Thank you for all these ideas! I have been looking into some and will continue researching the rest. Keep the ideas coming! :D

My dd is a really talented songwriter. She writes both secular and christian songs and comes up with tunes for them as well. She cannot write music, but she plays a little piano. She's not all that interested in playing an instrument, but she loves to sing. So here's my question. We live in a very rural area without a lot of opportunities for homeschooled kids, no less gifted homeschooled kids. I'd really like to nurture this passion of hers, but how? Has anyone ever done online voice lessons? I have seen some recommendations out there for those. Any other ideas about how I can help nurture this passion and talent? ETA: I had to edit my post because I must really be losing it! My dd is no longer 11, she turned 12 in October. :ohmy: :001_rolleyes:

Thank you for sharing this! I missed this year's conference in Orlando, but I plan on attending next year. We've moved past the tantrum stage to the full-blown anxiety stage. :( I need to find resources for that as well. I second the book Living With Intensity. That is a very insightful book.

Or, if you know of any pen pal resources, please post here. TY!

My dd thinks it might be really cool to have a pen pal. I still remember my pen pal when I was that age. Her name was Lisa Battista and she lived in Anchorage, AL. :) PM me with your info if you are interested. My dd is homeschooled, will be 10 on the 29th and is in grade 4. Thanks. :)

I think you hit the nail on the head here. I don't know if your kids are gifted or not, and it really doesn't matter at this point. What you know is that they were ahead, and now they are behind. I agree with the deschooling idea. If I were you, I'd spend the first 4-ish months or so simply letting the kids choose what they want to learn about/read/make/write about. I'd go completely in the direction of unschooling and then slowly start implementing what you SEE that they NEED and WANT. The thing is, you will only know what they need and want by observing them. So observe for a while while they de-stress and de-school. I'm sorry your kids have had a hard time. :(

:( Sorry, I think this thread wasn't what you wanted to hear. Both of my girls had sleep issues. DD1 did nap until she started to talk. DD2 never napped. But she did have some serious sleep issues that we found help for through a DAN doc.

hahaha! I was thinking the exact same thing!

Awesome! Thanks so much for posting this!

I didn't make it in time, but I look forward to checking out all your blogs this year! :)

Yes, the validation is nice. :) Perhaps one day she will attend a summer camp, but right now she's too young and not interested. I will check out the day programs! I hadn't seen those yet. ETA: Ah, I see the day programs are M-F.

and now I'm like :confused: . Don't get me wrong, I'm really proud of her. Just going and taking the test was an accomplishment for my introverted and shy girl. :thumbup: I wanted her to take it becasue here where we homeschool, there just aren't a lot of options for "more" available and I want her to have every opportunity that comes her way if she chooses it. Have any of your kids gone through this program? We use the EPGY open enrollment now as kind of a supplement but I am still the primary teacher and intend to continue to be. I have so many questions. And my skeptical nature is now kicking in. If anyone wants to indulge me and throw in their .02 I'm happy to listen. :) 1. Will taking any of these classes "matter" as far as her future is concerned? 2. Are they worth the money? 3. Are they REALLY that challenging? I mean, I can challenge her enough at home. 4. I need to look more in depth, but I was hoping for some kind of interaction among peers and so far it seems like that will be minimal. 5. Since I already teach math, science and a langugage (Latin), would a fun subject, like chess be a good idea? My list of questions is endless. I kind of remember someone giving a pro/con list for CTY not too long ago. I should go search for that . . . .

haha! Good one too! Or. . . how about, "My Odd Child Whose Interests Change Like The Wind" subtitle:" You'll find something in our store to keep your child's interest for 3 days or so."

Great thread! My dd is also wanting to build her own robot. (Or save $30,000 for one she saw in a magazine.) :) We have made the solar powered things in the kits but they are a bit too easy. My mom found this link for us. I can't wait to get my dh involved in this one. It looks a bit too complex for me. http://letsmakerobots.com/start

I'd be interested again this year if I can come up an idea. I'm completely blank at the moment. :) I'll be thinking . . .