Too many interests?

[MorganClassicalPrep]

DD is 4.5. As such, most of her learning comes in the form of me noticing she is interested in it, and exploring that. I know there are others who do this but... Do you ever find that there isn't enough time to cover everything?

 

DD is interested in languages, so we are doing French this year (and possibly Latin.. but that's another post. :tongue_smilie:). She also loves to learn how to spell words, and since she is currently working on learning to read (also something she started on her own) I am going to do All About Spelling with her. Then she loves to look at the globe and ask about the countries, and then find library books about those countries, so I was going to do Galloping the Globe with her. She also enjoys learning about new words, so I was going to do Wordly Wise (but decided not to because of time constraints!)

 

I guess I could drop the programs and just let the learning be natural, but I really like to capitalize on her interests when she has them. I don't plan on dropping anything else, I feel like I have a good balance for now... but I'm dreading the next time she says "Mommy, can we learn about...." She doesn't seem to stop being interested in something, just keeps picking up new things!!

[6packofun]

Those are some great interests for a 4 year old! Does she *want* to do schoolwork related to her interests or is that your way of "following through" once you see a spark? I ask only because, even if she is advanced, it may not be the best way to nurture a love of learning. JMHO! I think it's very easy to do too many activities and create a school subject with high (and sometimes boring) expectations for a precocious, intelligent little kid. Just take it easy and continue finding all sorts of ways to make her interests come to life, but be prepared and accepting for those interests dropping off at a moment's notice to be replaced by something else. LOL ;)

[Rosie_0801]

I think it is important to remember that not all interests must be turned into accomplishments. Plus, a person with "too many" interests is much better to spend time with than a person with too few.

 

:)

Rosie

[MorganClassicalPrep]

Those are some great interests for a 4 year old! Does she *want* to do schoolwork related to her interests or is that your way of "following through" once you see a spark? I ask only because, even if she is advanced, it may not be the best way to nurture a love of learning. JMHO! I think it's very easy to do too many activities and create a school subject with high (and sometimes boring) expectations for a precocious, intelligent little kid. Just take it easy and continue finding all sorts of ways to make her interests come to life, but be prepared and accepting for those interests dropping off at a moment's notice to be replaced by something else. LOL ;)

 

I am definitely not complaining about her choice of interests, they are some great things to want to learn. But she does want to do schoolwork, and using her interests is how I'm keeping school fun for her. I should add that we do a lot of reading, which is how we really satisfy our interests. But I do want to create a love of learning!! That is definitely my first job right now. It's just hard when she is asking for more... I don't want to do too much, but I also don't want to do too little.

Would it be horrible to say I wish some interests would drop off for a little bit? lol. I'm overwhelmed spelling words all day long, and telling her the meaning of every new word she hears, and telling her how to say all those words in French, AND trying to figure out what to tell her about Mauritius (which is a country off the coast of Madagascar... we learned that after watching the opening of the Miss Universe pagent last night.. I love the national costumes! :D)

[MorganClassicalPrep]

I think it is important to remember that not all interests must be turned into accomplishments. Plus, a person with "too many" interests is much better to spend time with than a person with too few.

 

:)

Rosie

 

You know, you are right. I definitely don't have to turn all her interests into further learning. It is just so easy to teach her when she WANTS to know! As opposed to trying to teach her in 10 years when she wants to be out with friends or something.:lol:

I guess I'll have to learn that I can't turn everything into a learning opportunity. Just keeping repeating it to myself... :D

[Dmmetler]

What I did with DD at 3-4 was to get materials, but let her take the lead on them and decide what to do with them. So we'd bring home 1000 first words in X language, but it would be up to her if she wanted to go through it or not, and if she did it with me. Having a good public library was essential. I was kind of torn at that age between the "she wants to learn NOW, and I don't want to miss the launch window" and the "I've got a graduate degree in child development that says I shouldn't push her!" sides of me-and this was the compromise both sides could live with. Having said that, I did have the advantage that DD was an early reader, so she could largely self-teach if she chose to do so.

 

 

 

This year, we're doing more formal curriculum, but except for Math and Reading (where we do a little bit each day), I'm still largely leaving it up to her what she wants to do, because while she's got a lot of interests, she's still not even 6 yet! It's very, very hard to know what to do with young, interested, focused learners.

