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ShutterBug

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Everything posted by ShutterBug

  1. It sounds like your dc and your friend's dc are both talented in a particular area. I see the key factor in gifted/genius people is not just intelligence...not just ability, talent or skill, but the addition of extreme creativity..whether it be in math, science, language or the arts. There are a lot of folks with high intelligence. There are a lot of people with a talent or skill. There are not many people who have these things and then have the extreme creativity that when combined with the previous two, come together in a genius way to create amazing works. DaVinci, Einstein, Edison, Shakespeare, Newton, Hypatia, G.W. von Leibniz, Curie, Agnesi, Kovalevskaya, Fischer, von Goethe...these are the true gifted, the true genius. The kid down the street who has a knack for math and is working a few grade levels ahead..not so much.
  2. My sister did that when my nephew was in Kindergarten. She waited until the first parent/teacher conference in the fall and brought in a list of the books he had read over the summer. She was really nervous about it for the same reasons you were...she really didn't want to come across as "that parent". She just wanted to stress that her ds could already read, and that spending the year learning his letters and the sounds they make wasn't going to be enough. The teacher dismissed the list (wouldn't even look at it actually) and poo poo'ed the idea that my nephew was reading (she was a reading specialist after all). Over the first half of the year my nephew went from loving to read to believing that reading was "hard" and that he didn't like it :glare: . He finished up 2nd grade this year at exactly the same reading level he entered into 2nd grade at.
  3. We've always been pretty flexible with bedtime so no, I wouldn't personally have missed the party. However, we've also had the luxury of being able to be flexible with waking up times, so that plays a part in it too. With that said, I also have friends/family who are strict with bedtimes and I can understand where their coming from. So, no, I wouldn't have been offended at all :) .
  4. Magic Treehouse books are geared for the 1st to 2nd grade crowd and are about as light as you can get in regards to chapter books (both in content and amount of text per page). The next step down would be the leveled readers such as Frog and Toad. Nate the Great are also a lot of fun with lots of pictures and not much text per page :) .
  5. I have an 8 yr. old only ds as well and I'm always stressing about whether or not we do "enough" socially. Currently we do a weekly swim and gym, science class and Cub Scouts. I'm contemplating a bi monthly co op as well. Ds also plays chess and is in tournaments most weekends where's he's friendly with some of the kids. He does have a cousin that goes to ps that he's close with who we see on a regular basis. I'm finding that it's not so much the structured activities with other kids that he needs right now, as helping him connect (which usually means having them over here) with other kids he's met for just regular ol', unstructured play time :) . I try to have a friend over at least once every other week.
  6. I haven't read all the replies so I'm just popping in quickly to post my answer. Yes, I know someone who is intellectually gifted and a person of faith. My FIL (also our pastor) was born and raised Roman Catholic. When he was a young adult he declared himself an atheist. Throughout his early adult life as a medical student and then as a very gifted anesthesiologist he still declared there was no God. His IQ is in the range of 180+ which makes him profoundly gifted. As I mentioned, before getting saved he was an avid atheist. He accepted Christ in his 30's and since then has put all his academic engergy into studying and teaching the word of God. He's since left his prestigious career as a highly sought after anesthesiologist to be a full time pastor at our church. He also has a local TV show a few times a week with sermon broadcasts, a weekly radio show and frequently guests on "Ask the Pastor". He doesn't consider himself a particular denomination..just "Born Again". Our church has a large, online, database of free downloadable sermons. If interested in what an "intellectually gifted" born again teacher sounds like, please feel free to pm me for the link :) .
  7. I personally reject the idea of mac trucks being deadly. I just can't intellectually (with any integrity anyway) accept a reality where a giant truck could run over and end the life of a good person...who lived a good life just because they refuse to bow down and accept the belief that mac trucks will kill you if you wander out in front of one. It just seems cruel and merciless. I rather like the idea that mac trucks have the ability to freeze time and allow you to move out of the way last minute. I've even tossed around the possibility that mac trucks may have a special invisibility button that will allow you to pass through the truck if it senses your innate kindness (I know, this is really deep and profound stuff so I'm not expecting you to follow me on it.) You see, I'm not "sola logica via encyclopedia knowledgis", so just because your interpretation of said reading materials and historical accounts impacts your truth, it doesn't mean that it has to shape my truth. Now, I'm headed out for a night time stroll on the local thruway dressed in non reflective clothing because I have become enlightened enough to realize that I have nothing to fear :) .
  8. Crud. I recently let ds read this on his own without really even skimming it first. Thanks so much for the heads up, I'm going to take a look through it today and see if there's anything we should discuss.
  9. My point is that many people (even Christians themselves) are more open and willing (eager even) to respect and abide by the rules and customs of other families as long as it's not a Christian family (because then it's just legalistic, oppressive and not "Christ like".).
