We homeschooled when we were in the MetroWest suburbs and found that there were a lot of other homeschooling families with gifted kids just in our town. Found a group of boys the same age as my oldest... ended up being more than 10 families... who were clearly different sorts of thinkers. Now that I look back, it seems almost magical that it worked out the way it did... We got together and did a book club, science experiments, park days, Mothers' Nights Outs, etc. There are SO MANY wonderful opportunities in the Boston area! So many! Many of them are still homeschooling (at least their younger kids), but many have chosen to put their older kids into local public schools and other schools... and from what I have heard they are all doing very well academically, socially, etc. The oldest kids of the group are either just starting college or applying to colleges very soon. That was just one town. And only one small group's experience. YMMV PS Someone mentioned the Russian Math school. I have a number of homeschooling (and some non-homeschooling) friends (all middle class) whose kids have attended and I will tell you straight up right now that it is worth the money.

Thanks so much! I like the idea that Apologia has "everything included" and seems to be "open and go," however, I do not want a Young Earth approach to science. How much does this viewpoint impact their Marine Biology curriculum? Really like the Great Courses Oceanography, too! I will continue to check out the other resources.

lol Boston and its suburbs are a big place (pretty commutable, though) with lots of diversity (in price of housing, too). Let's not lose our heads.

My dd(14) is in love with the sea. She's an animal lover with lots of hands-on experience with land animals (farm). I'm planning Marine Biology for her science this year. She has studied biology lightly (using Real Science 4 Kids) and Chemistry (Thinkwell, Real Science 4 Kids, and CrashCourse Chemistry) in the past. What resources would you recommend for Marine Biology?

Dd will be a 9th grader in the fall. French - French in Action, though I'd love for her to take an IRL class Math - Thinkwell and Khan Academy Alg I and Geometry review and/or Alg II, though I'd love her to take an IRL class Science - probably something related to Physics... though she'd probably prefer Marine Biology... oh, now I'm rethinking my plans... History - Sonlight Core 100 (US History) and The Well-trained Mind suggestions Language Arts (Literaure and Writing) - Sonlight Core 100 and WTM suggestions, plus I'd love her to take an IRL class... I have Teaching the Classics and The Elegant Essay... hmmm... Art of Argument -- I have this. I'd love to do it with her. At this age (and this personality) though, she's gotta be on board or it aint gonna happen. I'm not sure she wants "one more thing..." Music -- weekly viola lessons, quartet coaching, orchestra, ear training, music theory, and studio class... and daily practice PE - intro to tennis additionally, I'd love for her to do Debate, but she's against the idea... but she'd love to do some acting (on stage)... local classes or local theater or somesuch...

We start letter sounds/CVC early (around 2?) with puzzles and fridge magnets... not seriously... just fun... Two of my kids were reading early elementary chapter books by 4 or 5. That's 3 years for them. Two of my kids took longer (until 7 years old). One of these has dyslexia. Maybe the other one does, too. Not sure yet. That's 5 years.

We're making preserves (jam). 8 bushes of black currents and 2 of red currents. Lots of preserves. But I'd rather make juice. Planning to try some of the ideas in this thread!

I feel your pain!!! Last month I dropped dd off at a university in another country where she stayed in the dorms (with other kids near her age) for two weeks! First time sleeping away from home. I cried in the parking lot as I was leaving. She had a great time, BTW. Nothing bad happened. Lots of good! Lots. In a couple of weeks I will put her on a plane for her first cross-country trip (again -- without me). This time she'll be away for THREE WEEKS. But she is independent, confident, and looking forward to this. I'm sure I'll cry again... Sigh. The good thing is that I have lots to distract me while she's gone. If she was my only I'd be climbing the walls. Heh.