[Rosie_0801]

Would it be horrible to say I wish some interests would drop off for a little bit? lol. I'm overwhelmed spelling words all day long, and telling her the meaning of every new word she hears, and telling her how to say all those words in French, AND trying to figure out what to tell her about Mauritius (which is a country off the coast of Madagascar... we learned that after watching the opening of the Miss Universe pagent last night.. I love the national costumes! :D)

 

I guess I'll have to learn that I can't turn everything into a learning opportunity. Just keeping repeating it to myself... :D

 

No, it wouldn't be horrible to say "Not now, Sweetie. It's time for me to vacuum/ read my book/ clean the bath/ weed the garden/ listen to myself think. You can talk to me again when I am finished."

 

Tell her Mauritius is 40x60km, that that is where the dodos lived before they were made extinct, that the largest ethnic group is those of Indian descent, the main language used is Creole but the official language is French and are oriented more towards Europe than Africa. When they go on holidays, they often go to the close by island of Reunion. But that is probably because there is nowhere else close enough to go.

 

(I had a Mauritian penpal in high school :) )

 

Rosie

[gingersmom]

My son is exactly the same way. He is 11 now and has always been interested in everything. He is like a walking encyclopedia.

 

I think it is a wonderful thing. We go to the library several times a week to look at reference books he can't check out and always leave with a stack of books on different topics.

 

Up until 4th grade I let him pick and choose his science and history that we would study. He is now advanced in both areas.

 

Let your daughters interests run wild. She is young. Who knows where it will lead you both.

[Jean in Newcastle]

 

I guess I could drop the programs and just let the learning be natural, but I really like to capitalize on her interests when she has them.

 

There is your answer. Really. I wish that I could go back to that kind of learning but with ds13 starting high school stuff, I feel like I need to use programs. But at 4.5? You hit the nail on head with what I quoted from you.

[....]

I have kids like this too. :glare: When they get to a certain age, they can just research and obsess over a topic all on their own. :tongue_smilie: My 2 older kids check out stacks of library books on herpetology and then spend hours googling different reptiles, whether or not they're endangered and then...they want to know which herp vendors are selling which reptiles. :glare: They even dragged me to a herpetology convention in Arlington, where the 7 yro was giving me a guided audio tour of the reptiles. Now, my 7 yro wants "us" (you know, he and I) to join a herpetological society, so we can listen to other herpetologists speak and go for herp expeditions (or whatever he called it).

 

:nopity: Yeah, I feel your pain. Wait til yours is a little older and are internet-savvy.

 

And the grandmas think this is comical...:toetap05:

[Chris in VA]

Tell her Mauritius is 40x60km, that that is where the dodos lived before they were made extinct, that the largest ethnic group is those of Indian descent, the main language used is Creole but the official language is French and are oriented more towards Europe than Africa. When they go on holidays, they often go to the close by island of Reunion. But that is probably because there is nowhere else close enough to go.

 

(I had a Mauritian penpal in high school :) )

 

Rosie

 

Rosie, you amaze me, woman. Some day I hope I can meet you! :D

 

And OP, there are lots of other ways to meet your dd's needs, besides curricula. Rosie provides a perfect example--

But I know it can be exhausting! lol

 

At least you don't have to give her the love of learning. She's got it already.

[MorganClassicalPrep]

No, it wouldn't be horrible to say "Not now, Sweetie. It's time for me to vacuum/ read my book/ clean the bath/ weed the garden/ listen to myself think. You can talk to me again when I am finished."

 

Tell her Mauritius is 40x60km, that that is where the dodos lived before they were made extinct, that the largest ethnic group is those of Indian descent, the main language used is Creole but the official language is French and are oriented more towards Europe than Africa. When they go on holidays, they often go to the close by island of Reunion. But that is probably because there is nowhere else close enough to go.

 

(I had a Mauritian penpal in high school :) )

 

Rosie

 

You are awesome!! :D DD is still talking about it, and can't wait to get back home and find it on our globe. She'll be glad to know the language is French too.

 

There is your answer. Really. I wish that I could go back to that kind of learning but with ds13 starting high school stuff, I feel like I need to use programs. But at 4.5? You hit the nail on head with what I quoted from you.

 

Thanks. Maybe I just needed permission to let go a little... :tongue_smilie:I'll just continue to let her loose in the library and learn from what we are reading. It'll definitely make things a little easier for me, not trying to make plans for everything! :D

[MissKNG]

I've been on a book buying binge for my aggressive learner. We are also due for another library run (I limit her to 15 books). I'm also saving for this particular microscope since she wants to look at tiny things.

 

Basically, I just keep trying to find different resources for her utilize. Sometimes it's workbooks, sometimes it's reading books, microscopes, art supplies, globe and atlas, CDROMs. Whatever will fill the need.

 

I recently set up "activity drawers" for her. Kind of like workboxes but not filled with school curriculum we are using, more like extra stuff. They are just in drawers because we were recently given two stacks of plastic drawers.