And yet, maybe you started out as HG or PG...and it went un-recognized and under-served...and so 'it all evened out in third grade or so'. :D Not trying to stir the pot and certainly not being snarky...but *I* think this happens often! So then one might say, well, you were never gifted. But could it be that you just never had the direction or opportunities to live up to a different 'potential'?

Excellent article! Thank you for sharing. I find the correlation between early mobility, early verbalization, and early literacy among the gifted to be interesting and worthy of future study.

I think it stems from reading at an advanced level--often times you come across words you've never heard/used in real life, so you make your best guess at how it sounds/figure it out phonetically. If you read it over & over in your assumed-correctly fashion, then a habit develops. And some of those habits are more difficult to change than others! I notice this when dh and I read the same book and there are character names that we've never heard...we both tend to assign a different pronunciation as we read silently--then when we ever discuss it, we are surprised to hear the differences!

And what about the children you don't have to teach at all? What if they simply start reading...at age 3-4? How can you explain away their exceptional intellect? Do you still deny that these kids might be 'gifted'?

Ranger's Apprentice by John Flanagan...oh my! I couldn't put these down myself!

Yes, the male lactation specialist was hilarious. Can you even imagine? Jim cracked me up at that part. I think they did a good job at having some sweet moments with a new baby AND the typical Office shenanigans that keep us all watching. :001_smile:

It looks interesting...and I always like free rather than subscription! Thanks for posting the info! I'll have to check it out tomorrow!

If you're not opposed to them, most 10 year old boys love Nerf guns. A few years ago we had a Nerf birthday party when ds turned 11...they all had so much fun! My ds12 still enjoys: remote control cars snap circuits plasma car roller blades football cards coin collecting 'stuff' pocket knife mp3 player (or even iPod...) iTunes, gift cards

So what did you all think?!? Yeah for baby Halpert! The breastfeeding stuff was cracking me up!

So far there just haven't been many 'fabulous' performances. I get so frustrated with the judges though...it seems so much more negative this year (not sure if they are just all doing poorly or if the judges are being more critical?). I hope it picks up a little bit! In excitement, entertainment, WOW-factor... I like Katie and Siobhan and Crystal. I kinda like Alex Lambert, I think. I think Casey and Lee will do well. It seems they haven't quite gotten into their 'groove' or something, so you never know from week to week who will do well! I think the ones who went home tonight were the right ones. Did you agree?

I stand corrected. Thank you for pointing this out. For some reason, I didn't notice the first two statements in this paragraph on my first perusal. I apologize for jumping the gun in my earlier post.

I'm looking forward to it, too!

I completely disagree with SWB on this matter. Of course it all comes down to what this entire thread has been about. Either all of these crazy parents with kids at higher levels of curriculum have just been pushing their kids for some ego trip (which is what SWB seems to propose in that post) ---OR--- There are actually kids out there who WANT/NEED to learn more, faster, deeper than the 'norm' and will take it and run with it...and their parents are providing them with an appropriately-personalized challenging curriculum. So I guess her article rubbed me the wrong way because I have a second-grader (gasp!) doing Saxon 5/4. She says there is no reason for this. Hmm...I disagree. It's blanket-statements like this that cause all of this hoopla in the first place. Do I agree with her that often parents *are* pushing their kids faster than they need to be? Sure. But if a student *is* at that level...please don't make judgment statements about how this is all wrapped up in MY ego.

I had not seen the workbook before! Thank you so much for posting about it. I am going to have to order that to use in the future. I have the book but have not used it yet with my ds12. I bought it a few months ago at a second hand store for $2, so I thought it was worth picking it up. While I was impressed with the ideas & info presented--and I definitely want to use it at some point--I was a little surprised to have several scenarios regarding decisions about premarital sex. It was just a little more than I'm comfortable with at this stage of the game, but I think the book looks great! ETA: The second book you posted about looks like a great book to use, too. I guess what I was trying to say about the 1st book is that I wasn't expecting a book addressing those decisions (although obviously those are important decisions to discuss & consider)...more life skills/organization/study skills/work ethics, etc...so that's why I was a little surprised. I'd love to hear your experiences with it and to hear of others using either of these guides.

Maybe you give him a list of what needs to be completed by Friday...but he decides when he will do it; he is still being given freedom to organize his time/choose the order/etc, but still being held accountable for spending his time wisely. If you go this route, for the first few weeks, I'd still sit down with him and help him make the plan; then check in each day to see how his plan is going.

Thank you for sharing this. I have also felt lately that with our struggles one of the things I need to do is simply LOVE this sweet boy of mine. I have to admit that it's challenging at times...as I get so caught up in the frustrations. So thank you for your sweet reminder.