Two of my four were reading thick chapter books by 5. By 6, ds1 was reading the Harry Potter series and any book he could find about WWII. Ds2 fell into the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit at 6... So, age-appropriate reading instruction was already out the window. My two, who are seven years apart, developed differently, so we used different curricula and different approaches. Ds1 was a natural speller. At 6 I tried placing him in Spelling Power, but we got to 6th or 7th grade words before he missed any. Abandoned that VERY soon because I realized that I didn't want to put time and effort into spelling... If he was able to get where he was with no spelling instruction, what could skipping it for a few more years hurt? A few years later I tried the placement tests again and saw that I was right: he had continued to gain more than a grade level per calendar year with no instruction. Ds2 needs direct spelling instruction. We use All About Spelling, which works really well! Ds1 was also a natural writer (both actual handwriting and coming up with interesting things to write) and "intuited" GUM (grammar, mechanics, and useage) rules from his reading. He used semicolons in his writing, accurately, and without instruction! So I figured we were good there, too. (Lucky me!) Ds2 has been different. He struggles with the physical act of writing, so we do less with that (using the sentences in AAS as his "taking dictation" AND continuing cursive formation practice). We used Sonlight Language Arts for taking dictation (in cursive) for two (or more) birds with one stone. Both boys read a lot of the literature that was supposed to be read aloud, on their own. I scoured libraries and book sales for "the rest of the series" and/or nearly every other book written by the authors Sonlight schedules. We did a LOT of reading. Oh, with ds1, wee also wrote back and forth to one another every day in a "dialogue journal." I still have it! Wish I had done that with all of my kids... Both boys learned cursive at 6, with copywork. Both boys have neater cursive than print. Hmmm... Both boys began studying Latin at 6 or 7. Both boys LOVED using Mad Libs for beginning grammar and could handle middle school level grammar, including diagramming, instruction by 7. Both boys DETESTED workbooks at age 6, so we didn't use them. For copywork for both boys, I used http://educationalfontware.com/ and improvised sentences that were personal to them. That made a big impact on their ability to focus and their willingness to go along with doing copywork. In the end, my most useful advice is to make sure the curriculum serves the child, not the other way around. Be willing to try several different curricula (that means not finishing things when moving between them). Avoid busywork like the plague. If child figured it out on his/her own so far, and is working comfortably above grade level, he/she may not need direct instruction in it this year (or ever) and you can put that time into something else (like playing outside!). Most of all, have fun! Enjoy these years!

Then you've got to consider moving to an urban/suburban area with critical mass and multiple passable school options (private, magnet, etc.)... That way you've stacked your deck. Loved MetroWest Boston (suburbs west of Boston)! It was home only for a few years... and I haven't lived there in a very long time, but it still feels like home. Substantially colder than TN, though. Do you like snow?

Oooh. That'll do it. Outsider status from the start, huh? That other posse lookin' pretty good right now?

But it's not a false environment. The truth is that there *are* other kids out there like our kids... I don't think it's fair or reality for them to grow up identifying so strongly as outliers that they always feel different and *special* (and develop that as an integral part of their identity). It's important for them to be able to relax, socially, and feel like they are with a group of like-minded kids. It's important for them to be able to interact with a group of age-mates as an equal, without feeling, internally, like they are superior, different, or whatever word one might choose to use here. They will be able to, as adults, find their group. (There are pockets of gifted adults all over the US and the world, even pockets of PG adults... there's no reason for someone to truly believe that they will always be an outlier. It doesn't have to be that way.) But if they grow up thinking there isn't a peer group... that they are so different... will they even try? How will that lack of feeling like an equal in a social group as a child affect them as adults?

Thinking about it some more... My oldest goes to a "magnet" STEM high school, on the campus of a university, where it is normal for high school students to take multiple college classes (during their school day). He has fallen into a social group of like-minded friends. I love that he feels comfortable, socially and academically. Again -- invaluable.

This is exactly what my dd gets at her Saturday music school and this is the number one reason she loves it. It's her air. I love that she gets her music/academic needs met (appropriate challenge) AND that she gets to interact with/play with kids her own age who think about music like she does. It's invaluable! (So I say "go for it." Find that place for your dd. If it means moving, well, it's only a few years of the parents' lives, but it'll be a huge impact on the kids' lives for a long time to come.) Good luck!

My kids chose. Took oldest to an instrument petting zoo hosted by a local community symphony after a dress rehearsal (and pizza served to the kids -- it was a great introduction to classical music). Ds kept getting back on line for the cello and ended up asking for lessons. Dd tagged along to his music school and was enamored with the lines and lines of kids walking through the halls with violins. She wanted one so badly! Her first teacher (violinist/violist) asked her right away if she'd like to play the viola instead because it looked just like a violin but had the same strings as her brother's cello. Dd was sold! Started on the viola and has loved it ever since. Second ds wanted to play the cello because he wanted to do everything just like big bro. Second dd was in love with the violin ever since she was a baby. No desire for the viola right now because, as she puts it, "I love the E string." But she says that she'll probably add the viola when she gets bigger and will play both instruments. Both girls also play around on the piano, flute, and ukelele when the mood strikes, but they don't practice these instruments every day and haven't had lessons. In our experience, if kids have their own motivation for a particular instrument, GO FOR IT, because internal motivation (and joy) is priceless when expecting years of practice.

Because we could not afford to purchase (violas, cellos, and violins) at first, we rented from a good strings shop. We have since been given (gifted by relatives who have passed and others who have simply outgrown) instruments, purchased used from friends/teacher, and purchased from a luthier. Currently, dd14 borrows an instrument from her music school's collection. Don't avoid starting lessons because of the potential future cost of the instrument. There are so many possible solutions... cross that bridge when you come to it. Start by finding a teacher and getting the teacher's input on what you need right now. Don't worry about the rest. (Your child might give it up in the future, someone might gift you one, you might be able to get a good rental price, your child may save money for years to buy a good instrument, or your child may end up being able to borrow a priceless, historically-important antique... You really can't know any of this now.)

Today I have to plant 3 Black-Eyed Susans, 10 Irises, an arborvitae, 30 lilies of the valley, 4 grape vines, a fuchsia shrub, 8 carpet liles, 14 oriental lilies, 3 cherry trees, a lilac shrub, 10 asparagus roots, 40 gladioluses, 96 red sedums, a passion flower, 30 hybrid lilies, 3 peacock orchids, 4 flowering shamrocks, 3 burning bushes, and seeds for vining peaches, two kinds of bean plants and three kinds of squash. Thank goodness I’ll have everyone here to help. (Right now they're all out doing errands.) After all that we'll have dinner in front of a movie to celebrate our hard work!

I'm thinking about competition... over the years my kids have been involved in their fair share. I'm thinking about the word "competitive." There are two definitions, equally valid when used in the proper context, but entirely different. 1. To be competitive means to be really good at something. (People want to go to "competitive schools/programs" not necessarily to be encouraged to engage in competitions, but because it means advanced skills.) 2. A personality that compares oneself to others (and in a measuring, often judging, way) **Different people react differently to competition.** It's not always bad. It's not always good. It can be healthy. It can be unhealthy. It's important to consider the social experiences connected to the competition and how the individual responds to competition. My oldest is competitive at a number of things (definition number 1), but doesn't like being compared to others (AKA He's not a competitive personality.). He outright avoids competitions. When he was little, if anyone suggested having a race or timing anything to see who was the fastest or the best, he'd refuse to participate, no matter how much he loved that activity (and even if he was really good at it). I think it was a fear of failure -- just the idea that some sort of "failure" was possible. My second child LOVES competitions. Entering them. Participating in them. She isn't at all heartbroken if she doesn't win or place, she just likes "the game." In fact, when she was little she liked to play at putting on competitions. She's not a competitive personality in that she does not think much about her performance in comparison to others'. She is one that naturally compares her current performance to her own past performance. My third child is neither competitive (he has some advanced academic skills for his age) nor enjoys competitions. He has an innocent heart and gets crushed easily. I avoid competition for him. My fourth child wants to turn everything into a competition (comparing herself against someone else) and she's really cutthroat about it. She also wants to be the best at things and has some "fear of failure" if something isn't easy for her. I purposefully avoid putting her into any type of activity where there might be competition and I cannot tell you how many times I have said "It is NOT a competition" and "We are NOT comparing ourselves against each other." etc. Here's someone who is competitive. (Sigh.)

