I don't know if you have already evaluated the private schools in your area, but I would be sure to ask lots of questions about how they would handle your daughter's needs. Sadly, many private schools are no more well equipped than most public schools to deal with a gifted student. And be sure to consider all of her needs in both the areas where she is accelerated and the areas where she is at or behind grade level (social, emotional, maturity, etc). And while I found WTM to be a good starting place, I did not find it to be the best resource for how to teach gifted learners. I would encourage you to consider going deep into subjects, instead of just accelerating. Watch out for curricula that are "spiraling", which means that they introduce subjects briefly and circle back to them later. I would recommend Singapore Math and also look into the Life of Fred books, which can be a fun change of pace or review. I also like the "Challenging Units for Gifted Leaners" series of books by Kenneth Smith. ETA: In LA, I'd recommend the Michael Clay Thompson materials.

I am wondering, for those who had children working a couple years or more ahead of grade level, at what point did they re-enter traditional schooling and how did it go for them? If they went to traditional high school, did AP courses provide enough challenge for them? If they homeschooled until college/university, how did that transition go? Were they frustrated with any of the general freshman overview courses? Or could they skip over them because they had taken AP courses or had taken college courses before entering college full-time? As I evaluate what I'm going to do right now, I'm just trying to get some longer-term perspective.

Hi everyone, Quick background: After my older daughter (dd1) begged for 3/4 of her 4th grade year to be homeschooled, I homeschooled her in 5th grade last year. There were a number of issues, but one of the most compelling ones to me was that she wanted to be learning more material; she complained that she didn't feel like she was learning much that was new and challenging. We both loved homeschool, but she was really taken with one of the middle school options in our town (we have a magnet system), and asked to go there this year to try out middle school and see if it would be very different from elementary, so I agreed and re-enrolled her in PS this year. Meanwhile, my younger daughter (dd2) skipped a grade two years ago (skipped from 1st and 2nd halfway through the year; her school was very supportive), and that seemed to be keeping her challenged and happy last year in 3rd grade. Since the start of this school year, dd1 has missed a lot of school due to vague maladies (generally involving nausea, dizziness, headaches and the like). Dd2 has not missed as many days, but has had numerous days where she's woken up and complained of similar issues and said she didn't feel up to going to school, although she did eventually end up going. Today is another one of those days. I decided that dd1 needed to try to go to school, and so loaded the girls into the car to take her to school late. On the way there, we had one of those big conversations that seem to happen in the car. I asked dd1 if there was anything that was bothering her at school, and she said yes, she is not learning anything new in her core subjects except science. She said she is bored much of the time, sees no point in being at school, and wants to be homeschooled again. She said she has no issues with her classmates, and she's made friends. This is the only thing she's complained about since the start of the school year. After I dropped her off, I asked dd2 if there was anything she wanted to tell me about her school. She said she has the same complaints - she feels bored and like she's not learning much new. She said she feels like she could skip another grade; she feels like she did in 1st grade before she skipped that year. Again, no complaints about classmates and she has friends. Both of them want to be pulled out of school and homeschooled. Dh would support homeschooling. What should I do now? My first instinct is to talk to their teachers and see if anything can be done, but past experience with such requests leaves me skeptical. It's just really hard to differentiate for one kid in a class of 25+, and any such differentiation seems to generally involve sending them off with a book to work ahead on their own. That does not work well with at least dd1; she wants to be taught, she wants interaction with her teacher, she often needs scaffolding to help her grasp new concepts but she can still grasp them at a much more accelerated pace than her peers. She got good but not stellar marks (As and Bs) in her first marking period, with most of the lower scores being due in large part to the days that she missed. She said that she also was not giving 100% because of her frustrations (e.g., sloppy mistakes on math problems even though she understands how to do them). But I worry that this will make her teachers skeptical of my claims, since she's not scoring 100% on everything. I'm feeling surprised and overwhelmed at the moment; definitely need some time to process. So I came here, to vent to others who can understand, and listen to any support, advice, or suggestions anyone wants to offer as I start thinking about this. Thanks to anyone who's read this far! :001_smile:

Here's an alternative setup in a similar style, using bookcases and hollow core doors for the tabletop: http://pinterest.com/pin/79868593363172458/

I get what you're saying, but the sad reality is that such behavior is not the norm and it is remarkable. How many people do you imagine passed this guy in Times Square and did not notice him or noticed and didn't care? I think we should notice and celebrate all instances of kindness and compassion. It inspires others, lifts spirits, and sets a positive example for our children. And I'd much rather read about this in the news any day, than read about another crime or horror story.

One thing that I would suggest are locks - lots and lots of locks. I'm not talking child safety locks, which can be gotten around, but real locks. (ETA: the TotLock magnetic locks that are designed for childproofing are also quite effective, but you have to keep the magnet "key" out of reach because magnets can damage electronics.). Take a trip to the hardware store and see what the options are. Either keep a key with you or put it in a high place (e.g., on top of door moldings), or use combination style luggage locks. Everything that you do not want to have the toddler get into should be in a locked cabinet. Second, I don't know how much stuff or clutter you have around, but box up anything nonessential and put it in storage for the time being. Leave out a limited number of toys at any time, preferably ones that allow very open ended play, and rotate them. I did not have a toddler that was as energetic as yours, but my experience was that if there were lots of toys available, the game became to simply dump them all out, then leave them unplayed with as other things were dumped. If there were only a few items available, she would actually play with them. I also noticed that she was more calm when her environment was less cluttered. The goal of these suggestions is to help to eliminate the constant cleaning up of messes, which is exhausting and takes your time away from other things.

Double post.

