This is so very true.

My 5th grader is creating an insect encyclopedia so as to prepare herself for a science competition involving entomology. She is working on being able to identify 30 orders and 100 families (physical characteristics, habitats, life cycles, impact on humans, mating, feeding,etc), identify and understand functions of insect anatomy, and create dichotomous keys.

I have not read through all the posts however I do sense that your child may find value from participating in projects that benefit others. The remediation of depression and likewise, anxiety about the purpose of one's life is often soothed and guided by helping others i.e. community service, environmental projects, etc.

I ran across this article this morning about social development in gifted children, and thought I would pass it along. My dd10 is going through some tough times right now with the kids and parents in our coop.

OneStepAtATime...yes, not sensing the passage of time would be difficult and the frustrations with processing information not quick enough must be challenging for your dd. :grouphug: Your son also presents his own unique challenges. I get pulled between my two kids as well...one slower learner and one lightening fast...it is very mentally taxing. I admire your determination and commitment to your children's emotional, spiritual and educational progress--WOW! I know the kind of sacrificing it takes. What I don't know is if there is anything I could actually do that would change how my dd12 processes or stores information. Are there medications? She is functioning but I think I need to dig around some more. In the past, I have not gotten much of a response from the medical community. Cerebellar Hypoplasia is rare and there is no "cure." DD12 is actually doing very well considering some of the other cases I have read about, again is this normal for her or something else? I think I would like to see another MRI for dd12 and speak with a neurologist.

My dd12 has cerebellar hyperplasia (1/2 cerebellum which controls motor, speech, emotions,etc aka "little brain") and I have been noticing more and more that she is forgetting things which are important to her. I don't know if I should follow up with some sort of evaluation, I wouldn't know where to begin, btw, or just chalk it up to hormones. Yesterday, we went to Winco to purchase a pumpkin for each of my two girls and the store, unfortunately were out of any decent ones. We decided to go to another Winco closer to our home today. We talked about this plan several times throughout the day, at least three times. We headed out, starting driving and she asked me why I wasn't going to the Albertsons. I didn't understand why she was asking me that. It turns out, she thought we were getting our pumpkins at Albertsons. My younger daughter and I were just dumbfounded and couldn't believe that she had forgotten that we were going to Winco. A while back, I found that she was leaving the last letter of her first name off...what?...we corrected that. Today, I asked her to tell me her address and she couldn't remember. That one scared me and we will be working on that. I know she has issues with her short term memory but lately it has been more obvious. She is also forgetting how to spell words she once knew. On the upside, she has learned all her multiples, can do division, simple fractions, some word problems, etc. however other skills like handwriting has not improved since third grade. She is doing very well with WWE3 and will complete it in a few months. Her speech has remained stable after years of speech therapy however her overall processing is slow which can be tiring for listeners who need to be patient as she finishes thoughts. She is not able to make friends with her peers but we have found a safe and rewarding social circle for her but the kids are young (7/8). She reads a ton, her reading level is 5th grade but she is choosing to read below that level. She keeps plugging along with school at her own rate which is fine, I guess. I am keeping my expectations realistic but sometimes I'm not sure if I should be more concerned or just accept her reality. She's in some tough shoes because she also has to deal with her learning disabilities with a younger sister who is accelerated. Some days, I really do want to hide under a rock and raise a white flag. I choose not to think about all of this too much because I just worry and become ineffective.

My 5th grader has been using Luckymama's history listed here on her blog. The Human Odyssey along with all the additional resources have been excellent (especially the historic fiction novels). She reads independently, we discuss, and she writes a simple narration. We plan on incorporating a timeline as well as some crafts. She spends about 2-3hrs each week on history plus any documentaries we find. DD is also taking Athena's mythology examine prep class so she is reading greek mythology and doing assignments to share online. She is powering through all the Percy Jackson's books as well as getting into the Lord of the Rings (she loved the Hobbit). We also have a subscription to Cobblestone magazine (history) for fun but educational reading. Forgot to mention we are also using chapters from the Story of Science as well as the Story of Maths videos. My 6th grader has some LD's and has been reading SOTW Ancients along with all the linked encyclopedia (3) references and reading the historic fiction novels from Luckymama's. She reads independently, we discuss and she writes a narration. She does not have a long attention span for history documentaries nor has she really spent anytime reading Cobblestone but she has enjoyed hearing SOTW CD's. She is not so much into the crafts unless they involve food:)

Thanks for the advice ladies. I got too desperate today and pulled the trigger! We ended up going to Pottery Barn, the sale person helped a ton and was even able to give us 35% off plus delivery.

I would like to buy some new living room furniture but I'm needing some recommendations. Where do I buy? I haven't bought furniture for over ten years :huh: . We are a casual bunch who lay around reading on couches but we also entertain. I have room for a small sectional, couch and large chair. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Remember this Wellesley commencement speech last year?

Wouldn't rewarding mediocrity actually be a factor in creating underachievement for those that would otherwise enjoy competition? I have seen kids who have been over rewarded and later been disappointed when they realize they had been lied to. I am not sure why in our present culture we are extending childhood by giving out such unearned awards (i.e. according to the article 4&5yrs old know who is deserving). Is it because the harsh reality is that others really are truly doing better, as in the world (i.e. TIMMS) and parents in an effort to pacify their own feelings, protect their children's self-esteem and over reward? BTW US kids have the highest rated level of "overrated self-esteem regarding their achievement" despite evidence of actual achievement to the contrary. The idea that someone can win if they just believe is ridiculous, hard work is what builds self-esteem. I do think in some cases trophies for effort are necessary, such as with special needs kids but to tell kids "everyone has earned a reward" is essentially creating a generation of underachievers.

We follow a similar five hour block of school however it is what happens after school that I find interesting. My 5th grader (dd10) is going through a phase of interests that look like "school" such as creating and writing a blog, writing neighborhood newsletters, creating powerpoint presentations, working on learning to write a novel, listening to audio tapes, watching documentaries, volunteering, participating in an online class, science olympiad event studying...sometimes it feels like we are doing school all day but really this is her "play" for she chooses to do them. Sometimes she will get so stimulated during the day that in the evenings she will stay up way to late. We all pay for it the next day. She is not spending her time on just one interest but many...it is a little busy around here;)

I have not read through all the posts so I apologize if I am repeating others. I think the director's suggestion for your dd to leave the competition is uncalled for however more importantly, I think your dd needs a more challenging competition. She is a big fish in a very small pond.

The injustice of the above experiences is what gets me and yes, life is full of injustice. I just wish I could handle them more directly.

I would suggest she start a blog using this parent/child "how to" tutorials. She could also participate in the NaNoMoWri and use the free writing curriculum before Nov to get ready. She could also start up her own neighborhood newspaper and/or a monthly family newspaper sent to relatives.

Thanks Iprstn:) you are so right about setting the example for others. My daughter just asked me if I was still upset and I said I was, she said "Mom, stop worrying about me, I don't let others define me, I define myself!"

As we navigate within various children's groups/clubs/sports, I have found it troubling dealing with other's negative feelings towards my dd10. I understand she can trigger some parents and she is very aware of this when it happens. We have found some parents are actually upset with her because she did better on a test/competition/ etc. than their child however these parents are usually also in the role of teacher or leader of the group. You can image the discomfort there:( Today we had one of those, wow, really, what a disappointment, awards ceremony which totally negated her. Her body just shrank, and she distanced herself from others. I just wanted to jump in and save her but that would have been ridiculous. Those type of situations usually end messy. The whole thing was sad, really pathetic. My dd10 can't believe adults can act like that and I don't think I want to try and make it work, so we will be moving on. I am sure others have dealt with this. Any insight you would like to share?

My dd10 will be going to the state fair to do her speech in a few weeks! She had already joined 4H last year, however upon 8's suggestion, I entered her in a local fair where she presented (4H speech event) last weekend. We were disappointed with the fair's lack of readiness (equipment not working) and space (overcrowded noisy exhibit hall) but we brought our own HDMI cable and streamed her pp on their tv. There was no microphone however people sitting in close could hear. She overcame the difficulties and surpassed people's expectations. Several people came up afterward telling her she had done the best presentation they had ever seen. Kids again were transfixed. She commanded an authority which aged her and people couldn't believe her age (she has been getting comments like this in general these days). Yes, I was proud of her, not only did she deliver a great speech but she rose above the circumstances. After all the positive feedback, she began to point out her mistakes which were so minor especially considering our environment. The lesson, sometimes you have to walk through the weeds to get to the garden.

So far so good, however I haven't been able to find enough space for all my new books. We usually take a beginning of the year photo but haven't gotten around to it yet. Wish everyone a great year!!

Wow!! Thank you for sharing your work:) I am bookmarking it for later use.

Saxon Math, Timez Attack, DreamBox and Dragon Box12

You could try getting a trampoline, making a balance beam and finding a few large floor mats for her enjoyment. She may just need the physical challenge for herself. She has already been challenged in the past but this time she's picking the challenge of gymnastics. I've got one of these kids:)

Ruth, thank you for the high school labs link!

Your dd might enjoy Scistarter, a citizen science program (field science).

My dd11 was a premie, has cerebellar hypoplasia (affects motor skills/speech/emotional regulation) and likewise low tone. She began OT (every week) beginning at six months until she was three years old. We did daily exercises and used a pressured vest. She sat at one year and walked at two years old. She began swimming lessons at four years old. Piano lessons beginning at six for crossing midline (improves reading). We bought a large trampoline for her when she was seven years old and she began horse lessons at eight. We created our own OT environment with swimming, piano and horse lessons and a trampoline. She has become more coordinated and is strong but not able to participate in competitive sport leagues.