My philosophy is definitely broadening horizons. Sometimes I will encourage them to try to strengthen weaknesses or I will suggest an activity that will fill a gap. Extracurricular activities also include a kid’s passion/interest, especially as they get older. When my kids were younger, they always liked trying something new. (As teens they are a lot pickier about how they spend their time.) If my child is doing an extracurricular he/she’s not great ad, but likes it, I will strongly encourage him/her to keep going with it. One of my favorite “soft†skills to develop is feeling comfortable with not being the best: it’s a necessary life skill. Another skill I value is persistence: my kids know the most important outcome, to me, is improvement after effort. I feel strongly that there is long-term, lifelong, benefit from sticking to something one is mediocre at (like sports for the non-sporty). I have looked, specifically, for extracurricular activities at which my children do not excel. My oldest, as a young one, enrolled in several types of sports classes and teams every year. He quit them all by 12, when it became difficult, socially, to be the only one on the team who wasn’t passionate and practicing that one sport year-round (plus I didn’t like the over-competitive, pushy, cursing coaches, so I made it a point to offer new extracurricular options). This guy participated in 4H and competed in alpaca obstacle courses, showing goats, and a poultry show (where his pullet won Reserve Breed Champion – this was a very cool surprise!). He also studied cello for 9 years, participating in orchestra and chamber music. (He quit that as he entered high school because he didn’t love it and chose to put that time into the Robotics team and studying.) He’s been on a Debate team and on his school’s Robotics team. He’s tried a lot of things that he liked at the time, but by the time they get older, they tend to narrow down how they want to spend their time. My second oldest also did many types of sports (gymnastics, ballet, soccer, basketball, swim team, springboard diving, and Irish stepdancing). She was also involved in 4H and boy was she good at every animal-related thing she tried (this was quite a surprise to us). She absolutely loved each activity as she was doing it, but again, as she got older she chose to narrow down what she was spending her time doing and chose to pour more time into her passions. She’s heavily involved in classical music. My third tried the cello for a couple of years. He tried karate for a couple of years. He spent some time taking dog training classes and wished to get involved in agility, but we don't have the right dog for this at the moment. He thinks he would like sports, and I should really get him more involved in that to strengthen weaknesses), but the more kids I have the harder it is to get everyone to a number of extracurricular activities every week (time and money). As is typical, the squeaky wheel gets the grease, but this one is very quiet. I think Boy Scouts and tennis are next for this guy. My youngest has tried dance, an art class, and now violin lessons. She loves everything she tries and has a long list of classes she *needs* to sign up for (ballet, Irish stepdancing, karate, painting, theater, swimming, etc.). If it was up to her she’d try everything all at once! Heh. I’d need to be a billionaire just to pay for this child’s list of coveted extracurricular activities!

Definitely picnic in Central Park (buy deli sandwiches or grab a pizza). Either rent a boat and row in the lake or rent a couple of tandems from one of the bike places at Columbus Circle and ride the loop. You want to be outdoors and moving if you'll be sitting in Carnegie Hall in the evening. Plus, you CAN'T miss Central Park. It's iconic. Whatever you choose to do, have fun!

Older ds became a social butterfly this year, hanging with a great group of like-minded boys and making this group a daily priority. Older dd soloed with an orchestra, after winning a national competition, and she totally loved it. Younger ds learned to swim this year, after years of being right on the cusp. Younger dd learned to read and started playing the violin for real this year. Can't wait to see what next year brings!