Just tell them that your family members are allergic to animal fur/dander, and cannot be in a home where there is a pet. You don't have to go into great detail, or be overly apologetic. Offer to host them at your place or meet out at a neutral location; that will make clear that you wish to spend time with them, but medical issues make it impossible for you to come to their home. Anyone who is reasonable will understand. (I have a dog, and I would completely understand.) The one limit to this is that if you wish to have people understand, you need to be consistent about this. You cannot be around animals some times or with some people and not others. If people learn that you were around animals with others, that will lead them to think that it's just an excuse you're using to avoid them, and they will be hurt. (Now, if there are extenuating conditions why you can be around some animals and not others (e.g., type of animal, number of animals, or other factors), you might need to go into more detail to explain the difference.)

If you're looking for girls' sizes 14 and under, try Pink Princess. They have lovely holiday dresses (even some with sleeves) at reasonable prices and many are made in the USA as a bonus. Once you hit the junior sizes, well let me know if you find a solution!

I need to order Christmas outfits for my girls. Traditionally the grandparents buy them each a holiday dress that they wear on Christmas Eve to church, school concerts, and any other winter events that call for getting dressed up. I'm running into two problems this year, though. 1. My girls now refuse to wear tights. If they got dresses, they'd insist on bare legs, and in our neck of the woods it can be quite cold at Christmas. 2. My older girl is now into the tween/junor sizes, and finding an appropriate dress in her size is incredibly difficult. So, I am thinking of encouraging them to go with a dressy sweater and black pants. But I am looking for any other suggestions or advice!

Yep, mine did that too. Cleared my browser history; I don't know if that was the problem, since I'm not the only one who experienced it, but it seems to be working for the moment. ETA: Nope, just did it again, this time to posts from 2:00 pm

Accidental duplicate post - sorry! Original thread is here.

Hello Hive, I have some kids' items I'd like to sell - e.g., holiday dresses and shoes, winter coat (Lands End), heelys, rollerblades. I haven't had the best of luck selling on eBay lately, but I've never tried a consignment store. Craigslist makes me nervous about having strangers coming to my home. In your experience, what is the better way to sell - eBay, consignment store, or Craigslist? Thanks!

Just giving this a bump, hoping some bird owners might see this. Before I commit to bringing a feathered friend into the house, I want to make sure I'm realistic about what I'm getting into.

We are considering getting a lovebird for our daughter for Christmas. I've never owned a bird before. What do your daily routines look like? I'm assuming wash and change food and water once or twice a day, like for our dog. Change paper in the bottom of the cage once a day? How often does the cage & items in it need to be wiped down? Vacuum or sweep around the cage daily? Any info is greatly appreciated!

Thanks, everyone, for the replies! I think I will try to reposition the oven so it's accessible from the front, and ideally also from at least one side. That should cover all the bases!

I am working on plans to update our kitchen. Where the oven is currently positioned, you must stand next to it and reach in from the side to access the food. I don't think I've ever had a kitchen setup where you access the oven straight on. Was just wondering if there's pros/cons to one or the other. For example, I was thinking that if you access the oven straight on, you'd have to stand away from the oven to leave room for the open door, and the heat would come out straight at you. So which do you prefer - accessing the oven from the side or straight on - and why?

Tomorrow, we're hosting a Halloween party for a group of 3rd to 6th graders. As everyone arrives, we want to play the Name Game (where each person gets a name safety pinned to their backs, and they have to ask the other guests yes/no questions to try to figure out who they are). I'm not coming up with enough name ideas that these kids are likely to know. Can you help me think of some? Here's what I've got so far: Casper the Friendly Ghost Dr. Jeckyll / Mr. Hyde Vampire Werewolf Frankenstein's Monster Witch Mummy Zombie Harry Potter Coraline

At that age & reading stage, my daughter loved the Rainbow Magic series of fairy books. She has dozens of them, and still enjoys re-reading them many years later. They're far from quality literature, but at that age my goal was just to foster her love of reading.

What do you give if you leave out a bowl of treats unattended? I'm trying to think of something good, that kids would want 1 or 2 of, but not great, that they'd be tempted to take the whole bowl, KWIM? I'm thinking maybe lollipops or pretzel bags? What do you leave out if you won't be home?

I would step in and teach the puppy some manners. Not only does the older dog deserve a break, but the puppy needs to learn boundaries and appropriate behavior. If the older dog won't teach the puppy then you will need to do so. If the puppy does not learn proper behavior, he may try the same behavior with another dog who will not put up with it and the puppy could end up injured. All I would do is when you think the older dog is not enjoying playing with the puppy, tell the puppy to stop and redirect it with another toy. If the puppy won't stop, give him a brief time out in his crate. I had to do this with my dog. He usually gets along well with other dogs, but for some reason always gets in the face of one particular dog. That dog is too gentle to correct him. So I just told him no and gently pushed his muzzle away. He quickly understood that he shouldn't engage in that behavior, and the other dog was clearly relieved.

I've tried recipes, but my current favorite is to simply use coconut oil (unrefined, virgin)- nothing to mix! It only takes a very small amount. If you use too much, it will be greasy (just wipe of the excess with a tissue), but if you just use a little bit at a time it will get absorbed into the skin and there will be no greasy residue.

Girl Scouts can be done without needing to participate in a troop. I just found that out, and plan to do some activities with my daughters this year.

What about marine biologist, zoologist, archaeologist

Thanks everyone, your replies helped a lot! I decided to order the medium for both. As AskPauline pointed out, if the hoodie is large, she can wear it oversized for now and grow into it. I decided that if the T-shirt is too large, maybe I can take it in, whereas if it's too small we're out of luck.