  10. For the record, when I was a tall, lanky teen and enjoyed prancing about in a bikini, I used to use the excuse of "Oh, I'm too tall to wear a one piece, a two piece just fits me better." all the time. I'm going to let you in a little secret...I was so totally and completely full of banana oil.:tongue_smilie:
  11. Sorry, my house, my rules :) . If I had a pool and teenagers I'd absolutely, positively have rules for what could and couldn't be worn. A tankini may in certain instances be more modest than a two piece, but if the rule is no two pieces, then guess what, no two pieces. If the one piece was that immodest or ill fitting then I'd provide a dark colored t shirt to wear over it. When ds is older and if a friend shows up in a shirt that is too low cut or has distasteful words or imagery on it they'll be asked to change and not wear similar clothing in my home again. If ds visits a home that has rules (for religious, cultural or whatever reasons), he'll be expected to follow them as well and you'll hear no whining from me. I wonder if the folks who have had a negative reaction here would react the same if their dc was visiting a friend who had certain rules or customs that needed to be followed because they were of a faith or culture different from Christianity. I have an inkling that it would suddenly be o.k. and looked at as being "respectful" of their faith, culture or whatever. :glare: P.S. - With regards to the whole wet t shirt issue....wet t shirt contests are conducted WITHOUT a bra or bathing suit underneath for a reason. Wearing a darker colored tee over a swimsuit is an entirely different animal and I find the comparison of the two ludicrous.
  12. Personally, I need the internet for work, but if I didn't and was in this situation not only would the internet (and cable) connection be shut off I'd also sell the computer, TV, gaming systems and anything else in the home that I could liquidate.
  13. I hope I don't offend you with this because I truly don't mean to...but there's a huge difference between doing this type of schooling with a 5 year old than with a high school kid who may like to go on to higher education someday without any gaps in their education, feeling unprepared or just plain behind. To be fair, what you're doing with your son is as far from unschooling as using a boxed curriculum. You've set goals, purchased curriculums, made plans for what you'd like to cover, etc...all of which are strictly out of line with the unschooling philosophy and approach. What you're doing with your son sounds wonderful and looks very much like what many, many homeschooling families with younger children do :) . We did this type of child led learning when ds was littler too...IMO it's the best way for this age to learn and thrive. However, at a certain point there were things he needed to learn that he wasn't and possibly would never be self motivated to learn and thus we needed to incorporate more structure into his routine. I'm not against unschooling. I've seen it work wonderfully for families. The family referenced in the OP however sounds like it's just plain neglecting and sacrificing their children's academic needs and growth for the selfish reasons of the parents and that's just sad to me.
  14. Thanks for the info. :) . Ds is "fluent" in both algebraic and descriptive notation and is a member of the USCF as well. Most of the tournaments he plays in require both a membership with the USCF as well as notation during games. He loves getting his Chess Kids magazine in the mail too!
  15. We don't use SOTW as our primary history curriculum but we do enjoy listening to the audio CD's as a supplement :) .
  16. Thanks for all the responses everyone! I sent pm's out to those interested, hope to hear from you soon :) . Ds is very excited at the prospect of getting to play with some other homeschooling kids!
  17. I'm in the "let them go" camp :) . If it makes you feel better, get a motel room for you and your husband nearby and have a nice night out to yourselves while remaining close.
  18. Sorry to hear about your dog...I do hope she's on the mend soon! FWIW, I'm not a fan of dogs. One of my biggest pet peeves is entitled dog owners (which it doesn't sound like you're one of at all). I'd complain too if my neighbor's dog barked incessantly..I'd probably even call the cops if it went on long enough (more than an hour). I have a child who'd I'd prefer not to be attacked by a strange dog and if a neighbor's dog wandered onto my property I'd speak to the owner the first time and the second time I'd call animal control. With that being said, I'd never, ever, not even in a million years shoot a dog. Not everyone likes or even tolerates dogs...and it's their right not to have to. I think it's a giant leap however, from neighbor complaining about your dog to your neighbor shooting your dog.
  19. Hi all :) Just wondering if anyone else here has kiddos that love to play chess :) . Chess has been a wonderful outlet for ds (8) and he plays often with adults online but would really enjoy having some other kids to play with as well. He plays mostly at chess.com but has been wanting to play an old fashion correspondence game as well (either via email or snail mail). Just thought I'd throw the idea out there :) . ~Jenn
  20. Yup...a thicker bra will help. We call it "Smuggling Peas" around here :) . Like as in.."Hey, are you smuggling peas?".
  21. Nope. Our church pays for everything. We have a very small church..50 people at an average service. Our VBS brings in 15 - 30 kids. We view this as a ministry..our main goal is to get these kids the gospel. Just the stuff for the "store" alone costs $200 - $300. Then there's the curriculum, supplies, arts/crafts supplies, snacks, T shirts, decorations/scenery, etc....
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