When I was in school (in the stone ages) the cutoff was December, so I started 1st grade at 5 and turned 6 after a while. We moved a lot and most of the schools had a September cutoff, making me about a whole year (sometimes more) younger than my classmates. I never noticed. They never noticed. At the beginning of 3rd grade, the school I was in wanted to skip me to 5th. Mom wouldn't allow it. Social reasons. She wasn't wrong... but starting a year "early" (by most school cutoffs) was not a mistake. I had no trouble making friends. I was already at the top of my class most years... can't imagine if I had been placed a grade lower... I have two spring birthday kids who are squarely in the middle of their grade by age. So it would be easy... one might think. Oldest was in school for one year when he was 10: 6th grade (grade-skipped and bored anyway). He's now at his appropriate "by age" grade in a high school that is attached to a university. He's in the right place socially (with age peers) but also academically (many challenging class options - and age peers who use the same options). Perfect fit. Sooooo lucky! My younger two have December birthdays... I never know what to do with them. They're "all over the place" grade-wise. 10 year old can easily read, understand, analyze, digest, and respond to typical 8th-9th grade level material... but any writing at all is a major chore for him. If I made any attempt at all, I'm absolutely certain I could get him a diagnosis for dysgraphia. Wowsers. He's also got a lisp, a stutter, and a hugely sweet and innocent heart... (I'm in no hurry for him to be forced to grow up any sooner than he has to.) So for now I educate him where he needs to be, by subject, and call him a 4th grader (but knowing that in some places he'd make the Dec. 31 cutoff and be labeled a 5th grader). My 6 year old is a puzzle. She's the size of most 8 year olds and fits well, socially, with 7-8 year old girls when in mixed-age company play/classes. She's not obviously accelerated, like her brothers were at 6 -- she's reading at a 1st-2nd grade level, using first grade math, wicked amazing fine motor skills since she was a toddler, but struggling a bit with learning to write. She doesn't obviously have dyslexia, like her sister... She's wicked fast at music, like her sister, and socially/emotionally more adept than I expect. Not sure what path she'll take... We're at the "just wait and see" stage. What grade to call her... K or 1st? I've already explained to her that we don't need to choose just yet because she's not "in" a grade classroom at home. So no grade label at all. Let's see how long that will last... All that detail just to say that it can be a really hard decision to label a kid with a grade level. I'm SO glad I don't have to do that for my state! And thank God for homeschooling!

I'm just starting to think in this direction... 17 yr old will be a senior at the high school he attends that is connected to a university classes at the university in the fall: Calculus, a composition class, international studies and/or history at the university in the spring: probably art and more calculus... maybe a third class of his choice classes at the high school for the year: Spanish 3, PE, Physics, and possibly another engineering class 14 yr old History and Literature Sonlight Core 100 Writing on online class Math probably an online class "retake" of the Algebra 1 and Geometry that she did on her own this year because I really want it to be solid (or Alg II if the stars align and she's confident) Science not sure yet... probably something related to Physics French French in Action (she's ecstatic that I'm letting her "drop" Latin) she wants to learn to play tennis, so I'm going to find a way to get her lessons continuing her music with wild abandon 10 year old History and Literature Sonlight Core 3 and 4 mashup with books from his sister's Core 100 Writing Cover Story and Vocabulary from Classical Roots Math Singapore Primary Math 5 and Beast Academy 5 Science not sure yet... probably something related to Physics Latin Ecce Romani 1B he also wants to learn to play tennis I'm thinking of making him take piano lessons (it would definitely be against his will, though...) 6 year old History and Literature listening in on some of Core 3/4 with added simpler books on her level Spelling All About Spelling and cursive handwriting instruction Math Singapore Primary Math 2 Science not sure yet... probably something related to Physics continuing violin lessons

Oh, wow! Thank you so much for all of your suggestions and advice! It's exactly what I needed! Yes, she is the dd in my signature line. She's not afraid to fly at all, but she gets airsick, so I'll have to give her the pills her doctor prescribed. The last time she took them they did not make her sleepy, but she had an upset stomach for hours after landing... Oh well, better than throwing up for 6 hours on the plane I guess. I'm going to sit down and read through this whole thread with my dd this afternoon and we'll make a cheat sheet for her to carry with her. Thanks again! I feel better about this already! :001_smile:

I'd definitely see the new/temporary exhibits and the Imax movie. Don't miss the Millstein Hall of Ocean Life. Go downstairs and lie down under the whale. It's an incredible experience!