reading and math, even though she'll be a young 4 year old (I don't know if the first grade teacher would like that much). My plan is for her to go to private school for pre-k and K while I finish my certification years (I'm a speech path) and then bring her home by first grade and work from home while homeschooling, but this is looking like a long two years...and I just feel bewildered.