Ah...it sounds familiar. We're struggling with ds12 and his attitude lately. It seems most of our issues are with ROUTINE things...and I've talked 'til I'm blue in the face how they just simply need to be done and there is no use arguing about it. The thing that has helped me lately is writing down the things he needs to do--so I don't have to talk. :D I asked him if he'd prefer a checklist or something more like a card rotation/flip over type of thing. (This discussion happened in one of the rare calm moments!). He said he'd prefer the cards. So I created this little thing where he has two pockets (library book pocket cards)--one with cards of tasks to do; one with those completed. He has 12 cards--color-coded for morning, after-school, and evening. He's not homeschooling right now, but the cards include daily routines and responsibilities...basically reminders of what he needs to do but without my voice behind them. I have one specific card that says "Reminder" and then I listed out what he needed to remember for M-F...for example, on Tuesday--turn in Orchestra practice record; it gives the reminder, but *I* don't have to remember & nag him about it. Basically, he has free time after-school when his cards are done (although only screen time on Fri/Sat for an hour each day). If he asks to do something, I simply have to say, are your cards done? Usually, he'll say no, and get mad at me, but I simply walk away. :001_smile: Ah...it's nice to get rid of a little contention and not get pulled into a battle of wills. So...perhaps something similar would work for the homeschooling assignments. When we hs last year, we had a weekly checklist that ds would mark as we went through our day. But maybe some visual so he can physically mark off what he's done. Then dangle some kind of carrot in front of him...when you have all of this done by 11:00, you get to x, y, or z. When you complete these three by 3:00, then you get to j, k, l. As for consequences, we typically either give additional chores, take away screen time, or take away friend time. Not sure if this is what you were looking for, but I hope you get some new ideas to try! Hang in there...

Well, my house would be clean if I lived all alone. :D But since I'd rather keep people around, I had to figure out a way to keep my house clean and deal with their 'stuff'! In my laundry room, I have shelves with a bin (actually the larger wash basins from Walmart...2.97) for each member of the family. I put clean, folded laundry in the bins. But I also put any 'stuff' that I find laying around out of place around the house. I typically do a little clean up sweep or Ten Minute Tidy (my preference is before I go to bed, but it actually is often in the morning)--where I walk through the main floor of the house holding a bin--and pick up everything that is out of place (aside from those things that can easily be put away in that same room...you know, the scotch tape & scissors can just as easily be put into the junk drawer). Then I sort them into the appropriate bins. My kids' afternoon chore is to empty their bins...put away clean laundry & the stuff that has accumulated. Now then, this helps to keep the clutter under control, although it is perhaps not the best way to TRAIN the kids (and dh) not to leave things out in the first place. So there still has to be some of that going on. But it has helped me to maintain a bit of order and tame the chaos that occasionally just takes over completely.

I can relate...unfortunately mine are not as little as yours. So I obviously don't know how to fix it!

Oh, man...I was really hoping you had special magic powers you could teach me how to use. ;) But seriously, I think perhaps I tend to try to talk too much. I think your comments about having a plan in place & following through are right on. I like your idea of simply separating them to cool down. Question...did you then talk about it or just start fresh from there? And did you have consequences for the fighting that would be enforced after the cooling down period? Very honestly, I am struggling with a lot of fighting lately and I need to make a few changes in how I handle it. Hiding in my closet with the chocolate chip cookies is probably not the best way to deal with things, huh?

Wow. We don't have that in my neck of the woods. That must be an amazing school.

Whenever I hear people say this, I always think...well, it's not like I teach them to fight or encourage them to fight...but they do it anyway. Of course, I don't allow physical fights...but does that really mean they never happen? I've just been always a little baffled when someone (usually mil) says, Well, *I* never allowed fighting in my house...as if those of us with kids who fight are seriously choosing this ourselves? I'm asking most sincerely and without snarkiness...tell me your secret, please!?!

Quite funny, because I've actually had the OPPOSITE reaction from our schools and many people in my community. It's OKAY for students to be 'gifted' in music (they can be first-chair in the Philharmonic Orchestra), athletics (no problem with Varsity teams or 1st String or 'Elite' travel teams), art (winners of the art contest & pictures in the paper)...but don't you dare make a big deal of how smart your child is or ask for any accommodations to be made in his educational plan. It wouldn't be fair. Of course, different schools/districts will vary in their offerings for gifted education...I just happen to live in a state where there is no mandate and therefore, very little offered. Having said that, I will agree with you, Mejane, in my belief that every child is valuable and worthwhile. Every child has strengths and much to offer/share with others. If we (as a society) can only learn to embrace and accept individual differences without feeling threatened by them, perhaps we can give these students what they need.

Oooh...this reminds me of the article I previously posted about, "Is It a Cheetah?" by Stephanie Tolman. (http://www.sengifted.org/articles_learning/Tolan_IsItACheetah.shtml) I think it is a fabulous analogy for us to consider in a discussion on the gifted and gifted education. She basically compares a gifted student to a cheetah...however, if the cheetah is kept within a small cage, not provided live antelope to chase for prey, isn't running 70 mph...is it still a cheetah? If we consider a gifted child who is kept within a ps classroom, handed a dumbed-down curriculum, kept from moving ahead of anyone else, and watch as s/he performs only at the expected level of performance...hmm, is s/he still gifted? On the other hand, if this child is allowed or encouraged to take off with his/her natural abilities & talents and actually given materials/resources to do so, is it possible that s/he might run 70 mph afterall?

Unless HE loved it and thrived on it and asked for it and *needed* it...:001_smile: